Academics

Executive functioning encompasses the skills needed to plan, manage, and complete tasks. This includes “soft skills” like working memory, time management, organization, flexible thinking, initiating tasks, self-monitoring, and impulse control.

Children who struggle with executive functioning may:

• Have trouble managing their time
• Struggle to organize their thoughts and ideas
• Often lose or misplace belongings
• Forget what they just read or heard
• Have trouble prioritizing or envisioning tasks
• Fixate on a certain topic, idea, or feeling
• Get “stuck” when given multi-step directions

Executive functioning expectations and gaps look different as students age. For example, a kindergartener may throw tantrums over minor things, while a high schooler may have trouble participating in group projects.

Regardless of where a child starts, they can always improve executive functioning skills through practice and the use of the following strategies.

Visual or Written Schedules: Many children with executive functioning difficulties may have challenges with staying on task, managing their time, or envisioning multi-step processes. Keeping a schedule can help these children stay organized. While digital calendars or day planners may help older children, creating a daily picture schedule can help younger children.

Stick to Consistent Routines: Keeping consistent routines can help children anticipate tasks and hone time management. Sticking to the same morning and evening routine can also help develop good habits and independence.

Break Down Directions: Kids who struggle with executive functioning often have trouble remembering and executing multi-step directions. Breaking tasks down one step at a time can support their confidence and completion. For example, instead of telling a child, “Go get the cleaning supplies out of the closet, mop the floor, and wipe down the counter,” try breaking it down one step at a time. Providing visual or written directions (like a list of chores or illustrations of a task for young children) is also useful. When it comes to academics, giving one step at a time or providing visual directions (like the written steps of a math formula) can help with task completion and skill retention.

Model Tasks: Explicitly modeling tasks at home and school can support children in conceptualizing new tasks. Verbally narrating each step (“First, I open the jar. Then, I use the knife to spread the peanut butter.”) can also help kids identify and practice multi-step processes.

Practice Flexible Thinking: Many games, jokes, and wordplay can support children in developing flexible thinking skills. Strategy games like Blokus or Connect Four and logic puzzles like Sudoku can help kids consider multiple outcomes and practice changing their approach when needed. Puns, jokes (“What did the ocean say to the pirate? Nothing, it just waved.”), and books like Amelia Bedelia can show kids that words can have more than one meaning. Encourage children to think up their own punny jokes and double-meanings!

Many children with disabilities may need additional supports in reading. Students across many disability categories can struggle with decoding, comprehension, and reading stamina. The strategies below can support these children at school and at home.

Partner Reading: Reading with a family member, teacher, or peer can support students in a number of ways. Partner reading models strong fluency for struggling readers and helps to fill comprehension gaps. It also “chunks” the text into more manageable sections and makes reading a social activity. Seeing family members and teachers excited about reading can also encourage positive reading habits.

“Chunked” Texts: Long texts can often be daunting and difficult for struggling readers to access. Breaking up these texts into “chunks” either verbally (“Just read paragraphs 1-3,”) or visually (by inserting pictures or extra blank space) can help children focus their attention and make long texts more approachable.

Independent Reading of “Just Right” Texts: The best way to become a better reader is by reading. Kids independently reading books at or just above their reading level supports vocabulary acquisition, comprehension, fluency, and more. To build stamina, try “Drop Everything and Read” times starting at just 5-10 minutes of silent, sustained reading. Then, increase the time bit by bit each time.

Attach Images or Actions to Sight Words: Classic strategies like “sound it out” don’t always work for sight words, which often have nonstandard spelling or pronunciation. Helping children associate sight words with images or hand motions can support memory of meaning and pronunciation.

Ask Your Child Questions About Their Reading: Support comprehension by asking your child about the book or article they are reading. Some good starter questions include:

• Who is the main character? How would you describe them?
• What happened first? What happened next?
• Who is your favorite character? Why?
• What do you think will happen next? Why?
• What kinds of lessons do you think the author wants you to learn?
• How does this picture/graph/chart/etc. help you better understand the text?

Additional Resources:

• Office of the Student Advocate Dyslexia Guidebook
• OSSE Dyslexia Legislation Overview
• District of Columbia Comprehensive Literacy Plan
• OSSE Literacy Convening Spring 2022

Many children with disabilities may need additional supports in math. Students across many disability categories can struggle with math facts, multi-step equations, word problems, and more. The strategies below can support these children at school and at home.

Step-by-Step Directions: As students become older, most math problems become multi-step. Providing written step-by-step directions for the relevant formula or process can help students improve their understanding and self-monitor. It can also help parents and teachers in identifying exactly where the child’s understanding is breaking down. Visual models and solved sample problems can also support students in the same way.

Using Manipulatives: Using beads, blocks, number lines, and more can help students better conceptualize mathematical concepts. For younger kids, using manipulatives related to their interests (“How many dinosaurs are there?”) can also boost engagement.

Annotating Word Problems: Often, students with disabilities struggle with word problems because they require multi-step thinking and blend skills from multiple subject areas. Teaching students to underline or highlight key words can support them in breaking down these problems. Practicing which words go with which operations (for example, “how many all together,” indicates an addition problem) can also build children’s word problem skills and confidence.

Math Games: Math lends itself well to a number of different games! Engage kids in learning math facts and counting by playing board games, card games, math puzzles, or online math games. Math can also be found in many different interests like sports and music.

Many children with disabilities may need additional supports in writing. Students across many disability categories can struggle with writing mechanics, grammar, spelling, and structure. The strategies below can support these children at school and at home.

Encourage Reading: One of the best ways for children to become better writers is to become better readers. Reading often and widely helps kids build their vocabulary, spelling, and knowledge of structure.

Use Story Starters: Staring at a blank page can be daunting for anyone. Providing a topic, illustration, or the first part of a story can support children in getting their creative juices flowing. You can also try writing together by alternating writing sentences or coming up with ideas together.

Use Speech-to-Text: Often, children with disabilities can talk out what they want to say much faster than they can express themselves in writing. For these children, having a scribe or speech-to-text program can help them minimize this frustration and get their initial ideas out. Once their ideas are out, kids can use their draft to examine how they structure their ideas and practice their editing and proofreading skills.

Practice Typing: Children with disabilities often have difficulty with handwriting and some may even find it physically painful. Typing can help mitigate this barrier and boost creativity. Many kids enjoy playing typing games, too!

Connect Writing to Your Child’s Interests: Does your child enjoy sports, art, fashion, or video games? Ask them to write about it! Many children also enjoy journaling or creating stories based on their favorite book, television, or movie characters. Making writing fun instead of a chore will help your child engage more deeply in the task.