Remembering to pay bills, filling the gas tank before it is empty, remembering appointments, planning a get together with friends, making dinner- all of these things require Executive Functioning Skills. Executive Functioning skills can be difficult for anyone, but especially neurodiverse individuals. When I say “Executive Functioning Skills” I am talking about (for more specific definitions look at the bottom of the page:
That’s a lot! So, where you start. You start with creating the optimal workspace. That is going to be different for everyone. It is important to remember that your child’s optimal workspace may not look the way you want it to look, but it might be functioning well for them. And if it is working, we don’t want to change it.
Below are some questions you can ask yourself to find your child’s optimal set-up. These questions are adapted from Martin L. Kutscher and Marcella Moran’s book “Organizing the Disorganized Child”.
WHAT’S MY CHILD’S ORGANIZING STYLE?
- When your child is looking for his backpack/phone/keys, he asks you…
- “Did you see my____?” (focuses on visual cues)
- “Do you know where I put my ______?” (focuses on location and relations)
- “Do you know when I last had my______?” (focuses time or a sequence)
- When your child is doing his/her homework, s/he…
- Puts all the items they’ll need for their homework out in front of them
- Clears off the area before they does their homework
- Stacks their homework assignments in a certain order before or after completing the assignments
- Your child responds best to a teacher who…
- Writes the notes on the board
- Make him/her feel good about herself
- Runs a very structured and orderly class
- When your child is invited to a party, s/he…
- Decides how much fun he thinks the party will be based on the design of the invitation
- Thinks about what he will do at the party
- Wonders how long the party will be
- When your child returns from an activity with friend, s/he…
- Describes what their friend’s house looked like
- Describes how they felt at the activity (i.e. “I felt…”)
- Describes detailed events of the activities in the order that they took place
- Would your child rather go to a…
- Movie
- Physical activity class such as gymnastics, dance or soccer
- Do a puzzle
- When picking out a TV show/movie, your child looks for…
- The TV show/movie with the nicest cover
- A title that they feel good about
- A TV show/movie about history or a biography
Now calculate the totals (it is possible to have more than one style):
| If you answered mostly… | Your child has a… |
| A | Visual Organizational style |
| B | Spatial/Cozy Organizational Style |
| C | Chronological/Sequential Organizational Style |
My child’s organizational style is____________________________________________________
| Skill | Looks Like… |
| Attention | Attending to relevant things, shifting attention |
| Inhibition | Stopping impulsive responses, delaying action long enough to consider options |
| Working Memory | Holding information long enough to execute a certain behavior |
| Goal Determination and Awareness | Anticipate outcomes, set relevant and achievable goals |
| Fluency | Rapidly retrieving information and ideas; generating novel options/solutions |
| Planning and Organization | Identifying steps needed to complete a long term tasks, locating materials, finishing within a given time limit |
| Initiation and Persistence | Starting a task, sticking with a task even when other things are going on |
| Flexibility | Finding alternate strategies if the initial one doesn’t work, stopping failed efforts |
| Self-Regulation | Monitoring efforts, evaluating the outcomes |
Stay tuned for ways to help set up a work environment based on your child’s organization style!
References:
“Organizing the Disorganized Child” by Martin L. Kutscher and Marcella Moran
“Development of Executive Functions” by Jill K. Fahy and Gail J. Richard