Classroom Interventions for Executive Functions

After identifying which executive functions need to be addressed, interventions are often applied by changing the environment, in-class interactions and specific skill teaching. Supports are faded over time as the student is able to succeed independently.

Changes in the environment

• Change the physical or social environment by:
  
  • Changing the level of background noise.
  • Changing the level of visual stimulation.
  • Changing the physical restrictions (walls, room size etc.).
  • Using lists or visual reminders.
  • Changing the amount of organizational structures.
• Change the task.
• Change the cues or change the ways they are provided.

Changes in interactions

• Change the way that adults interact with the student.
• Provide an organizational structure by:
  • Giving specific directions
  • Monitoring performance
  • Encouraging, motivating and giving feedback
  • Problem solving when something doesn’t work well
  • Determining when the task is finished.
• Use the Big 5
  • When to start.
  • How much to do.
  • How to do it.
  • What finished looks like.
  • What to do next.

Specific skill teaching

• Teaching through coaching:
  • Set goals.
  • Hold daily coaching sessions using Goal, Plan, Predict, Do, Review.
• Check on student’s goals.
• Check on student’s plan for accomplishing tasks.
• Predict task outcome, account for obstacles.
• Do the task.
• Review to see how the plan worked for the student.

Quality checking

• Check on completion of planned tasks.
• Check on application of time and effort to the task.
• Student responsibility for today’s plan.
• Check on long-term projects.

Classroom wide interventions

• Use routines to help provide organizational structure.
  • Beginning of day routine.
  • End of day routine.
  • Routines for lunch, etc.
• Provide small-group coaching.
  
  • Ask group to set individual goals.
  • Ask group to plan how they will accomplish goals.
  • Ask group to work on individual goals.
  • Review progress and adjust plan as needed.
• Explicitly teach the skill needed in an applied setting.
  • Fade support as soon as the student is able to accomplish the skills.
  • Use external reinforcements only as necessary.
• To assist in generalization of skills, explicitly teach the skill needed in other settings.
• Guide practice of skill through group coaching or mentoring.
  • Fade guidance as skill becomes internalized and guidance is no longer needed.