Don’t forget Executive Dysfunction Goals in the IEP!

It’s annual review time in many school districts throughout the U.S. And while many states now have computerized systems for generating Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), the programs are often sorely lacking in addressing the many kinds of deficits students with Executive Dysfunction (EDF) experience.

Remembering that our goal is to prepare the student for independent functioning post-school, it is not enough to lend them our frontal lobes to chunk their work or to prioritize it for them. We need to teach them how to generate prioritized to-do lists, how to monitor their progress towards a goal, how to pace themselves, how to plan, how to sequence, how to organize their materials, time, and space, etc.

It’s a lot. And we need to ensure that we have goals for each deficit area. So here are some terrific resources to help you formulate goals, objectives, and accommodations for students with EDF:

Tigers, Too: Checklists for Classroom Objectives and Interventions (Dornbush & Pruitt, Parkaire Press, 2010). Tigers, Too Checklists provides an easy format to identify necessary and appropriate goals for the student. The book is a supplement to Tigers, Too: Executive Functions/Speed of Processing/Memory – Impact on academic, behavioral, and social functioning of students with ADHD, Tourette syndrome, and OCD: Modifications and Interventions by the same authors (2009).

 

Need some accommodation ideas for students with EDF in a convenient format organized by issue? See my book, Find a Way or Make a Way: Checklists of Helpful Accommodations for Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Executive Dysfunction, Mood Disorders, Tourette’s Syndrome, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and Other Neurological Challenges (Packer, Parkaire Press, 2009). This book contains some of the great classroom accommodation ideas that are explained in more detail in Challenging Kids, Challenged Teachers (Packer & Pruitt, 2010).

Study on Parent-School Collaboration Seeks Survey Participants

A study approved by Vanderbilt University is offering parents of students with disabilities the opportunity to share their experiences in working with the schools.

Parents are asked to complete a survey about: themselves, their children, and their relationship with the school.

To participate in the survey, please go to the secure survey address on Vanderbilt’s site.

If you have any questions about the study, you may contact the senior investigator, Meghan Burke or call (615) 585-1420.

New Report from CDC: Almost 10% of Children Have ADHD

There’s a new report from the CDC  of a significant increase in the percentage of children who are, or who have ever been, diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.  They now estimate that 9.5% of youth either are diagnosed with ADHD or have been at some point.

Some of the other significant findings are that of those with current ADHD, nearly half (46.7%) have mild ADHD, with the remainder having moderate (39.5%) or severe (13.8%) ADHD. Not surprisingly, ADHD continues to be diagnosed more than twice as often among boys as girls (13.2% versus 5.6%). Among children with current ADHD, 66.3% were taking medication for the disorder.

The biggest increases in diagnosed cases were for older teens, multiracial and Hispanic children, and children with a primary language other than English.

The study is creating quite a buzz, and you can read their report here (see pp.  1439-1443 for the study).

For other articles and resources on ADHD, see the ADHD section of this web site.

New Documentary on Tourette’s

TOURETTES UNCOVERED profiles four different children living with the burden and stigma of Tourette Syndrome. In this world-premiere hour-long special, Discovery Health follows Jaylen, Marques, Jonah and Colin and their families as they learn to cope with this mysterious and often misunderstood condition.

The documentary premiers Sept. 13, 2010 at 9 pm. Check your local cable provider for the Discovery Health Channel. “Tourette’s Uncovered” will also be replayed at 11:00 pm on September 13 and again on September 15 at 10:00 pm. You can check the TSA Facebook page for updates on future airings on Discovery Health and The Learning Channel (TLC) as well.

You can find more about the four children on TSA’s web site.

Back to School Tips

Looking for some tips on how to help your child get off to a good start this year? I’ve posted a series of tips over on the companion blog. Find tips on what to tell your child’s teacher, re-establishing sleep and wake-up routines, boosting homework compliance, clothing and lunch issues, and helping your child if they are anxious about getting lost in a new school. More tips to come!

Remember that the companion blog is interactive. You can add your own tips to share with other parents or ask a question or discuss any of the topics covered on the site.

Keep Current – See the TS+ Blog!

The main part of the web site is not interactive, but I’ve also created a companion blog, the Tourette Syndrome “Plus” Blog, where I post new research on the disorders covered on this site. I also post advocacy news in education, announcements of upcoming events, discussions of upcoming changes in the diagnostic criteria for the disorders, and controversies of interest to parents. Anyone can read the blog or get the news feed from the blog. If you’d like to comment on the blog, registration is free. Hope to see you there!

Find a Way of Make a Way

Checklists of Helpful Accommodations for Students with ADHD, Executive Dysfunctions, Mood Disorders, Tourette’s Syndrome, OCD and Other Neurological Challenges. Available from Parkaire Press.

If you need help preparing for a 504 or an IEP meeting, this guide with reproducible checklists may be just what you need.  In it, you will find checklists of accommodation strategies for tics, obsessions and compulsions, medication side effects, mood disorders, homework hassles, handwriting issues, etc.   Bring a copy to any team meeting so that the team can look at all of the ideas for each challenge and determine which ones to try for your child.

Challenging Kids, Challenged Teachers

A comprehensive guide for teachers and parents as to how disorders impact students and tips and tricks for classroom management. Available from Woodbine House.

For years, site visitors have urged me to compile a lot of practical information for parents and teachers in a book. Well, I have, and you can now buy an accommodation planning guide, Find a Way or Make a Way, or a more comprehensive guide to the neurological disorders discussed on this site, Challenging Kids, Challlenged Teachers. Challenging Kids, Challenged Teachers, co-authored by Sheryl K. Pruitt, M.Ed., ET/P.