Executive Function/ Self-Regulation
Meeting the Need through School Counseling and Collaboration
What is Executive Function & Self-Regulation?
EFSR is a set of cognitive processes including...
- Working memory: the ability to retain and manipulate short-term info (e.g. remembering multi-step directions, executing deliberate multi-step plans, etc.)
- Inhibitory control: the ability to set priorities and resist impulses (e.g. managing emotions, respecting others' personal space, delayed vs. short-term gratification decision making, etc.)
- Mental flexibility: the ability to hold and shift attention based on demands (e.g. focusing on priorities, filtering distractions, adapting to change in routine, etc.)
(Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 2011)
How Does EFSR Develop?
- Skills that are reinforced strengthen connections in the brain
- Skills that are not weaken connections in the brain
Two factors can contribute to EFSR deficits:
- Normal individual differences (e.g. temperament, family history, etc.)
- Adverse environment, relationships, and/or experiences
Implications for Our Students
What can School Counselors Do?
Be a Brain Coach!
Core curriculum
- Use an approach that gradually reduces the child’s dependence on adult support (scaffolding).
- Explicitly teach EFSR skills like self-control, goal setting, time management, organization, etc.
- Teaching and practicing coping skills also reinforces EFSR connections in the brain.
Performing Under Pressure Lesson Plan (5-12)
Small Groups
- Provide groups based on student need, as determined through at least one needs assessment a year. I use a free Qualtrics account, which allows you to create a simple form for staff and is sophisticated enough to provide results in a nice matrix format. (If you have any questions about how to use Qualtrics, just ask me!)
- Use a proven process to collect data. Select no more than 3 ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors for your small group. From your mindsets and behaviors, you can write specific learning objectives for the group. Use your learning objectives to create perception data points for a pre/posttest. I give the pretest as a screener to learn more about referred students and determine the focus for my group. Posttests are administered after the group has concluded. Check out Karen Griffith's webinar below for more information about developing perception data tools (37:00-47:00) and implementing the ASCA National Model.
- Incorporate yoga! The combination of physical activity and breathing techniques has been shown in school-based yoga research to strengthen the same areas of the brain where EFSR skills develop. Yoga provides students with healthy strategies for self-regulation and has even been shown to reduce problematic stress responses and cortisol levels. Check out the Yoga 4 Classrooms research in the link below. It’s important to obtain parent permission when incorporating yoga in counseling. I've attached the permission slip I use below, which includes disclaimer verbiage. I always call home when I send a permission slip, so I can connect with the parent/guardian directly to explain the group and answer any questions. I emphasize that the yoga movement and breathing exercises I will be using are adapted specifically for the school setting, have no spiritual or religious affiliation, and are based on educational research. I actually haven't had any concerns or questions from parents when stated in these terms.
- Here's a weekly warm-up that packs a punch! Start group with the lights off. Allow students to take turns shining a flashlight on the attached Flashlight Feelings mat to indicate how they are feeling and briefly share why. This turn-taking component of the exercise builds impulse control. After the round is complete, I ask the group to work together to recall what each person shared. This added part of the activity encourages students to be listening actively throughout, rather than just focusing on what they are going to say when it's their turn. (This opener was adapted from an idea in Lisa Eck’s coping and social skills group curriculum Camp Care-A-Lot.)
Qualtrics Needs Assessment Survey (example)
Qualtrics Needs Assessment Results (example)
Small Group ASCA Action Plan (example)
RAMP-Approved Yoga Small Group Curriculum
FREE I Have Who Has Template for Session 3 of the above curriculum
Small Group Pre/Posttest Development Document
ASCA National Model Implementation Webinar
http://www.yoga4classrooms.com/supporting-research
Individual Support
- Conduct a classroom observation so I can get a firsthand picture of the specific areas for growth and current teacher strategies for intervening.
- Review the results with not only the teacher, but the family and student as well. I collaborate with the teacher to discuss which goals to prioritize and what new strategies could be tried. I incorporate the teacher's feedback in developing a counseling guide to structure a individual session with the student, to help them gain awareness of their behavior, discover strengths to hone, and discuss strategies to address problem areas.
- Implement a scaffolded approach to the Check-in Check-out program, which starts out with the teacher modeling how to track progress and then transitions to the student taking responsibility for tracking each day.
Classroom Observation Form (blank)
Classroom Observation Form (example)
Daily CICO Sheet Teacher-Monitored (K-2)
Collaborating with Other Stakeholders
- Educate parents on EFSR and strategies they can use to support their child(ren)'s development. To optimize the impact of our school-based EFSR interventions, we know that families need to be on board reinforcing those same skills at home. I run a parent workshop series every year to include three sessions (one topic for each developmental domain), and EFSR makes for an excellent academic domain session! Below you will find all the resources you need from the powerpoint to presenter notes, participant handouts, and an evaluation form. Logistically, I have found that providing both a daytime option and an evening option for any parent workshop (as long as you have the interest) allows you to reach more families with different working schedules.
- Share this information with staff! When I first gave this presentation to a group of school counselors, I remember one woman telling me how much she wished she'd had this understanding of EFSR development when she was a teacher. I strongly believe in the value of EFSR as a professional/staff development topic. I recently led a one-day school-wide PD on the impact of stress on behavior and how we can respond as educators. Naturally, the presentation featured lots of EFSR material as executive functioning both influences and is influenced by the brain's stress activation system. You could easily utilize the parent presentation resources below, even customizing it with more strategies for classroom teachers pulled from your specific experiences and knowledge base! Don't shy away; we have a lot of expertise we can share with others in our buildings!
Participant Handout-Scaffolding Methods and Games
Participant Handout-Activity Guide Organized by Developmental Level
References
Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2011). Building the Brain’s “Air Traffic Control” System: How Early Experiences Shape the Development of Executive Function: Working Paper No. 11. Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/How-Early-Experiences-Shape-the-Development-of-Executive-Function.pdf
Lengua, L. J., Honorado, E., & Bush, N. R. (2007). Contextual risk and parenting as predictors of effortful control and social competence in preschool children. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 28(1), 40-55.
Liston, C., McEwen, B. S., & Casey, B. J. (2009). Psychosocial stress reversibly disrupts prefrontal processing and attentional control. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(3), 912-917.
Weintraub, S., Dikmen, S. S., Heaton, R. K., Tulsky, D. S., Zelazo, P. D., Bauer, P. J., Carlozzi, N. E., Slotkin, J., Blitz, D., Wallner-Allen, K., Fox, N. A., Beaumont, J. L., Mungas, D., Richler, J., Deocampo, J. A., Anderson, J. E., Manly, J. J., Borosh, B., Havlik, R., & Gershon, R. (In Press). NIH Toolbox for the Assessment of Behavioral and Neurological Function: Cognition domain instruments. Neurology.