WEEK 1 Development of executive functions
school psychologists → support student’s ability to learn and teachers’ability to teach
,School Psychologists: Improve academic achievement
- promote student motivation and engagement
- conduct psychological and academic assessments
- individualize instruction and interventions
- manage students and classroom behavior
- monitor student progress
- collect and interpret student and classroom data
- reduce inappropriate referrals to special education
School Psychologists: Promote positive behavior and mental health
- improve students communication and social skills
- assess student emotional and behavioral needs
- provide individual and group counseling
- promote problem solving, anger management and conflict resolution
- reinforce positive coping skills and resilience
- promote positive peer relationships and social problem solving
- make referrals to and help coordinate community services provided in schools
School Psychologists: Support diverse learners
- asses diverse learning needs
- provide culturally responsive services to students and families from diverse
backgrounds
- plan appropriate Individualized Education Programs for students (with disabilities)
- Modify and adapt curricula and instruction
- adjust classroom facilities and routines to improve student engagement and
learning
- monitor and effectively communicate with parents about student progress
School Psychologists: Create safe, positive school climates
- prevent bullying and other forms of violence
- support social-emotional learning
- assess school climate and improve school connectedness
- implement and promote positive discipline and restorative justice
- implement school-wide positive behavioral supports
- identify at risk students and school vulnerabilities
- provide crisis prevention and intervention services
What are executive functions?
EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING
‘air traffic control system’
➔ concentration
➔ juggling multiple demands
➔ adapting to changing circumstances
➔ working with others
➔ dealing with setbacks
➔ inhibiting immediate rewards
Consequences of low EF
- worse school performance
- difficulty keeping jobs
- lower income
- difficulty maintaining relationships
, - increased risk for mental health problems
early identification and intervention by a school psychologist can reduce the chances of
children with (e.g.) ADHD suffering poor outcomes
Definition Executive Functioning
umbrella term for various cognitive processes that give rise to goal-directed behavior
- novel & demanding situations
- flexible adjustment
- adaptive behavior, creativity
Executive functioning is one process
it is comprised of 3 core components
● working memory
- the ability to hold information in mind (maintenance) and mentally work
with it (manipulation)
● inhibitory control
- the ability to suppress interfering thought and actions that are not relevant
to the task at hand
● cognitive flexibility
- the ability to change one’s perspective or approach to a problem, flexibly
adjusting to new demands, rules or priorities
3 are not entirely independent
More complex executive functioning
- planning
- reasoning
- problem solving
- performance monitoring
Measure of executive functions
research: gain insight into typical development
clinical or school setting
executive functioning often impaired in clinical groups
- ADHD
- learning disabilities
- depression
Measure of simple executive functioning
- go / no go task → inhibition
measures of complex executive functioning
- tower of london
➔ task difficulty increases with the number of moves needed to solve the problem
➔ spatial problem solving, planning
the stroop task
- day and night task → automatic response inhibition
- delayed gratification task → the longer the child waits; the better able the child is
to self-regulate
school psychologists → support student’s ability to learn and teachers’ability to teach
,School Psychologists: Improve academic achievement
- promote student motivation and engagement
- conduct psychological and academic assessments
- individualize instruction and interventions
- manage students and classroom behavior
- monitor student progress
- collect and interpret student and classroom data
- reduce inappropriate referrals to special education
School Psychologists: Promote positive behavior and mental health
- improve students communication and social skills
- assess student emotional and behavioral needs
- provide individual and group counseling
- promote problem solving, anger management and conflict resolution
- reinforce positive coping skills and resilience
- promote positive peer relationships and social problem solving
- make referrals to and help coordinate community services provided in schools
School Psychologists: Support diverse learners
- asses diverse learning needs
- provide culturally responsive services to students and families from diverse
backgrounds
- plan appropriate Individualized Education Programs for students (with disabilities)
- Modify and adapt curricula and instruction
- adjust classroom facilities and routines to improve student engagement and
learning
- monitor and effectively communicate with parents about student progress
School Psychologists: Create safe, positive school climates
- prevent bullying and other forms of violence
- support social-emotional learning
- assess school climate and improve school connectedness
- implement and promote positive discipline and restorative justice
- implement school-wide positive behavioral supports
- identify at risk students and school vulnerabilities
- provide crisis prevention and intervention services
What are executive functions?
EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING
‘air traffic control system’
➔ concentration
➔ juggling multiple demands
➔ adapting to changing circumstances
➔ working with others
➔ dealing with setbacks
➔ inhibiting immediate rewards
Consequences of low EF
- worse school performance
- difficulty keeping jobs
- lower income
- difficulty maintaining relationships
, - increased risk for mental health problems
early identification and intervention by a school psychologist can reduce the chances of
children with (e.g.) ADHD suffering poor outcomes
Definition Executive Functioning
umbrella term for various cognitive processes that give rise to goal-directed behavior
- novel & demanding situations
- flexible adjustment
- adaptive behavior, creativity
Executive functioning is one process
it is comprised of 3 core components
● working memory
- the ability to hold information in mind (maintenance) and mentally work
with it (manipulation)
● inhibitory control
- the ability to suppress interfering thought and actions that are not relevant
to the task at hand
● cognitive flexibility
- the ability to change one’s perspective or approach to a problem, flexibly
adjusting to new demands, rules or priorities
3 are not entirely independent
More complex executive functioning
- planning
- reasoning
- problem solving
- performance monitoring
Measure of executive functions
research: gain insight into typical development
clinical or school setting
executive functioning often impaired in clinical groups
- ADHD
- learning disabilities
- depression
Measure of simple executive functioning
- go / no go task → inhibition
measures of complex executive functioning
- tower of london
➔ task difficulty increases with the number of moves needed to solve the problem
➔ spatial problem solving, planning
the stroop task
- day and night task → automatic response inhibition
- delayed gratification task → the longer the child waits; the better able the child is
to self-regulate
