Dr. Nicole Beurkens
Horizons Developmental Resource Center offering speech, language and social communication therapy services to children in the Caledonia, MI area.
Horizons Developmental Resource Center » Horizons Developmental Resource Center. Executive Functions are higher level thinking skills that allow us to use our cognitive skills to plan and carry out behaviors.
Whether we are planning out our day, getting chores done, or making sure we are on time for a meeting we are using executive function skills to plan, organize, and appropriately carry out tasks. These skills develop and grow throughout our lives, and are required more as we get older and the expectations of life become greater. Babies are initially reliant on caregivers for regulation and executive functioning, but as children grow and learn from the adults around them they begin to develop their own executive functioning skills. Horizons Developmental Resource Center » Horizons Developmental Resource Center. As we discussed in Part 1 of this series, executive functions are higher level thinking skills that allow us to appropriately manage our thoughts and behaviors.
There are ten executive function skills that are directly related to our ability to self-regulate. In the previous article I covered the functions of planning, organizing, and time management. Horizons Developmental Resource Center » Horizons Developmental Resource Center. The ability to regulate (or control) our thoughts and actions is a critical part of our higher-level thinking or executive function skills.
When someone struggles with one or more of these skills then self-regulation is more difficult. In prior articles we covered the skills of planning, organizing, time management, task initiation, working memory, and metacognition. In this article we will explore self-control, attention, perseverance, and flexibility.
Difficulty with controlling impulses, staying focused, sticking with a task, and/or adapting to change can make day-to-day activities seem frustrating and unmanageable. This can look like behavior problems at home and school, when in reality it is a deficit in these underlying executive function skills. Horizons Developmental Resource Center » Horizons Developmental Resource Center. What’s your mindset?
Does your child struggle with feeling like he isn’t good at anything? Does she break down when faced with mistakes or frustration? Horizons Developmental Resource Center » Horizons Developmental Resource Center. In part 1 of our series on growth mindset we learned the difference between fixed and growth mindset, and why this is important to address for children with developmental and mental health challenges such as ADHD, anxiety, autism, and related issues.
One of the biggest problems for kids with a fixed mindset is making mistakes. This can be the fear of making mistakes or the inability to manage mistakes that occur. The fear can be so overwhelming that they cannot find the courage to even begin, or don’t stick with the task over the long term. If this describes you or your child, read on to learn some strategies for addressing the next 3 important areas for fostering a growth mindset – courage, persistence and dedication. Courage involves doing things that scare you. When you are able to help children find the courage to face their fears, a world of possibilities begins to open up.
More from my site. Horizons Developmental Resource Center » Horizons Developmental Resource Center. In this series of articles on growth mindset we are exploring ways to help children with developmental and mental health challenges have a healthy view of themselves and their abilities.
As we covered in part 1 and part 2 of this series, feelings of failure and difficulty seeing more than one solution lead to rigid thinking and behavior. Getting stuck in a “fear of failure” cycle reduces ability to grow and learn. It stifles our creativity and reduces our child’s chance of success, both of which are needed to establish a growth mindset. In this final article in the series we will discuss ways to encourage creativity and success in your child. Creativity is the ability to generate new ideas, and then use those ideas in a productive way. Recently I was having a discussion with one of my clients about creativity, and he said that he thought his brother was creative because he was able to come up with many different ways to pick on his siblings!
Horizons Developmental Resource Center » Horizons Developmental Resource Center. With so many parents being thrown into the role of teacher in the last week, we have been receiving many questions about how to teach certain areas of curriculum.
One of those areas is reading comprehension. Let me start by encouraging you to take a deep breath – it doesn’t have to be that hard, and you certainly don’t need to have a degree in teaching to boost your child’s reading comprehension skills. There are several easy ways to work on comprehension that don’t require any special materials or apps. Here are 5 easy ways to work on comprehension: Follow a Recipe – Cooking together is a great way to work on reading comprehension with a real-world application. Horizons Developmental Resource Center » Horizons Developmental Resource Center. How to Help Your Child with ADHD, Autism, Anxiety, or Behavior Disorders Eat More Nutritious Food. I hear it on a regular basis, “If he even thinks it is healthy, he won’t touch it.”
“It’s a vegetable, she doesn’t eat vegetables.” “If it isn’t white, fried or sweet he’s not eating it.” Do any of these scenarios sound familiar? You’re not alone, but there is a solution. You buy the food that is available in your house to eat. Horizons Developmental Resource Center » Horizons Developmental Resource Center. In her book, Life WILL Get Better: Simple Solutions for Parents of Children with Attention, Anxiety, Mood and Behavior Challenges, Dr.
Nicole Beurkens talks about the challenges of raising a child with special needs. Sure, there are the melt downs, the focus issues, the food allergies, the education road blocks, the social stumblings and the doctor’s visits (oh, man, the endless doctor’s visits) but there’s also a lot of to be grateful for. “Gratitude for extra life challenges?” You might moan. The short answer is, according to Dr. Here are just a few ways special needs can add, not detract, from your life as a parent. Gratitude: Having gratitude makes the simple things so much richer. Transformation Is Amazing It’s been said that pain is the touchstone to growth. Written by: Dr. #HorizonsDRC #DrNicoleBeurkens #SpecialNeeds #Gratitude. Horizons Developmental Resource Center » Horizons Developmental Resource Center.
If you’re the parent of child with behavioral, physical and emotional challenges, it’s normal for you to go into mama or papa bear mode when you feel they are being mistreated.
You don’t want to see them overlooked for a birthday party. You don’t want them harassed during recess or the last one to be picked for the team. And what about that teacher that seems to have it out for them? But you fighting all your battles for them? That can go terribly wrong. According to Dr. What is Bullying? Before you can help your children stand up for themselves, it’s best to know what the true definition of bullying is. Bullying: Bullying is not the occasional rude remark, tattle telling, once-in-a- while name calling or adolescent quarreling.