Parent Questionnaire StudySpot Hamilton & Burlington Dr. Michael Bruder oversees the delivery of StudySpot’s Academic Coaching support to Hamilton and Burlington area students. Having joined the StudySpot team in 2015 as an educational consultant, he quickly gained an appreciation for the effectiveness of the program. Its ability to support students with Executive Function deficits in areas such as exam prep, organization, and overall study skills, motivated Dr. Bruder to bring StudySpot to Hamilton and Burlington. Click HERE to visit the StudySpot website now. Executive Function Elementary and High School StudySpot Coaching Grades 7-12 Aristos is a proud licensee of StudySpot for Hamilton, Burlington, and Waterdown. StudySpot provides academic coaching for students in grades 7-12 with an emphasis on support for students with executive function deficits, such as those usually found with students who have a diagnosis of ADD or ADHD. Students learn such skills as organization and time-management, test prep, active reading, and note-taking. High School and University University Prep Administered by Dr. Bruder, and based on his years of experience teaching at the University level, we provide a tailored set of lessons designed to prepare a student for the advance to University. Content is individualized to the school and program of each student so that s/he is familiar with the academic policies of the school but also the style and formatting standards of his/her discipline. University Executive Skill Support Ongoing support for University Students who would benefit from organization techniques, essay writing, exam preparation and planning, note-taking, and reading comprehension skills. All ages Psycho-Educational Assessment Review and Planning Many families are unsure of how to make the best use of the results from a Psycho-Educational Assessment. The education experts at Aristos can work with your family to best understand what the results mean, and most importantly what strategies and skills the student needs to succeed in light of the assessment’s recommendations. All ages Student and Family Advocacy We understand that the education system can sometimes be difficult to navigate for families with concerns. We are happy to accompany families to school meetings such as parent-teacher interviews and IRPC review meetings, to advocate for family concerns and ensure that any IEPs are being implemented to the family’s satisfaction. All ages Referrals Aristos focuses on academic supports, however we have a strong network of psychologists and counsellors to whom we can refer.

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WHAT IS EXECUTIVE FUNCTION? Executive Function is a term that comes up more and more in the world of psychological research and education support. A recent article in the journal Neuropsychology tries to provide some clarification on this increasingly popular yet often ill-defined phrase. Authors Paul T. Cirino, Yusra Ahmed, Jeremy Miciak, W. Pat Taylor, and Elyssa H. Gerst from the University of Houston and Marcia A. Barnes from the University of Texas at Austin set out to clarify what Executive Function (EF) means from the sometimes diverse perspectives of neuropsychology, developmental psychology, and educational psychology. They are trying to determine if Executive Function means the same thing from all these perspectives or to what degree there is any overlap in meaning. The authors begin with the broad understanding of Executive Function as the process that helps us manage goal directed behaviour. In other words, it’s the process that allows us to navigate and manage our lives to accomplish the things we need to do. This broad and important process affects everything from studying for an exam to managing our workload so we can spend time with family. The specific purpose of the article is to discuss how the many different components of executive function are related to each other. The authors outline three approaches that are generally taken when studying EF; the first studies damage to the brain that affects EF, the second studies the cognitive functions (planning, remembering) that help us accomplish our goals, and the third focuses on problem solving and reflecting on solutions. The article limits its study to the last two, leaving aside issues of the effect brain injuries have on EF. The article draws on the study of 846 elementary students in grades 3 to 5, ages 8 to 11 in the United States. Elementary students were chosen because, while it is expected that the basics of math and reading are accomplished by this level, it is a developmentally sensitive age for the skills associated with executive function such as planning, task initiation, and general independence. 8 components of executive function are listed, they include “(1) working memory; (2) inhibition; (3) shifting; (4) planning; (5) generative fluency; (6) self-regulated learning; (7) metacognition; and (8) behavioral regulation” (Cirino et. al. 2018). These 8 components represent an attempt to be inclusive of the different aspects that are sometimes contained under the heading “executive function”. Other notable accounts, for example Miyake et al. (2000), describe only three: inhibition, shifting, and updating (working memory). As we shall see, some of these 8 can be reduced to, or are strongly correlated with, these three. Let’s take a moment to describe each of these components: 1) Working memory refers, generally, to the ability to hold information in mind while taking in the current situation and, in this study, was assessed using tasks that required “(a) recall with manipulation, (b) simultaneous processing and storage, or (c) ongoing maintenance/updating of information in active memory” (Cirino et al. 2018). A simple example of working memory in action would be cooking from a recipe but wanting to make a double batch. You need to recall the amount of an ingredient needed and then double it for the current batch. You are keeping information in mind but also working on it (manipulating it) for the current situation. 2) Inhibition represents our ability to resist an initial impulse or reaction in order to provide a more considered response. This can be thought of as our ability to suppress our ‘knee-jerk’ reaction. A popular way of assessing this is called the Stroop test, in it people are shown the names of colours in differently coloured fonts and asked to say the word rather than the colour of the font. In the example “BLUE”, we resist, or inhibit, the impulse to say the font colour (black) and instead say the word (blue). 3) The component of executive function known as shifting refers to our ability to mentally change tasks that have different rules or guidelines. For example, if you were asked to sort fruit according to weight and then asked to begin sorting according colour instead, this would require the kind of mental ‘shift’ that is described by this term. 4) Planning in this context means much the same as its everyday use: to anticipate and account for the steps required to accomplish a goal. 5) Generative Fluency, often called verbal fluency, is the ability to recall words speedily from a certain group or category. For example: name as many capitals as you can, as fast as you can. 6) The way that we navigate and direct our own learning is called Self-Regulated Learning (SLR). This includes, not only how we go about learning something (the plan we make) but also how we navigate obstacles and difficulties along the way. 7) Metacognition, generally, refers to our ability to think about our thinking. In the context of executive function this means reflecting on and evaluating the conclusions and processes of our thoughts. 8) When we manage our behaviour, specifically in terms of our emotional reaction, attention, and focus, this is called behaviour regulation. It is similar to self-regulated learning but applies to a broader range of our activities. It is generally accepted that these 8 components, or some combination or variation of them, constitute executive function. When the disciplines of psychology and education talk about EF, they are talking about some or all of these 8 items. The purpose of the article by Cirino et al. is to try to determine the relationship between these components and executive function. Do all 8 have something underlying that is common to all of them or have we collected a set of distinct features under the single heading of executive function? The conclusion of the study is that the truth seems to be a mix of the two options. “The present study is unable to conclude that indicators of EF are interchangeable and each contributes similarly to a unitary factor; it is also unable to conclude that hypothesized factors are separable and nonoverlapping” (Cirino et al. 2018) There are certain components that seem to be distinct from each other, notably self-regulated learning and metacognition. What this means is that success or deficiency in these areas is not directly correlated to success or deficiency in the other components studied. However, the authors urge that it is beneficial to have a broad perspective of executive function and that there was found to be strong overlap amongst, or correlation between, components such as shifting, working memory, planning, and generative fluency (Cirino et al. 2018). While this study does not provide a definitive description of executive function, it does provide important insight into the components of executive function and the interrelation of those components with each other and the concept of executive function itself. As the authors themselves indicate, it will be left to future experimental studies to work out the role that this information will play in the strategies and techniques we develop to support those with executive function deficits. Articles Cited: Cirino, P., Ahmed, Y., Miciak, J., Taylor, W., Gerst, E., & Barnes, M. (2018). A framework for executive function in the late elementary years. Neuropsychology, 32(2), 176-189. doi: 10.1037/neu0000427 Miyake, A., Friedman, N., Emerson, M., Witzki, A., Howerter, A., & Wager, T. (2000). The Unity and Diversity of Executive Functions and Their Contributions to Complex “Frontal Lobe” Tasks: A Latent Variable Analysis. Cognitive Psychology, 41(1), 49-100. doi: 10.1006/cogp.1999.0734 If you have any questions about this article or would like to discuss executive function in general, please email me at mbruder@aristoseducation.ca Dr. Michael Bruder (Philosophy)

COACHING AND TUTORING Academic Behaviour Coaching is called coaching rather than tutoring for two important reasons. The first reason is based on the content, we want to distinguish the executive function and other skill types that we promote from academic content knowledge. While we may provide content support, especially in the application of EF skills, it is not the core of this ABC’s purpose. The second reason is based on the relationship between the coach and the student. Tutors and teachers are often viewed by students as outside sources of information and expectations (assignments, rote knowledge, etc,). This can create a sense of a one-directional relationship in which thes student feels like a passive vessel rather than an active participant. We want our student clients to identify their coaches as someone on the same side of the education dynamic as them. A coach’s ultimate goal is not to impart information (although this can be a necessary step), it is to develop skills. Our coaches do not provide demands from outside the student, they provide skills and strategies for succeeding in the face of those demands. Executive Function skills, like other skills, can be developed, improved, and supported through the appropriate techniques. ABC coaches introduce students to these techniques by applying them at school and at home. Content support may help for this day or week or term in school, but the skills developed through ABC will help students every day, for life. In a very real sense, these students are learning to learn. BACK TO MANUAL CONTENTS

ONLINE COACHING Online coaching sessions have the same objectives, techniques, and structure as in-person sessions with some contextual differences. The majority of material sharing and coach demonstrations will occur via screen sharing and some materials may need to be sent to clients in advance of the sessions. In order to ensure we are providing the best possible support for both our online and in-person clients, there are a few key points to keep in mind. Attention and Engagement We want to be as effective as possible during our coaching sessions and facilitating student engagement is an important component of our efficacity. Many of the students we see struggle with attention and this struggle can be compounded in the context of online sessions. We want to take all possible steps to reduce and mitigate attention issues resulting from coaching in an online environment. -become familiar with the session delivery software (zoom, etc), there are usually tutorials available online if needed -ensure parents can provide a distraction reduced space for the online session -have the student come prepared with any and all regular materials (writing/drawing supplies, frequently used manipulatives, Technical Issues We seldom have technology without technical issues. The best way to deal with technical issues is through anticipation and preparation. Here are some tips to help prepare for and address the most common technical issues -always do a dry run before the lesson if your are trying something new, whether this is a new website or a new type of document you want to screenshare -be the host of the meeting, there are some things you will want to do, like screen share, that you usually need to be the host of the meeting to accomplish -have a parent contact number handy, if the session is suddenly interrupted, this allows you to coordinate a solution with the clients -have alternate analog materials and activities at the ready in case of issues with digital materials BACK TO MANUAL CONTENTS

MOTIVATION AND REWARD PROGRAM Having a motivated student is important for productive sessions and skill progress. It is a long-term goal of coaching to have the student be self-motivating and to have internal motivation for effort. However, having an external reward system is effective for achieving initial buy-in from the student and can serve as a good motivator while internal motivation is being developed. Reward programs are effective when they are cumulative so that the student is working toward a goal that is not accomplished in a single session. The tokens toward a mid-range goal should provide some immediate motivation within the session. Tokens that count toward the reward should be awarding with specific praise connected to student effort, rather than results. This is consistent with the overall approach to build confidence and reward development rather than static ability. Reward Token Tracker in Word Reward Token Tracker in pdf See the Session Structure and Content page for more details on implementing the reward program. BACK TO MANUAL CONTENTS

TECHNIQUES BY LEARNING DISABILITY This section provides strategies and techniques for supporting students with Learning Differences and Disabilities. Click to jump to a section: ADHD DYSLEXIA DYSCALCULIA DYSGRAPHIA PROCESSING DEFICITS ADHD Strategies for Distraction/Focus management (Hart Barnett, 2017): Environment: -standing desk -low distraction location -work area clear of all non-relevant items Instructional: -strategic pausing -workload reduction -embedded physical movement Dyslexia Multisensory Method Phonological Intervention Cognitive Training MULTISENSORY METHOD Effective multisensory instruction is based on the following key principles (from Dylexia.org): Teaching using all learning pathways in the brain (i.e., visual, auditory, kinesthetic- tactile) simultaneously or sequentially Being Systematic and Cumulative in the Instruction of Concepts. Multisensory language instruction requires that instruction begins with the easiest and most basic concepts and proceeds gradually to more complex material. Each new concept should be related to the concepts already learned. Concepts should be reviewed regularly to strengthen memory. The progress tracker can be used to guide this review. Direct Instruction: The inferential learning of any concept cannot be taken for granted. Multisensory language instruction requires direct teaching of all concepts with continuous student-teacher interaction. Diagnostic Teaching: The teacher must be adept at flexible or individualized teaching. The teaching plan is based on careful and continuous assessment of the individual‚Äôs needs. The content presented must be mastered step by step for the student to progress. Synthetic and Analytic Instruction: Multisensory, structured language programs include both synthetic and analytic instruction. Synthetic instruction presents the parts of the language and then teaches how the parts work together to form a whole. Analytic instruction presents the whole and teaches how this can be broken down into its component parts. Comprehensive and Inclusive: All levels of language are addressed, often in parallel, including sounds (phonemes), symbols (graphemes), meaningful word parts (morphemes), word and phrase meanings (semantics), sentences (syntax), longer passages (discourse), and the social uses of language (pragmatics). https://dyslexiaida.org/multisensory-structured-language-teaching-fact-sheet/ Orton-Gillingham is considered a multi-sensory approach: … the constant use of associations of all of the following: how a letter or word looks, how it sounds and how the speech organs or the hand in writing feels when producing it’ (Gillingham and Stillman, 1956, p. 17) -phonological intervention Resource on Phonological Awareness and Dyslexia: https://gsa.memberclicks.net/assets/documents/2016-Convention/Handouts/brode%20delashmit%20pigottposterhandout.pdf From: Phonological Remediation Program for Students with Learning Difficulties https://doi.org/10.1590/S2179-64912011000100006 The program had a total of 18 cumulative sessions, that is, each session was worked on a new activity associated with the activities of the previous session. The sequence in which the program's activities are carried out is described below: 1) Identification of the sound and the letter: all the letters of the alphabet were presented on A4 paper and the students should name them and identify the sounds of the alphabet. 2) Identification of words within a sentence: seven affirmative sentences were orally presented so that students could divide the sentence into words, marking them with palms. 3) Identification and manipulation of syllables in the word: two words were presented orally so that the students could identify which were the same syllables contained in it. Students were also asked to manipulate syllabic segmentation to form new words in initial, medial and final positions. In each session, six words were provided. 4) Phonemic synthesis: seven words were presented orally separated by sounds and students should recognize them. 5) Rhyme: the students were asked to identify words that ended with the same sound and pictures whose names rhymed with these words. 6) Identification and discrimination of phonemes: a phoneme was presented orally and students were asked to say a word that begins with this sound. Afterwards, seven words were presented orally and the students were asked about the presence of the target phoneme in each one of them. The phonemes were presented considering the sequence of speech and language development. 7) Phoneme segmentation: a word was presented orally and the students were asked to say all the phonemes contained in it. Colored sheets were used to help students in the segmentation of sounds. In each session, seven words were provided. 8) Phoneme subtraction: six words were presented to students to remove the final phoneme and then six words to remove the initial phoneme. 9) Phoneme replacement: a word was presented orally and students were asked to remove the initial phoneme and replace it with another, thus forming a new word. In each session, seven words were given to the students. 10) Phoneme transposition: students were asked to speak the words in reverse order to form new words. Applied in “Phonological remediation in students with ADHD and dyslexia” https://doi.org/10.1590/2317-1782/20192019086 “The phonological remediation program contributes to the development of phonological processing, reading and text comprehension in this population.” Martins et al. 2020 -cognitive training -must go beyond literacy skills and address cognitive function (Nurul et al. 2018) Dyslexia and handwriting: “learning to spell better results in children writing better overall. In short, the value of teaching spelling to children with dyslexia extends beyond reading into written composition.” Hebert et al. 2018. -phonetic breakdowns -Reading Recovery System Dyscalculia “A meta-analysis on this topic has shown that symptom-specific interventions, in which persons with dyscalculia are mainly given mathematical tasks to practice, yields markedly better improvement in all areas of mathematical performance than no intervention at all or non–symptom-specific interventions that mainly train other skills (e.g., working memory)” Haberstroh 2019. “Other clinically relevant symptoms and disorders that might affect mathematical performance should also be taken into account in choosing suitable interventions. If such symptoms/disorders are present, it is important to differentiate whether they are functionally linked to dyscalculia (e.g., math anxiety) or not (e.g., ADHD). In all cases, any comorbid mental disorder must be considered in the design of a suitable treatment plan.” Haberstroh 2019 “Treatment should be provided in individual sessions of at least 45 minutes’ duration. Treatment was found to have a weaker effect if provided in a group setting (-0.19 [-0.37; -0.01]) or in sessions lasting less than 45 minutes (-0.49 [-1.02; 0.04])”. Haberstroh 2019 “Preschool children who are held to be at risk for developing dyscalculia should receive supportive treatment as early as possible, as this has been found to have a beneficial effect on the later development of mathematical competence and on scholastic performance (31 , 32 ).” Haberstroh 2019 Research-supported dyscalculia interventions (from Haberstroh 2019) Also from Haberstroh 2019: The treatment of dyscalculia Koponen et al. (e131 ): A non-randomized controlled study comparing two groups (an intervention group and a waiting-list control group), each consisting of 62 Finnish children with dyscalculia, in the 2nd to 4th grades, to test the efficacy of rule and strategy training for to promote rapid recall of math facts. The intervention was in a small-group setting and consisted of two weekly sessions of 45 minutes each for a total of 12 weeks. The intervention group performed significantly better in recalling facts relating to addition tasks, as well as on a test of fact knowledge in the basic arithmetic operations. The improvement of performance on subtraction tasks was not significant. Within the intervention group, a switch was observed from counting strategies to breakdown strategies and direct fact retrieval. Kohn et al. (e132 ): A non-randomized controlled study comparing three groups (an intervention group, a control training group, and a waiting-list control group), each consisting of 22 or 23 German children with dyscalculia, in the 2nd to 5th grades, to test the efficacy of computer-based training of numerical and quantitative processing, and of arithmetic. The intervention consisted of five practice sessions per week lasting 20 minutes each for a total of 6–8 weeks. The control training group received computer-based training in spelling. The intervention group performed significantly better than the other two groups on subtraction and number line tasks. The improvement of performance on addition tasks was not significant. Dysgraphia -may require intervention of Occupational Therapist -develop hand and wrist strength (play with clay, manipulatives, fine motor games, etc) -cursive may be easier than printing -practice formations and general base movements (strokes vs circles etc) -tracing practice -use outlines and pictorial planners for writing Processing Deficits Visual processing -discuss requirements and steps verbally -use blank paper to cover unnecessary text or other visual information while reading Auditory processing -provide visual guides and instructions Auditory acuity is the ability to detect the presence of sounds at various levels of intensity and frequency. It’s only one of many auditory abilities, yet it’s the only competency many teachers consider when evaluating a child’s listening skills. Other auditory abilities are not as widely understood and not as easily addressed. Auditory attention is the ability to direct and sustain attention to preferred sound messages. Those with auditory attention problems have difficulty selecting relevant from irrelevant sounds (poor auditory figure-ground ability). Auditory memory is the ability to remember auditory sound patterns. Children build a reserve of previously learned sound patterns from which they recall and then interpret and integrate their auditory environment. Auditory discrimination is the ability to detect similarities and differences between sounds. Those with poor discrimination may not, for example, be able to hear the difference between the words took and book. Auditory synthesis (integration) is the ability to blend independent sound units into complete aural units (words) such as c-ar-t, or t-a-ble. Auditory comprehension is the ability to decode and derive meaning from sound messages. This requires competence in several auditory abilities: attention, memory, discrimination and integration. Auditory-visual integration is the ability to integrate auditory and visual messages. Because sound is fleeting, visual stimuli often support the interpretation of sound. Associating a picture or the printed word with the spoken word is an auditory-visual integration activity. Children who have auditory processing deficits often find reading, writing and spelling difficult because these skills require an ability to: recognize and distinguish between sounds in words; blend them together; separate words into syllables; and, follow auditory sequences. Many children with Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) also have speech and language deficits such as low vocabulary, poor flexibility of vocal patterns and articulation problems. https://www.ldao.ca/introduction-to-ldsadhd/articles/about-lds/about-learning-disabilities/auditory-processing-deficits/ Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario See Gonçalves, F. A. (2018). Effect of auditory-motor training on auditory processing of school children. Einstein /, 16(4). https://doi.org/10.31744/einstein_journal/2018AO4359 https://www-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov.proxy1.lib.trentu.ca/pmc/articles/PMC6276812/#app01 For possible interventions References Dyslexia.org https://dyslexiaida.org/multisensory-structured-language-teaching-fact-sheet/ retrieved 2021 Hart Barnett, J. E. (2017). Helping Students with ADHD in the Age of Digital Distraction. Research, Advocacy, and Practice for Complex and Chronic Conditions, 36(2), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.14434/pders.v36i2.23913 BACK TO MANUAL COACHING PORTAL

TECHNIQUES BY ACADEMIC SKILL Assistive Technology resource tree at ATSelect.org (list options or tree) Homework Completion Homework completion is a common area of concern and requires a number of skills and strategies for consistent success. Tools for success: DUE DATE TRACKING One of the first skills a student needs to complete homework is to learn, record, and plan according to the due date. An agenda is usually the best resources for due date tracking in the early grades, but other options such as a wall calendar or a digital calendar on a device are options, depending on the student. Effectiveness should be the ultimate criteria and students may need to be open to changing methods if one does not work well. -estimate of time needed (will need to develop this skill) -scheduled time (broken into manageable sessions) -rubric -text or reference material -make use of any accommodations from IEP Test Prep Test preparation, when done effectively, is a complex process that requires many of the EF skills discussed. Some students think that studying means just reading over the material. The best studying is active studying. The more involved, or active, with the material, the more likely it is to be understood and retained. Having a plan in place helps to alleviate stress and can avoid activating procrastination if the preparation is in manageable sections well in advance of the test or exam Tools for Success: -review previous tests for a) types of questions, b) common errors, c) teacher particularities -review unit material and estimate time needed to study -plan what kind of studying technique is best for each type of content -schedule specific times that include a) the specific time frame, b) the material to be covered, c) the study method employed (flash cards, short answer composition, etc) -E.X. Wednesday 4pm-5pm, Outsiders novel study short answer prep, create 4 mind-maps BACK TO COACHING PORTAL

Dr. Michael Bruder CEO and Director of Research Dr. Bruder received his PhD from McMaster University in Philosophy and brings over a decade of experience in private education to his role of Director of Research at Aristos.

EXECUTIVE FUNCTION AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE Executive Function refers to a range of abilities that can be grouped into three general categories: working memory , inhibitory control , and cognitive flexibility . These three categories of abilities have a significant effect on academic performance. In fact they are the greatest predictor of academic performance. They are also the areas of deficit most common with a diagnosis of ADHD. Strong executive function skills do not guarantee academic success, the student also needs to be organised and effective, but it is very difficult to succeed in the contemporary classroom without these executive function skills. Some EF skills can be developed independently of their academic application, and then transitioned to be applied in the academic context. Other skills are better introduced through direct application to school content. Working Memory : The ability to hold information in mind for the short term, the ability to work with multiple pieces of information held in mind, adding new information to information being held in mind. Inhibitory Control : The ability to resist an initial impulse or urge and reflect on choices, regulating emotion and attention, and resisting distractions. Cognitive Flexibility : The ability to think about your thinking, the ability to change processes in light of new information or negative feedback, being able to anticipate and account for obstacles to a goal. It has been shown that EF interventions improve school performance, not only on trained tasks but also on cognate tasks. I.e. Working Memory training not only improves recall specific items but also fluid reasoning and reading comprehension (Zhang et al., 2018). BACK TO MANUAL CONTENTS

TECHNIQUES BY EXECUTIVE FUNCTION This section contains techniques and approaches relevant to executive function skills such as those related to WORKING MEMORY , ORGANIZATION , PLANNING , and INHIBITORY CONTROL . Working Memory: Working Memory allows us to keep information ready at-hand in out thoughts while incorporating new information, or performing an operation. Some students will have very different working memory abilities for visual versus auditory information, and also meaningfully related versus unrelated information. For students who struggle with working memory relative to unrelated information, creating a personally meaningful narrative out of seemingly unrelated or abstract information can be an effective strategy. Working Memory training not only improves recall of specific items but also fluid reasoning and reading comprehension (Zhang et al. 2018). For this reason working memory training should be implemented along with other reasoning and reading skills as appropriate. Students who need support in this area may struggle with the following skills (click to jump to section): DUE DATE TRACKING MULTI-STEP INSTRUCTIONS AND MULTITASKING REMEMBERING ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS RECALLING NEW INFORMATION DUE DATE TRACKING: -decide on a method (agenda, digital device, wall calendar) and discuss the value of knowing dates for events that matter to the student in extra-curricular life. Connect this to academic date tracking, not only what is due but how many days until the weekend, holidays, etc. -the student will need to build the habit of recognizing that the teacher is mentioning a due date. -role-play listening for clues that the student should be recording a date -make a game of noticing dates, script: "At some point during the session today, I'm going to mention a date, see if you can notice and write it down without me asking you to". MULTI-STEP ISTRUCTIONS AND MULTITASKING: Depending on the level of ability and degree of working memory deficit, different strategies may be more or less effective. Students with very low working memory should build the habit of short note taking on a pad that is always on hand, on top of the desk/table. Students who require this level of support should have an accommodation allowing this in the classroom. Build the habit of recognizing when a list or set of instructions is about to be given and when multitasking is required. Discuss some topics that would likely include a set of steps ("ok class next we are going to....), and some that would not ("We are going to discuss our favourite part of the book"). Practise noticing cue words: after, before, first, next, starting with, while, during, at the same time, etc. Have the student visualize a hero figure completing the steps as they are described and make it into a story the student can repeat back to you. Multitasking activities should be broken down into the different tasks and recorded on a note pad for reference. Working memory has been shown to not only affect the speed of multitasking but also the accuracy of the completed work (Buehner et al. 2006). For this reason, students should always review and compare the final product with assignment expectations. REMEMBERING ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS: Remembering the rules of a game while playing is an excellent analogue for remembering assignment requirements while working. Students who struggle with working memory may lose track of assignment requirements while working and this results in completed work that does not meet classroom expectations. Playing simple games can help build the habit of keeping expectations in mind. Have the student retell the rules before playing; students who struggle with working memory to a more severe degree should have a short a reference sheet and get in the habit of checking it as they play. This sheet should be provided by the coach initially but eventually students will learn to create their own. Using a villain/foil can be a fun way to anticipate rules/requirements that would be broken or not followed by the character. Students should regularly check in with assignment instructions as they are working and always do so before considering work completed. RECALLING NEW INFORMATION: Narrative Association is a powerful tool to establish new information. To help students remember new information, make connections and associations for the student through narrative and play-based activities. These must be consistently used and reinforced by the coach. I.e. if a fictional character is used to demonstrate poor inhibitory control, the same character should not be used as the ideal of inhibitory control (unless the character is an example of how these behaviours can improve). Acrostics and Acronyms are excellent tools for learning lists of items. It is easier to create these with non-sequential items but the technique can be used for sequential items as well. The student will remember these more easily if they have a personal meaning for them or are silly and unusual. Categorize large numbers of items into sub-categories and have the student then study each category separately (an acrostic can be made for the categories themselves if there are 3+). Flash Cards : single term per card, term on one side, definition on the other. The definition must be brief, point form, in the student’s own words. Formulating the definition briefly engages the student to conceptualize the concept more clearly. Creating definitions using four or fewer words has been shown to increase retention of larger concepts (Schultz and Evans 2015). Note-taking : outline style, Cornell, fill in the blank (guided notes). Having a note-taking method has also been shown to reduce distraction in the classroom (Schulz and Evans 2015). After instructing and guiding note-taking, independent attempts at note-taking should be reviewed with detailed feedback from the coach with reference to instructional points. Organization: Students with a diagnosis of ADHD are often disorganized in terms of their possessions, thoughts, and behaviour (Schultz and Evans 2015). This is also true of students without a diagnosis of ADHD but with weak executive function skills. -Physical Organization tracking (use skill mastery sheet to track overall progress): select a personal item or area (book bag, binder, room, study area) and have the student describe what this would look like when organized. Create an organizational checklist from this description and have the student do a self-assessment at each session. The coach should offer constructive feedback and make suggestions as necessary after the student self-assessment. The checklist should be consulted until mastery is achieved for each item needing organization. Once the coach feels the student is ready (multiple organizational items mastered), the student can attempt to independently organize a new item and identify items/areas in need of organization. -it has been noted by some researchers that an organization skill can take around 16 sessions to show consistent improvement. The most common trend of development is seeming inconsistency between sessions but an overall trend of improvement (Schultz and Evans 2015). The organizational checklist for a backpack may include the following: -no loose papers/papers filed in folder or binder -stationary materials in a pencil case -no old lunch food -completely closed with nothing sticking out -clean -binders or folders -agenda Students may also need a checklist to consult when packing the backpack to go to school and and packing it to come home from school again. If possible, these checklists should be fastened to the bag zipper so that the student is reminder to check the list when opening and closing the backpack. These lists may include: -lunch containers -water bottle -any outdoor gear (boots, umbrellas, mittens, etc) -mask(s) (during Covid protocols) -agenda -assignment sheets Students should be encouraged to decorate the list with drawings, stickers, etc. with colours and characters that they enjoy. Symbols or pictures can be used in place of words to create a checklist for those who are still learning to read. Students can sometimes feel at the mercy of events that are part of their daily life. Discussing the morning routine so they can understand its purpose and anticipate it can give the student a greater sense of involvement in the daily routine, and it is a great way to introduce the concept of planning. Planning: Planning and time management are among the most important base skills for academic success in general and these skills can be particularly challenging for students with ADHD. -agenda/calendar use -practise estimating how long different activities take, record estimate, time actual work and compare results -enter precise timeframe for each scheduled activity and note if the time scheduled is too much or too little -enter exact activities to be accomplished in the scheduled event. I.e.rather than “5pm-5:30pm Study” the student should enter “5pm-5:30pm create flash cards for definitions 1-10”. -enter social and non-academic events and responsibilities as well to show how organization is about life, not just about school. -enter time for activities the student enjoys that are not school-related -learn to set, snooze, and edit digital alerts and notifications (discuss best use) -consult online calendars, resources, and classroom teacher notes -being in contact with the classroom teacher ensures effective planning of due dates until the student develops independence Inhibitory Control: Inhibitory control refers to the ability to resist our initial, reflex reaction to a situation or question and consider alternatives and options before acting. This ability is important in situations ranging from emotional response management to multiple choice quizzes. There is evidence that control over response can be developed by practicing similar activities (Zhang et al. 2019). There is even some evidence to suggest that improving inhibitory control also improves working memory (Zhao et al. 2015), perhaps because we need to hold rules or exceptions in mind to resist an initial reaction. Types of activities that are used to practice and assess inhibitory control include: the Stroop task, Go/No-Go task, Stop-signal task, and the flanker task. The Stroop task presents students with the names of colours, but written in a coloured font that may or may not match the colour name. For example YELLOW , RED , etc, and asks students to respond with the colour of the font rather than the word written (the correct example responses would be Green and Yellow respectively). The student must build the habit of resisting the existing habit of reading the word, and instead think about the font. Cards or slides can be created by the coach to practise this task. This activity is not recommended for students who are still learning to read colour names. An online demo can be found here: https://www.psytoolkit.org/experiment-library/stroop.html Go/No-Go tasks present students with two types of of stimuli; one type requires a response (Go), and the other requires the student to resist responding (No-Go). An example could be created using a deck of playing cards and having the student respond quickly when a black card is dealt but resist responding when a red card is dealt. The Stop-Signal task is a more complex version of the Go/No-G o task in which there are still two types of stimuli, but each type does require a response, unless a third signal is present, in which case the student must resist responding. An online demo can be found here: https://www.psytoolkit.org/experiment-library/stopsignal.html The Flanker task asks student to provide a response based on whether the focal stimulus is from one of two groups, but the stimulus is flanked on either side by contrary or irrelevant stimuli. An online demo can be found here: https://www.psytoolkit.org/experiment-library/flanker.html Coaches can easily create quick games that employ these principles. Some card games that have elements of inhibitory control practice include go-fish, and war. References: Buehner, Markus & König, Cornelius & Pick, Marion & Krumm, Stefan. (2006). Working Memory Dimensions as Differential Predictors of the Speed and Error Aspect of Multitasking Performance. Human Performance. 19. 253-275. 10.1207/s15327043hup1903_4. Zhang, Wang, C., Zhao, Q., Yang, L., Buschkuehl, M., & Jaeggi, S. M. (2019). The malleability of executive function in early childhood: Effects of schooling and targeted training. Developmental Science, 22(2), e12748–n/a. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.12748 Zhao, Chen, L., Fu, L., & Maes, J. H. . (2015). “Wesley says”: A children’s response inhibition playground training game yields preliminary evidence of transfer effects. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 207–207. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00207 ORGANIZATION Working Memory Due Date Tracking Multi-step Instructions Remembering Instructions Recalling Information Planning Inhibitory Control BACK TO COACHING PORTAL