14- Teens with ADHD: How to Sharpen Executive Function Skills and Help Them Succeed
Jul 25, 2013
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Peg Dawson, co-author of Smart But Scattered, shares strategies for strengthening executive skills in teens with ADHD, including organization, habit formation, teaching strategies, and managing anxiety. She also offers tips for preparing teens for college and managing time and distractions.
Teenagers with ADHD may have lagging executive skills compared to their peers, which can impact their school success.
Adolescents experience intense emotions and arousal, which can affect their decision-making and rational thinking.
Teaching executive skills requires a collaborative approach between parents and teens, utilizing alternative sources of support and strategies like controlling the environment and using incentives.
Deep dives
Executive skills are crucial for school success
Executive skills, located in the frontal lobes of the brain, are essential for executing tasks. These brain-based skills take 25 years to fully develop, making it important to recognize that teenagers, especially those with ADHD, may have lagging executive skills compared to their peers.
The 11 key executive skills
There are 11 key executive skills that are critical for school success, including response inhibition, working memory, emotional control, flexibility, sustained attention, task initiation, planning and prioritization, organization, time management, goal-directed persistence, and metacognition. These skills develop gradually but may be relatively immature in adolescents, leading to difficulties in school.
The challenges of adolescence and executive skill development
Adolescence is a period of intense brain growth and pruning, leading to improved abstract thinking but also slower development of executive skills. During this time, teens experience intense emotions and arousal, which can impact decision-making and rational thinking. Moreover, the desire for independence and resistance to parental authority can make teaching executive skills challenging.
Strategies for teaching executive skills to teens
Teaching executive skills requires a collaborative approach between parents and teens. It is important to find alternative sources of support, such as tutors or coaches, to help teens develop these skills. Controlling the environment, teaching the skill directly, and using incentives can also be useful strategies to encourage skill development.
Addressing related issues: anxiety, lying, and depression
Some teens with ADHD may struggle with anxiety, lying, and depression. Anxiety and other comorbid conditions can exacerbate executive skill deficits. Encouraging open communication, verifying information rather than focusing on lying, and addressing emotional well-being through therapy or medication can be beneficial in managing these challenges.
Smart But Scattered co-author Peg Dawson, Ed.D., explains how to strengthen the executive skills teens with ADHD need, like planning, organization, and time management, to make good, independent decisions.
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