Helping Children and Adolescents Develop Executive Functioning Skills

300 McCanna Parkway,Burlington WI 53105

14 March, 2023

Description

There are A LOT of things that parents and teachers can do to help children focus in class or when doing homework, solve problems, and manage their emotions. These abilities are part of a cluster of skills known as “Executive Functions. Other executive functions include the ability to plan, organize school work, set goals, take perspective, and prioritize goal-directed actions, self-motivate, manage time, and control impulses. Executive dysfunction syndrome is present in nearly all children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD and Autism Spectrum disorders. In addition, Executive Function syndrome also occurs in children who do not have ADHD. For example, up to 23% of children with anxiety or OCD, and up to 44% of children with depression, may have Executive Function difficulties. Having a mental health disorder can, in turn, impact an individual’s executive functioning skills. Difficulties with executive functioning may lead to poor school performance, difficulty forming or maintaining relationships, mood issues, low self-esteem, avoidance of difficult tasks, and low motivation for task completion.Through this FREE presentation, Dr. Mervin Langley of Advocate Aurora Behavioral Health, will share information about what executive functioning is and how decreased executive functioning skills can impact children emotionally, socially, and academically. Dr. Langley will also provide attendees with strength-based accommodations and strategies that can be readily used with children to help enhance, practice, and develop executive functioning skills. This is an adult only program. Child care is NOT provided.