All too often, our well intentioned directions don't seem to meet our struggling student’s unique needs. But, what else could we do? In 2015 I launched on a mission to find answers for ADHD youth and families. After so many years of watching youth slip through the education, mental health, and even correctional systems, I was determined to figure this out.
My approach was focused on executive function deficits to address the primary source of my client's emotional distress... academic struggles.
Struggling students experience school differently.
After a while, I began to notice a pattern. The highly intelligent struggling students that I worked with, seem to all experience similar struggles. Regardless of age, grade, and. home elements, all of my clients seem to be following of a pattern of trial and triumph through the semester. I found myself having conversations on the same topics, and the focus of my sessions would simultaneously change as the semesters unfold.
I call this pattern of success and challenge, the Semester Lifecycle. (More on this next week.)
My focus shifted from identifying the pattern, to matching the strategies. Since that time I have established a sequence of strategies that work, carefully timed to meet the challenges at the time they occur.
It Is Time For A Better Semester
July
Struggling students follow a pattern of trial and triumph. With the Semester Lifecycle as our guide, we will Expect The Expected and strategize accordingly. That which we can predict, we can plan for, and we will do just that.
Getting Strategic With Supplies will mean learning how supplies can support or challenge executive functions. Learn to pick the tools that best support memory, spark motivation, and encourage sustained focus.
Answering the question, "Should I tell the teacher?" we will bravely kick off communication and collaboration with our new teachers. Using the Dear Teacher Letter strategy will help us get clear and concise on our message, while including all the needed details that will support positive team collaboration is key here.
August
Learn how to Support The Strong Start Phase to a better semester by establishing a game plan for the first month of school. This is a great time to begin establishing some routines and after school boundaries. Returning to the Semester Lifecycle, we will expect the expected again and strategize to establish our foundation for ongoing "catch and track" strategies.
We know that routine and rituals are powerful executive function builders, as long as they are flexing the right brain functions. Learn how to not say, "do you have homework?" and what to ask instead. We will proactively establish this support for future working memory challenges, with the quick and easy Daily Check In strategy.
Homework will be flowing soon. Knowing that our struggling student's ability to focus is. so very environmentally influenced, we need to get strategic with the workspace. Using the Workplace Setup Checklist, we will explore the top five parts of a helpful homework zone.
GRM
September
As the spark of newness fades, so do the executive functions, and with that mistakes are mounting and grades are dropping. The second month backslide happens, but tanked grades don't have to. Problems are inevitable, so now is a great time to plan our catch and track strategies to save the day.
Schedules are getting busier and we need our time blind strudents to do some time managing. They must see time, to manage it. We will map time for the time blind, with the Time Mapping strategy.
As working memory begins to fade away, assignments are forgotten as the daily check in is becoming void of information. It is time to trigger hindsight and begin tracking what our students are doing each day. We will add the A.R.T. Log strategy to our daily ritual, showing our students the value and benefit of logging. It will be time to add the track step to our catch and track approach.
The mistakes on teh grade report are building and there is simply too much to track and remember. It is time to add the Radar List strategy to catch and track academic blunders. We will use this strategy to not only track our problem areas, but also log our progress. We know that tough times are approaching and we will need the power of positives to keep the motivation rolling.
We may not be able to avoid the academic challenges, but we sure can predict and plan for them. A better semester starts here.
