Executive Functioning & The Writing Process

Overview	Executive Functioning: The executive functions are a set of processes that all have to do with managing oneself and one's resources in order to achieve a goal. It is an umbrella term for the neurologically-based skills involving mental control and self-regulation. The following points include areas of executive functioning, as listed on LD Online: Inhibition - The ability to stop one's own behavior at the appropriate time, including stopping actions and thoughts. The flip side of inhibition is impulsivity; if you have weak ability to stop yourself from acting on your impulses, then you are "impulsive." (When Aunt Sue called, it would have made sense to tell her, "Let me check the calendar first. It sounds great, but I just need to look at everybody's schedules before I commit the whole family.") Shift - The ability to move freely from one situation to another and to think flexibly in order to respond appropriately to the situation Emotional Control - The ability to modulate emotional responses by bringing rational thought to bear on feelings. Initiation - The ability to begin a task or activity and to independently generate ideas, responses, or problem-solving strategies. Working memory - The capacity to hold information in mind for the purpose of completing a task. Planning/Organization - The ability to manage current and future- oriented task demands. Organization of Materials - The ability to impose order on work, play, and storage spaces. Self-Monitoring - The ability to monitor one's own performance and to measure it against some standard of what is needed or expected.
Writing Supports	Decision making  and planning in writing require goal setting, making a decision to  plan,  exploring  possible approaches and  outcomes, and selecting or devising a plan of  action. These skills are critical for skilled writing;  however,  they  can  be  overwhelming  t o  students with  learning disabilities w ho already face a taxing cognitive  load. The  handwriting  and  spelling  demands  for these  students are often  so demanding  that   their  decision-making  and  planning  abilities are  minimized. Some supports that are available to students who are experiencing difficulty with executive functioning are: ∙Handwriting without Tears- this will assist the student in initiating tasks. ∙Occupational therapist to improve writing grip or positioning when initiating a task ∙Graphic organizers - organization of thoughts and materials, self-monitoring of work completion, working memory ∙Co:Writer- reduce apprehension towards writing by reducing the number of errors that students make.
Apps	Name:  iStudiez Pro- http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id310636441?mt=8 Price: $2.99 How it is used: This app is used to keep students organized.  It organizes your day, follows up with your homework, summarizes, and keeps you alert. *Please view video in next post for more information on this app.* This is a link to an online guide to help you navigate this app:  http://istudentpro.com/guide/
For More Information	∙ Executive Functioning Fact Sheet:  http://www.ldonline.org/article/24880 ∙ Addressing Executive Functioning Problems in Writing:                    http://fcis.oise.utoronto.ca/~hmcbride/1285Meltzer%20EF%20&%20writing.pdf ∙Co:Writer 6:   http://www.donjohnston.com/products/cowriter/index.html