| Independent Organization Skills A Practical Strategies Seminar for Parents and Professionals on: How to Teach Your Child to Efficiently Manage his/her own Tasks, Time, Space and Materials (while keeping emotions in check!) Presented by Sarah Ward, M.S., CCC/SLP |
- Awareness: to "Tune in" to what is happening around them so they can understand how information,
events, and their actions will impact their goals and objectives, both now and in the near future - Forethought: to predict the successful outcome of tasks and to know what a 'stop spot' looks like
- to Wait: to control a reaction long enough to contemplate the outcomes of their choices
- Planning Skills to estimate how long tasks will take, to be able to sense the passage of time and to know
how to break down the steps for immediate tasks, nightly homework and long term projects - The Ability to Shift: to fluidly transition from one mental mindset to another and to be able to stop doing
one activity and then move on to and start new tasks - to Pace: to speed up or slow down within a given time frame and to persist on tasks even if the tasks are
difficult, boring or nonpreferred - Flexibility: to consider multiple possible solutions to problems, to see the "gray" in a situation and to avoid
having black and white or rigid thinking - Tolerance: to manage both expected and unexpected changes in plans, routines and rules, and uncertain
and or novel situations - Processes for creating and maintaining systems to have clean personal and shared spaces, to organize their
personal belongings and school materials - Methods for "how to study" for tests and to retain information
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| What skills do children need to learn to be organized and to successfully complete tasks? |
The term Executive Function is used to describe the above skill set of goal setting, carrying out organized steps and
modifying a plan to complete a task successfully.
These skills are important for learning from past experiences and applying this knowledge to new experiences. Attention,
memory, impulse control, organization, planning, sensing time and hierarchical thinking are the executive function based
skills that enable an individual to learn, generalize behaviors and complete tasks.
Young children rely on these skills to follow a sequence of instructions for daily tasks, while older children need these
skills to "break a task down" into a sequence of steps and organize a time line as the demands for independent learning
increases.
This is a practical strategies seminar. A small amount of this presentation will be a discussion of brain based research on
how these skills are carried out. However, the majority of the seminar will be to provide parents and professionals with
functional tools to improve the executive function skills by strengthening working memory, hindsight and forethought
skills, impulse control, flexibility, organization, and time/task management. These tools are practical and are designed to
be readily implemented to see immediate improvement and long term development of these key skills.
modifying a plan to complete a task successfully.
These skills are important for learning from past experiences and applying this knowledge to new experiences. Attention,
memory, impulse control, organization, planning, sensing time and hierarchical thinking are the executive function based
skills that enable an individual to learn, generalize behaviors and complete tasks.
Young children rely on these skills to follow a sequence of instructions for daily tasks, while older children need these
skills to "break a task down" into a sequence of steps and organize a time line as the demands for independent learning
increases.
This is a practical strategies seminar. A small amount of this presentation will be a discussion of brain based research on
how these skills are carried out. However, the majority of the seminar will be to provide parents and professionals with
functional tools to improve the executive function skills by strengthening working memory, hindsight and forethought
skills, impulse control, flexibility, organization, and time/task management. These tools are practical and are designed to
be readily implemented to see immediate improvement and long term development of these key skills.
|
8:30-9:00 Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:00-9:50 What are the Executive Function Skills?
A brief overview and functional definition for the purpose of understanding the basis of the tools used to improve self
management skills.
10:00-12:00 Thinking, Planning and Self Regulating
Practical strategies for teaching students forethought, awareness and goal development skills. Everyday tools to help
children to be flexible, to see the 'gray' in situations, to develop a range of solutions to problems, and adapt to
'unexpected' change.
12:00-1:00 Lunch -Provided
1:00-2:30 Start and Stop: Beyond the Clock
Teaching children how to sense the passage of time, to accurately estimate how long tasks will take, change and
maintain their pace, plan homework, manage long-term assignments, plan ahead and carry out routines. Concrete
strategies to help your child self initiate on tasks and also stop performing a task when they need to move on to the
next task of higher priority.
2:30-3:30 Material Management
Functional strategies to help students think in an organized way and then self initiate and manage their clothes,
backpack, papers and personal belongings. Techniques to help students maintain personal and shared living and work
spaces.
3:30 - 4:00 Question and Answer Session
9:00-9:50 What are the Executive Function Skills?
A brief overview and functional definition for the purpose of understanding the basis of the tools used to improve self
management skills.
10:00-12:00 Thinking, Planning and Self Regulating
Practical strategies for teaching students forethought, awareness and goal development skills. Everyday tools to help
children to be flexible, to see the 'gray' in situations, to develop a range of solutions to problems, and adapt to
'unexpected' change.
12:00-1:00 Lunch -Provided
1:00-2:30 Start and Stop: Beyond the Clock
Teaching children how to sense the passage of time, to accurately estimate how long tasks will take, change and
maintain their pace, plan homework, manage long-term assignments, plan ahead and carry out routines. Concrete
strategies to help your child self initiate on tasks and also stop performing a task when they need to move on to the
next task of higher priority.
2:30-3:30 Material Management
Functional strategies to help students think in an organized way and then self initiate and manage their clothes,
backpack, papers and personal belongings. Techniques to help students maintain personal and shared living and work
spaces.
3:30 - 4:00 Question and Answer Session
|
Parents: of bright children who can achieve but need additional strategies to be organized and effectively manage
their time, tasks and materials.
Parents: of children who have learning challenges with associated executive function based weaknesses.
Teachers: Who want to learn how to implement functional strategies into their classrooms which will foster the
development of the executive function skills in their students.
Professionals: Who work with children and adolescents who struggle to initiate, to be flexible in their thinking, to
execute and complete tasks successfully and need to provide their patients and families with practical strategies.
Strategies will be given to address the needs of children from ages 5 and older. Multiple examples for younger and older
children will be given.
their time, tasks and materials.
Parents: of children who have learning challenges with associated executive function based weaknesses.
Teachers: Who want to learn how to implement functional strategies into their classrooms which will foster the
development of the executive function skills in their students.
Professionals: Who work with children and adolescents who struggle to initiate, to be flexible in their thinking, to
execute and complete tasks successfully and need to provide their patients and families with practical strategies.
Strategies will be given to address the needs of children from ages 5 and older. Multiple examples for younger and older
children will be given.
|
Saturday May 2, 2009
8:30 - 4:00pm
Wyndham Boston Andover Hotel
123 Old River Road
Andover, MA 01810
Hotel Phone: 978-975-3600
Cost: $199.00
Click here to register online for the
Andover seminar:
8:30 - 4:00pm
Wyndham Boston Andover Hotel
123 Old River Road
Andover, MA 01810
Hotel Phone: 978-975-3600
Cost: $199.00
Click here to register online for the
Andover seminar:
Saturday May 9, 2009
8:30 - 4:00pm
Springfield College
Brennan Center
45 Island Pond Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Cost: $199.00
Click here to register online for the
Springfield seminar:
8:30 - 4:00pm
Springfield College
Brennan Center
45 Island Pond Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Cost: $199.00
Click here to register online for the
Springfield seminar:
online event registration by RegOnline |
online event registration by RegOnline |