Full PreFrontal: Exposing the Mysteries of Executive Function Ep. 73: Mary Kennedy, Ph.D. - A Bridge to the Real World
The charm of entering college camouflages the real invitation to become responsible for yourself by figuring out what you want while taking care of the mundane, yet obligatory tasks of daily student life. The dread of “adulting” is further muddled by having to navigate the world with the unseen layers of executive function challenges that compromise attention, new learning, slower thinking, and goal management, pushing away the dream of joining the workforce and transitioning into successfully adult life.
On this episode, Mary R.T. Kennedy, Ph.D., Professor and Chair at the Communication Sciences and Disorders at Chapman University, discusses the special challenges and the proposed road to recovery for college students after a traumatic brain injury.
About Mary Kennedy, Ph.D.
Mary R.T. Kennedy, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is Professor and Chair, Communication Sciences and Disorders at Chapman University, Orange, CA. She is a certified speech-language pathologist and is a fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Dr. Kennedy has extensive clinical and research experience working with individuals with cognitive impairments after traumatic brain injury, specifically executive functions, metacognition and self-regulation. Her work to translate scientific evidence into practice has helped practitioners engage in evidence-based practice (EBP). In recent years, her work has focused on how best to support college students with brain injury. In 2017, she authored a book for rehabilitation professionals and educators titled, Coaching College Students with Executive Function Problems, by Guilford Publishing.
About Host, Sucheta Kamath
Sucheta Kamath, is an award-winning speech-language pathologist, a TEDx speaker, a celebrated community leader, and the founder and CEO of ExQ®. As an EdTech entrepreneur, Sucheta has designed ExQ's personalized digital learning curriculum/tool that empowers middle and high school students to develop self-awareness and strategic thinking skills through the mastery of Executive Function and social-emotional competence.