Executive Function Skills Training is essential for children identified with AD/HD or other learning disabilities. However, plenty of people lack executive function skills without having an actual disability. Our program teaches kids and teens to plan, prioritize and organize effectively, despite any learning difficulties or attention deficits.

What is executive function? And how does it affect learning?
According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), "executive function (EF) is a term used to describe a set of mental processes that helps us connect past experience with present action." Every day, each of us uses executive function skills in activities such as decision making, strategizing, troubleshooting, managing our emotions, paying attention, keeping "on-task" and remembering details. Additionally, executive function skills are what enable students to:

• keep track of time during exams
  
• engage in group discussions
  
• finish their work on time
  
• ask for help when needed
  
• maintain focus on their schoolwork
  
• wait to speak until called on
  
• think critically, and to make corrections while reading & writing

How can On-Track’s Executive Function (AD/HD) Skills Training help my child & our family?

Our EF training program empowers kids and teens, helping them:

• enhance organizational and time-management systems and learn to prioritize
• learn essential self-advocacy skills
  
• maximize their strengths
  
• increase self-esteem
  
• discover strengths and achieve results!

EF skills training enables parents to:

• remove themselves from the “nagging” role
• get (or keep!) your relationship on the right track
  
• entrust your child with greater responsibility and accountability
  
• empower your child with critical life skills

Unlike any other coaching or skills program available, EF skills training is overseen by recognized AD/HD expert and On-Track president, Dana Herzberg. Customized to fit the needs of each individual, executive function skills training is an extension of our exclusive Foundations® Study Skills & Organization program. Since everyone processes information differently and each person requires different organizational systems, it is the role of an Executive Trainer to identify systems that work for each person.

Do we need Executive Function (AD/HD) Skills Training? Signs that your child may have problems with executive function:

• chronic disorganization
  
• challenges in reading comprehension and/or math
• difficulty with note-taking (including hearing and/or identifying main idea & important details)
  
• difficulty with multi-step directions
  
• often losing track of time
  
• trouble with generating ideas independently
  
• ongoing problems with writing (including organizing thoughts, developing sentences/paragraphs, creating a cohesive paper inclusive of important facts & details)
  
• challenges with estimating the amount of time a task will take (such as daily homework or a long-term project)
  
• difficulty with memorizing facts
  
• struggling with retelling a story or event; may not be able to communicate details in an organized, sequential manner
  
• experiencing frustration with recalling information
  
• trouble with initiating activities or tasks
  
• difficulty retaining information while doing something with it (remembering instructions during an exam, for example)
  
• habitually losing or misplacing belongings, forgetting to bring necessary books, etc. home from school, or forgetting to turn in homework
  
• becoming agitated when forced to "switch gears" to another subject or activity

"The brain continues to mature and develop connections well into adulthood, and a person's executive function abilities are shaped by both physical changes in the brain and by life experiences, in the classroom and in the world at large. Early attention to developing efficient skills in this area can be very helpful, and as a rule, direct instruction, frequent reassurance and explicit feedback are strongly recommended."
–NCLD.org

Our one-on-one, individualized program works. Contact us for more information on how we can help empower your child & family!

Click here to download our Strategic Connections brochure

On-Track Tutoring & Family Support Services is not a subsidiary of, or otherwise affiliated with, the NCLD. Definitions and website are provided for informational purposes.

“Executive skills allow us to organize our behavior over time and override immediate demands in favor of longer-term goals. Through the use of these skills we can plan and organize activities, sustain attention, and persist to complete a task. Executive skills enable us to manage our emotions and monitor our thoughts in order to work more efficiently and effectively.”

 (Dawson, Guare, 2004)

 

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