Following up on last week’s Selznick Poll discussion on what percentage of boys show signs of “executive function” deficits (click here: See “A Hypothetical Poll”) ,let’s emphasize some points:
• Using a bell-shape curve perspective, if about 85% of the boys in the 10- to-15-year-old range show issues with organizing, taking initiative, paying attention, following through, and sustaining mental effort (the usual issues with executive functioning), then this puts them in an average for their age.
• Even though they’re in the norm and what would expected, that still leaves you exhausted and depleted with their embodiment of these qualities.
• Of this 85%, probably about 99.9% of them are addicted (i.e., to their various screens and gaming systems).
In response, you as parent are constantly bringing out the “Didja’s,” as in “Didja pack your bag,” “Didja do your homework,” “Didja you put your stuff away.”
It’s no wonder that you want to retreat to bed by 7:00!!!
What do these 85 percenters need?
While “executive function coaching” has its value, this group is still pretty immature to take advantage of it.
Keeping things simple, here are the two essentials that are needed for them and for you:
1. They need structure.
2. You need leverage.
Trust me, you can do a lot worse than tuning out all the noise out there and just reflecting on these two variables.
In fact, that can be the mantra you may want to repeat to yourself – “They need structure; I need leverage. They need structure; I need leverage. They need structure; I need leverage.”
(More next blog.)
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Copyright, Richard Selznick, Ph.D. 2023, www.shutdownlearner.com.
As a public school special educator for students with mild to moderate disabilities, I have noticed an increase in parents who would love for us, as a school, to teach basic executive functioning skills. We are more than happy to teach and reinforce these skills, however it often feels like parents what us to “fix” their kids and remove themselves from the equation. Working with our school councilor and teachers we try to help parents understand that this will have to be a team effort with similar expectations and accountability both at home and at school in order to lasting change and improvement.
Thanks for the input Travis. You make a very valid point.