Meet Sam
Case Study:
Executive Functioning
Processing Disorder
Sam is a bright energetic 7th grade student that struggles to get started on his work in class. Once he begins a task he quickly loses his train of thought if he is interrupted. He has trouble figuring out how long it will take to do a particular task and organizing his work and homework seems impossible at times. He needs to be given the directions several times and can focus on the details or the big picture but only one thing at a time.
“Executive functions consist of several mental skills that help the brain organize and act on information.” - Amanda Morin
What They Decided
Sam's teachers gave Sam an ipad to use in class. They downloaded Soundnote for him to use to take notes. He is able to type notes, draw on his notes and if he gets distracted or can not keep up, he hits the audio button and is able to listen to the sections of the lecture he missed. His teachers also put Time Timer on his ipad. With this app, the teachers or Sam can set visual timers so that he knows how much time he has to finish a task. The timers can be set to break up the tasks into smaller sections so Sam can stay on task and not feel overwhelmed. They provided a calendar with a sticky notes for Sam to keep track of his schedule. Green sticky notes remind him that something is due that week and red sticky notes are for important dates or reminders. They plan to download an app for this at a later date after Sam has experienced working with the physical calendar and sticky notes.
Resources
Understood.org - website for learning and attention issues
Beyond BookSmart - a blog on Executive Functioning Strategies
EdSurge - Technology in Special Education
Assistive Technology Services - Fairfax County
Dyslexia Help - Executive Functioning
Kool Tools 4 Students - Executive Functioning
An incredible website with lists of apps available for executive functioning issues