Supporting Student Executive Functions: Insights and Strategies for Educators

In Supporting Student Executive Functions, two clinical and classroom experts deliver an insightful and accessible guide to executive functioning skills. Lisa Carey, Ed.D., and Alexis Reid, M.A., explain how these skills develop, how executive functioning challenges show up in the classroom, and how, if unaddressed, those challenges interfere with student learning.

Part I: Understanding Executive Functioning builds an understanding of the science of executive functioning and how it develops during the K-12 years.

Part II: Developing and Supporting Executive Function offers a practical, example-rich approach to help educators develop and support students' executive functions with tips, suggestions, and action steps.

Building on the research-backed Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines, the authors pay special attention to the Guideline "Provide options for Executive Functions" to show which types of supports are most meaningful at different stages of a student's K-12 journey.

Educators-but also medical professionals, caregivers and parents, and students themselves-will gain a deeper understanding of the latest science on executive functioning as well as valuable, easy-to-implement strategies to use in the classroom today.

Author: Lisa Carey,Alexis Reid
Publisher: Cast, Inc.
Published: 05/14/2024
Pages: 204
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.62lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.43d
ISBN: 9781943085187

About the Author
Carey, Lisa: - Lisa Carey is a teacher educator and researcher using the lens of Mind, Brain, and Education science to enhance learning opportunities and outcomes for students with neurodevelopmental disabilities. In her role as the Assistant Director of the Center for Innovation and Leadership in Special Education at Kennedy Krieger Institute, Dr. Carey collaborates with medical providers and neurocognitive researchers to bridge the divide between pediatric medicine and K-12 schooling. Dr. Carey has a special interest in inclusive educational practices, Universal Design for Learning, instructional and assistive technologies, and student neurodevelopmental skills. She is dedicated to enhancing both pre-service and in-service professional development opportunities for educators as well as pediatric medical providers serving children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disabilities. To that end, Dr. Carey collaborates with the Johns Hopkins University School of Education as an Assistant Research Scientist as well as University of Maryland as special graduate faculty.Reid, Alexis: - Alexis has focused her training and career on better understanding and supporting the needs of individuals with greater support needs due to trauma or learning differences. Alexis has worked across educational settings in different roles from teaching to training teachers and participating in accessibility work with schools and other organizations. She specializes in executive function (EF), social emotional learning (SEL), teaching, learning, and human development, as well as designing flexible and accessible learning environments through Universal Design for Learning (UDL). In her private practice, Reid Connect, LLC, Alexis's goal is to support individuals and systems at the intersections of learning and well-being. As the Director of Educational Therapy at the Boston Child Study Center (BCSC) Alexis supported the integration of executive function skills development and support into mental health services while also participating in multiple teams to highlight the important role emotion plays in learning and EF development. As an educational therapist and coach Alexis hones in to focus on improving executive functions and closing academic gaps for learners while fostering social-emotional growth. Alexis has been fortunate to serve as an instructional coach and professional development leader to consult and present workshops at schools near and far. As a CAST Professional Learning UDL Cadre member and UDL National Faculty member, Alexis has built programming, facilitated coursework in person and digitally as she strives to promote the integration of Universal Design for Learning into the educational landscape to create greater accessibility and flexibility through a strengths-based approach. She is particularly passionate about fostering engagement in learning across contexts and works to nurture expert learning through the creation of optimal learning experiences for all learners to thrive. Alexis is a consummate learner herself who seeks to integrate research and literature related to learner variability, mindfulness, mindset, executive functions and positive youth development by sharing and working with other passionate individuals in the field.