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If you attended Seth Perler’s TEFOS summit — The Executive Function Online Summit — and want more info, you’re in the right place. (And if you missed the summit, no worries! You can still access recordings, and you’ll get a lot from this podcast episode as well.)
We first talked to Seth Perler about executive function in April 2021, and what he said was so foundational, so important for parents of boys with ADHD and other executive function challenges that we’ve decided to share it again. Some gems:
“If you want to help a kid who is struggling with homework, grades, procrastination, under acheivement, time management, and motivation, you have to understand ONE thing – and one thing only – and that’s EXECUTIVE FUNCTION.”
and
“You have to understand the experience these boys are having. They’ve been asked to do these things so many time and they’ve failed or it’s been ‘not good enough;’ they’ve been told to re-do it, or ‘you didn’t put your name on it” or ‘it’s late so you’re getting a zero’ so many times.”
In this episode, Jen, Janet & Seth discuss:
- What is executive function?
- Why boys with executive function challenges don’t struggle with Legos, video games or other activities they enjoy
- Why punishments & rewards aren’t effective motivation strategies
- Establishing reasonable expectations
- Helping kids who are behind (on turning in assignments, etc) “catch up”
- When (& how) to reach out to your son’s teacher
- How to deal with resistance
- Why it’s OK for your son to aim for a D (vs. a B)
- Exploring other educational options
Links we mentioned (or should have) in this episode:
sethperler.com — Seth’s website
ADHD with Ryan Wexelblatt, the ADHD Dude — ON BOYS episode
Twice Exceptional (2e) Boys – ON BOYS episode
Developing a Growth Mindset with Carol Dweck — TED talk
The Shame of ADHD and Executive Function — Seth’s video/blog post
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