There has been one constant these last two years and that is continual change. When the classroom was relocated to our homes through online learning, so many parents had the opportunity to witness an educator’s perspective. Classrooms provide a structure and routine that promotes children to focus and stay on task. Classrooms may have some distractions; however, the environment in a school is all pointing to learning. Online learning was a challenge and/or catastrophe for many families. The child was expected to remain focused and on task independently with online learning. Of course, this was a very challenging endeavor for preschoolers and younger elementary students who are still developing these self-regulating/self-managing skills. It was also tricky with older children for different reasons as they have distractions such as smartphones that may be more monitored or less accessible at school. In our podcast and blog, we will be learning about self-regulation skills, which are needed for self-management and independence.

What are the skills behind successful independent learning in and out of a school environment?

Self -regulation is a process internal to one’s self that involves “controlling one’s behavior, emotions and the thoughts in pursuit of long term goals. Self-regulation is the core aspect of adaptive behavior-meaning adjusting to the situation. Executive Function is a set of mental processes that have to do with managing oneself and one's resources in order to achieve a goal and involves mental control and self-regulation

Self-regulation is the result of executive function skills working together. Working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control work together to help us self-manage.

A significant fact to know is that we are not born with these skills; we acquire them incrementally over time. Some experiences and conditions can impact the development of these skills. For example, those on the autism spectrum, ADHD, learning disabilities, and early childhood neglect or trauma have difficulty acquiring these skills. The individual may experience different challenges with either flexibility, working memory, or impulse control. No matter the condition or learning differences, the child can learn these skills. Some children may require different instructional strategies and additional tools; however, systems can be in place to equip them with these skills.

As essential as they are, we aren’t born with the skills that enable us to control impulses, make plans, and stay focused. We are born with the potential to develop these capacities—or not—depending on our experiences during infancy, throughout childhood, and into adolescence. Our genes provide the blueprint, but the early environments in which children live leave a lasting signature on those genes.

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2011). Building the Brain’s “Air Traffic Control” System: How Early Experiences Shape the Development of Executive Function: Working Paper No. 11. Retrieved from www.developingchild.harvard.edu.

In this post, we will focus on identifying and defining these skills. Several future posts will cover instructional strategies and tools to teach self-regulation skills.

Behaviors that result from these skills working together effectively are:

Working memory:

• complete multi-step directions without reminders: as simple as copying homework assignments on the board to a planner, packing up and getting ready for dismissal. Or completing a math word problem.

• learning sight words

• remembering the directions for playing the game when it is your turn.

Inhibitory/Impulse Control:

• waits/raises hand waits to be called on

• ignores distractions

• stays seated

• keeps hands to self/not touching things or others

• follows group instruction without disrupting

• keeps the body in the group

Cognitive Flexibility:

• transitions from one activity to the next

• starting a new task before completing another

• switches from one topic to another

Here are some examples of what it may look like when a child is having difficulty with self-regulating:

• cannot initiate a task independently or difficulty getting started with a worksheet or reading without help. They cannot take that first step without assistance.

• staying on task and completing an assignment

• leaves group activity or interrupts the activity frequently

• cannot keep the body still or in the group activity for 15 minutes

• difficulty transition from one subject or class to the other

• stuck on a preferred topic and preferred activity: discussing a certain video game/character non-stop although the group is discussing another topic

• avoid writing tasks

• avoid reading or reading comprehension tasks (answering questions)

Word Bank :

Executive Function is a set of mental processes that have to do with managing oneself and one's resources in order to achieve a goal and involves mental control and self-regulation:

1.    Working memory is the capacity to hold information in mind for the purposes of completing the task.

2.    Cognitive flexibility is the ability to move freely from one situation to another and to think flexibly in order to respond appropriately to the situation.

3.    Inhibitory control (includes self-control) is the ability to stop one’s own behavior at the appropriate time, including stopping actions and thoughts.

Executive skills resulting from the above three processes:

o   sustained attention/focus: ability to notice information and maintain focus over a long period of time despite distractibility, fatigue, or boredom

o   abstract reasoning/concept formation/saliency determination: the ability to see relationships, make connections and categorize information.

o   emotional regulation/control is the process of recognizing and controlling feelings or reactions to feeling

o   self-monitoring is the ability to monitor one own’s performance and to measure it against some standard of what is needed or expected

o   initiation is the ability to begin a task or activity and to independently generate ideas, responses, or problem-solving strategies

o   planning/prioritizing is the ability to impose order to work, play, and storage spaces. The ability to manage current and future-oriented tasks demands

o   organization is the ability to create and maintain systems to keep track of information and materials

 Works Cited:

Cuncic, A. How to Practice Self-Regulation. verywellmind. March 15, 2019; https://www.verywellmind.com/how-you-can-practice-self-regulation-4163536.

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2011). Building the Brain’s “Air Traffic Control” System: How Early Experiences Shape the Development of Executive Function: Working Paper No. 11. Retrieved from www.developingchild.harvard.edu.

Philip D. Zelazo, P. D.  3  Areas of Executive Function. Understood.org. https://www.understood.org/en/learning-thinking-differences/child-learning-disabilities/executive-functioning-issues/types-of-executive-function-skills?_ul=1*1w7rvn5*domain_userid*YW1wLWIyV0U2a3FCUldLVEVzb3ZDZXpWRWc.

The National  Center for Learning Disabilities. (2013). Executive Function 101. Retrieved from www.LD.org.

Meltzer, L.J. (2010). Promoting Executive Function in the Classroom. New York: Guilford Press.

Meltzer, L.J. (Ed). (2007). Executive Function in Education: From theory to practice. New York: Guilford Press.

Atwood, T. (2007). The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome. London, England. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

 What is Speech? What is Language? Retrieved from https://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/Speech-and-Language/