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Individual-Level Executive Functioning Interventions: Insights from Peg Dawson’s Model

Along with environmental-level interventions (see our previous blog post), renowned expert Peg Dawson recommends using individual-level interventions that focus on enhancing specific skills and strategies to promote independent functioning. In today’s blog post, we will delve into these interventions and explore their practical application.


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The Role of Individual-Level Executive Functioning Interventions


Individual-level interventions are designed to improve an individual’s capacity to use executive functioning skills. Unlike environmental interventions that modify surroundings, these strategies focus on the individual's cognitive processes and behaviors. In Peg Dawson’s model, individual intervention involves teaching and motivating children to use new skills.


Teaching Executive Skills


Peg Dawson suggests approaching skill development by focusing on one problem behavior at a time. These “problem behaviors” should be specific and behavioral (i.e., capable of being seen or heard), rather than broad. From there, she recommends setting a goal that directly relates to the problem behavior and then developing a procedure or set of steps that can be used to reach that goal. Procedures often involve visual checklists that outline the steps to be followed. Peg Dawson and Richard Guare offer a range of checklists for executive functioning difficulties in their book, Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents: A Practical Guide to Assessment and Intervention (Third Edition).


Before engaging in the procedure, sprinkle in some rehearsal! Walk through what will happen and how the student will handle it, create visual cues, and share the plan with another caregiver or teacher. As the child engages in the new procedure, supervision and coaching are encouraged. This may include prompting to begin the procedure, reminding the child to follow each step, and providing feedback and praise to help improve performance along the way. While the student practices this new procedure, adults are encouraged to monitor and adjust: Where are cues or prompts needed? Does the task need to be broken down into smaller tasks? As the procedure is tweaked, practiced, and successfully addresses the initial problem behavior, a gradual reduction of adult supervision and prompting is encouraged. 


Throughout this process, Peg Dawson encourages adults to involve the child. Involve them in identifying behavior targets and goals, and encourage them to share ideas and self-reflect. What went well, what got in the way, and how can the process be improved? Over time, this self-reflection is internalized and contributes to independent problem-solving


But what if they’re not that engaged in the process?

 

In most cases, kids with weak executive functioning skills want to do better, but they struggle to engage in the above process precisely because of what we’re trying to strengthen: executive functioning weaknesses.


Peg Dawson encourages the use of positive approaches to shape behavior, including the use of praise when desired behavior occurs at each step in the process. Incentives can also provide motivation, but they work best when accompanied by a range of rewards and contingencies that are consistently upheld.


Are you curious about how to use these systems? Check out the suggested strategies in the above-referenced book. Need help developing, upholding, and adjusting systems? We recommend ADHD parent coaching and behavioral skills parent training to create a system that works best for you and your child. 


While praise and incentive systems work well for many kids, some still struggle to use the tools and strategies they’re given. Barriers such as internalized shame, fear of failure, and many other factors may interfere. In our next blog post, we’ll explore the nature of motivation in ADHD and related strategies as outlined by psychologist Margaret Sibley. Stay tuned!


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