PARENTS

Parents' Start-Up Guide

The Parents’ Start-up Guide is designed to help you “ready” your children for learning new executive function skills.  The components of the start-up guide are based upon an array of psychological research indicating that children need to be motivated and a have a partner in a learning process (Meltzer 2007); need to develop a belief system in which they can improve their abilities (Dweck 2006); and need to have an explicit teaching process that helps them step back and learn about how, when, and why to use these new skills (Merkley and Jaffries 2001).  Age-appropriate level of instruction in understanding the role of executive functions in children’s problem solving and, in particular, linking coaching strategies with real-world experiences and providing opportunities for practice and review will be necessary for success (Meltzer 2007).

Step 1:  Tell children that you will begin working with them to learn about the set of skills called executive functions. Explain to them that executive functions are skills that help people to pay attention, stay organized, solve problems, and handle frustrations.  Tell them that learning these skills will help them to be more successful at school, in getting along with their friends, and in having more time to play and have fun.  Let them know that while it might not be as easy for them as for some other people to be organized or to get started and complete chores and homework, they can learn methods to help them improve their skills. Help them develop a “growth mindset” where they see their own abilities grow through sustained work and effort.

Step 2:  Provide an opportunity for your children to learn about executive functions.  Use the LearningWorks e-learning module for kids as a starting place.  Be prepared (through your own readings and self-education) to engage in a discussion or provide examples in your or your children’s lives about how you benefit from using executive functions.  For example, describe how planning to go food shopping and to the bank on the way home from work, means you have time to play a game with them.

Step 3:  Ask your children where they would like to see improvements such as in completing homework, remembering to do things, or being organized .  Learn about areas at school, at home, and in social situations where they would like to employ executive functioning skills more effectively.  Use your children’s feedback along with your own observations to select and set goals for executive function development. 

Step 4:  Discuss some of the home- and school-based situations in which your children can learn to use their executive functions more effectively.  Be explicit in your descriptions of when, where, how, and why improved executive functions will help the child.  Together, generate specific skills on which to work.  Parents are encouraged to focus on a limited number of executive function skills specific to their child’s needs.  In addition, it will be helpful to familiarize yourself with available coaching guides to ensure that they are age-appropriate “prescriptions” for the development of specified executive functions.