Executive Function/Study Skills
Resources, Links & Downloads
Following is a list of resources we have found useful for working on executive function and study skills:
National Center for Learning Disabilities provides several resources for families, including “What is Executive Function?” as well as several videos, including “How to Work with Child with Weak Working Memory.”
The Council for Exceptional Children provides a helpful article on Executive Function and how EF challenges impact children with disabilities. See www.cec.sped.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=10291.
Chris Dendy, an educator and parent of two children with ADHD, writes articles and publishes books on strategies for supporting students who learn differently with EF struggles. See www.chrisdendy.com/executive.htm.
The David Institute for Gifted Learning has a useful article, “Tips for Parents: Executive Functioning at Home and School.” See www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10523.aspx.
This great article by Kristin Stanberry describes how EF impacts learning in various academic areas. www.greatschools.org/special-education/health/1017-executive-function-lens-to-view-your-child.gs.
Peg Dawson, considered one of the world’s best experts on Executive Function, has written a very succinct article for developing EF skills in children. See www.smartkidswithld.org/ld-basics/treatments-and-support/executive-function.
Another good article from Peg Dawson on the unique needs of adolescents who are struggling with EF skills.
An excellent book by Peg Dawson and her colleague, Richard Guere that shares ideas and strategies for each EF area: Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents, Second Edition: A Practical Guide to Assessment and Intervention (The Guilford Practical Intervention in the Schools Series). Island Educational Services has a copy to check out.
The Asperger’s Association of New England has a well-written article on EF, including specific techniques to support children with Asperger’s Syndrome. See www.aane.org/asperger_resources/articles/education/executive_function_disorder.html.
Landmark College, a college in New England devoted to teaching students with learning disabilities, provided strategies for helping students learns time management skills to the LD Online site. See www.ldonline.org/article/23676.
Strategies for Organization: Preparing for Homework and the Real World (DVD). Michelle Garcia Winner.
Smart but Scattered, by Peg Dawson and Richard Guare, has easy-to-follow steps to identify your child’s strengths and weaknesses; uses activities and techniques proven to boost specific skills, and problem-solve daily routines. The premise of this book is small changes can add up to big improvements.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, by Sean Covey, provides a step-by-step guide to help teens improve self-image, build friendships, resist peer pressure, achieve their goals, get along with their parents, and much more. The publication includes stories from real teens from all over the world.
Working Memory and Academic Learning: Assessment and Intervention, by Milton J. Dehn, offers guidance on assessment tools, interventions, and current evidence-based best practices. Dehn offers specific, step-by-step guidance and hands-on case studies to enable the practioner to identify how working memory relates to academic attainment and how to apply this knowledge in professional practice.
Helping Students Remember: Exercises and Strategies to Strengthen Memory, also by Milton Dehn, is a hands-on memory program for children and adolescents that features dozens of practical, evidence-based memory exercises.
Executive Function in the Classroom: Practical Strategies for Improving Performance and Enhancing Skills for All Students, by Christopher Kaufman, provides practical forms, templates, organizers, and checklists to help students improve in specific areas.
That Crumpled Paper Was Due Last Week: Helping Disorganized and Distracted Boys Succeed in School and Life, by Ana Homayoun, provides a user-friendly book that shares a roadmap for success—how to get organized, how to study, and how to meet goals.