Executive Functioning Disorder in Children and Adolescents: Practical Strategies to Improve Metacognitive and Self-Regulation Skills

CPD

Handouts

Speaker

Kathy Kaluza Morris, MEd, BS Related seminars and products

igivuWings

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Kathy Morris, MEd, BS, has had over 42 years of experience working with children and adolescents with severe behavioral difficulties including those with autism, ADHD and executive dysfunction. Her consulting firm, igivuWings, specializes in autism and behavioral issues. Kathy works directly with families, educators, counselors, speech pathologists, occupational therapists and medical professionals throughout the world.

She has been a speech therapist, teacher for self-contained programs, resource teacher and first grade teacher. Kathy was also a diagnostician/supervisor for all grade levels. She was a LIFE Skills/autism/behavior/assistive technology consultant at a Texas education service center before leaving to start her own business in 1999.

A prolific speaker, Kathy has keynoted many national/international conferences. She is a frequent guest on a local news program promoting research-based techniques for working with children and adolescents with ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, and executive functioning differences.

Her video, Facilitating the Classroom Learning of Students with Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism, Grades K-6, has been a popular addition for campus and district staff developments as well as for those in clinical practices. In addition, she has an audio CD, Practical Strategies for Working with Students with Social Cognitive Differences in the General Education Classroom.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Kathy Morris is the owner of Igivu Wings and has employment relationships with Stetson and Associates and the Bureau of Education and Research. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Kathy Morris is the mother of adult children with autism spectrum disorders.

Objectives

1. Determine when to use strategies, such as breathe cards or keychain rules, to support children’s self-management in regulating behavior, focus and energy.
2. Implement specific intervention strategies to improve recall, organization and planning, and self-management skills in children with Executive Functioning (EF) deficits.
3. Utilize video modeling as an intervention strategy to target social-communication skills deficits and subsequent behavior difficulties in children with EF deficits.
4. Integrate visual strategies to support the way children and adolescents receive information and retain it in long-term memory.
5. Integrate metacognitive strategies to provide structure, predictability and routines to improve children’s level of functioning.
6. Utilize self-regulation strategies to help children identify their emotions and level of emotions and to improve their level of functioning.

Outline

Executive Functioning

• Neuroanatomy of the brain
• Mirror neurons
• Sensory issues vs. behavior issues
• Address communication breakdowns before they become social skills deficits resulting in behavior difficulties

Unlock Challenging Behavior in:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Attention Deficit disorders
• Anxiety disorders
• Attachment disorders
• Obsessive compulsive disorders
• Mood disturbances
• Behavior disorders
• Learning disabilities

Self-Regulation Strategies

• Methods to chart appropriate/inappropriate behaviors
• Activities to review situations, options, consequences, choices, strategies, simulation when calm
• Facilitate systematic feedback
• Identify emotions, level of emotions and suggestions for self-regulation

Metacognitive Strategies

• Methods that provide structure, predictability and routines
• Systems to provide expectations
• Neutral visual ques
• Tips to break down workloads and schedules

Integrate Metacognitive and Self-Regulation Strategies

• Visual ques to alert of change, surprises and transitions
• Generate new and novel language for persons under stress but have extensive rote memories
• Video modeling scenarios for persons who have social malfunctions
• Ways to use high interest areas to motivate and problem-solve
• Prompts for acceptable behaviors/social skills
• Social narratives for expected behaviors and what they look like

Hands-On Activities and Video Demonstration of:

• Meltdowns
• Power cards
• Keychain rules
• Backward Planning
• Using a launch pad for materials
• Simulation of over-arousal and over-stimulation
• Cartooning

Target Audience

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