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Information Section: Conditions
Condition: Executive Dysfunction
Article: Time Tips
Source: Leslie E. Packer, PhD    

Page 1 of 1

IT WAS DUE WHEN?! - TIME TIPS

Both children and adults with executive dysfunction may have "issues" related to time. As just a few examples: some never get work done on time, some never start or are ready to start on time, some always seem to lose track of time and may forget to take their medication, some underestimate how long projects will take, some overestimate time intervals, and some don't even seem to know what day of the week it is!

Helping a child or adult deal with time-related problems begins by assessing them to see if they have a particular skill or ability and are not using it, or if they are skill-deficient.

The following chart was part of a comprehensive intervention plan the author developed for a student with executive dysfunction. It is important to note that prior to this stage, other supports and interventions had occurred to help the student establish reliable habits in recording assignments and packing up necessary materials to do his homework. As a result of previous interventions, the student was beginning to actually complete some of his homework (something he hadn't accomplished in over two years), but he did not seem to be allowing himself enough time each day to complete his assigned work. The purpose of the following chart , then, was to help the student and team assess whether he was accurately estimating how much time his homework would take him and allowing himself enough time:

Note that the preceding chart is not just a recording/assessment tool. It also serves to engage the student actively in self-monitoring and planning.

By the end of a few weeks, it was clear to the student and the team that he was a pretty accurate estimator of how long his homework would take him to complete and that he could allow himself enough time if he looked at his planner and mentally added up the time needed each day. For this student, then, the "key" seemed to be getting him to actually write everything down -- including pieces of long-term projects.

STRATEGIES

Here are some other strategies or tips that may be helpful for you to consider:

• Some children and adults do a better job of working quickly and staying on-task if they have a count-down timer on their desk that shows them how much time they have left. This strategy may be a bit too stressful, however, for those with tic disorders as time pressures or perceived time pressures may make their tics worse, slowing them down even more.
• Consider using a programmable watch that has alarms that can be set. These devices are particularly useful for those who may always forget to take their medication on time or to go to the school nurse to get their medication. Repeating alarms can also be set for reminders to leave work (for those adults who lose track of time), call home (for teenagers who are supposed to call home after school), etc. Some watches contain 5 programmable alarms. I would not recommend investing in an expensive watch for this, as kids and adults with EDF are likely to lose the watch at first until they get in the habit of wearing it/using it everyday.
• Teach the child or adult how to create and use "To Do" lists. At first, you will provide the list and their job is to consult it and check it off as they complete each item on the list. Later on, you will teach them how to create their own "To Do" list and then (and this is important) how to prioritize items on the list.
• When teaching a child how to prioritize a "to do" list for homework, for example, you might cue the student by asking, "Which assignment is due first? And which assignment is worth more towards your final grade?" For an adult, you can ask, "Do any of these tasks have deadlines?" and "Which of these is the most important to complete and why?" 
• Teach children and adults with EDF to allow more time than they think they will need for any project until you've determined that they are accurate predictors of the amount of time needed. With children and teens, you can do this by both modelling the desired behavior (e.g., "I estimated that this next activity should take us 15 minutes, but I left 22 minutes for it, just to be on the safe side") and by using the kind of time estimation sheet provided in the previous section of this page.
• Teach them the mantra of "Do it now, not later." For many individuals with EDF, there is no "later." They live in the immediate moment, and despite their best intentions, will forget or never get around to the task if they put it off until "later."  This is especially applicable to writing down assignments or important reminders.
• Work with them in a consultative fashion to break longer or bigger jobs down into smaller chunks. Teaching then how to "chunk" their work into meaningful units and time frames is preferable to just "chunking" the assignment for them.
• Praise progress rather than reprimand disorganization. Using attribution, such as "You got a lot done in a short amount of time" is more effective than saying "you should work faster."

If you are helping them with their calendar or planner, make sure that they have recorded any deadlines or scheduled dates for intermediate steps on big projects. As an example with teenagers, use direct instruction to teach them that if if the bibliography for a project is due on September 1, then they should "back up" from there and enter earlier deadlines to go to the library and find books or resources. And they should enter in their calendar which day they're going to compose or write the bibliography. As an example with adults, if the adult plans to paint a room of the house on Sunday, what needs to happen first, and when will those steps get done -- are the steps and dates entered in their planner?  Do they have an entry for buying the paint on a particular day?  If not, they may find that they can't paint on Sunday because the paint store is closed.

Remember that problems with EDF are generally not "outgrown" and the earlier we recognize problems and begin teaching the child or teenager strategies or routines, the more successful they are likely to be now and after graduation.

Information Section: Conditions
Condition: Executive Dysfunction
Article: Time Tips
Source: Leslie E. Packer, PhD    

Page 1 of 1

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