Full PreFrontal: Exposing the Mysteries of Executive Function

Dr. Nancy Rappaport, expert in child behavior and psychology, discusses effective strategies for dealing with challenging behavior in children. Topics include recognizing signs of depression in teenagers, understanding the impact of smartphones on parenting, and addressing challenging behaviors in students through understanding root causes.

Send us a textRecently, during a baptism ceremony, an 89-year old French priest lost his cool and slapped a 2-year old toddler in the face, who wouldn't stop crying. The whole incident was caught on camera and went viral as one can imagine. The priest later said. “It was something between a caress and a little slap. I was trying to calm him down, I didn’t really know what to do.” Somewhere, the switch in the priest’s brain flipped where he felt compelled to react with anger towards a baby, which he certainly knew was wrong. Nothing about this story feels good but it poignantly illustrates the challenge in gifting children with nurturing care as they struggle with their own emotions.What’s most evident in a person is their behavior and not their thoughts, feelings, beliefs, or even their true potential. Teaching children whose behaviors do not exude eagerness, commitment, or love for learning can be problematic for teachers and students alike. On this episode, the associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and celebrated co-author of the book, the Behavior Code, Dr. Nancy Rappaport will discuss the challenge that, if not careful, by zooming in too much on their behaviors we could potentially sideline the child’s struggle and get distracted by the challenge they pose.About Nancy Rappaport, MDDr. Rappaport received the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s Sidney Berman Award for the School-Based Study and Treatment of Learning Disorders and Mental Illness in 2012. She also received Cambridge Health Alliance’s Art of Healing Award in 2013 – an award given to one who “transcends boundaries, joyfully embraces humanity, and profoundly inspires the healing of body and spirit.” Rappaport is the author of the memoir In Her Wake: A Child Psychiatrist Explores the Mystery of Her Mother’s Suicide (Basic Books, September 2009), winner of the Boston Authors Club’s 2010 Julia Ward Howe Prize. In a starred review, Publisher’s Weekly called the book “Fearless … a stunning narrative of perspective, profound sadness and unrelenting hope.” She is also the author of The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students (Harvard Education Press, April 2012), written with behavioral analyst Jessica Minahan.Websitewww.nancyrappaport.comBooksThe  Behavior Code : A practical guide to understanding the most challenging students In Her Wake: A Child Psychiatrist Explores the Mystery of Her Mother’s SuicideAbout Host, Sucheta KamathSucheta 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.Support the show

Send us a textFor a west Philadelphia high school dropout, Troy Carter has had an incredibly impressive career where as a talent scout, manager, and producer he has launched artists like Lady Gaga to fame. However, his creative entrepreneurship transcended industry silos as he has become first of his kind to be an angel investor in more that 100 Silicon Valley startups including Spotify. But as a child, Troy was so tiny that he would always be in the front and center in all school pictures while class giants would tower over him in the back. While kids were busy teasing him for his small stature, Troy’s 5th grade teacher Ms. Moore always addressed him as “big guy” making him feel like he was 6’5”. When asked about the confidence he brings to the boardroom as he sits among market-savvy and highly educated folks with mile-long credentials, Carter fondly gives all the credit his favorite teacher who made him feel not only that he belonged, but that he was special.On this episode, Dr. Kathy Perez, a Professor Emerita at Saint Mary’s College of California, returns to talk about what it means to invest in every child and what the key ingredient is to empowering children to be their best. Dr. Perez’s personal love for children and teaching is quite inspirational.About Dr. Kathy PerezDr. Kathy Perez, an international consultant, teacher, administrator and author has worked with students from preschoolers to university graduates. Dr. Kathy is currently a Professor Emerita at Saint Mary’s College of California. She has extensive teaching experience as a general and special educator, literacy/ESL coach, district administrator, site principal, and curriculum/staff development coordinator.Her innovative and interactive workshops are loaded with teacher-tested materials and activities teachers can use immediately and share with others. Kathy provides a lively and informative day of hands-on and minds-on learning.Dr. Kathy has worked extensively with teachers, administrators and parents throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Qatar, Brazil, Colombia, Caribbean, Africa, China, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore.Dr. Perez is the recipient of an International Rotary Fellowship and has been selected for The Reading Hall of Fame due to her commitment and passion for literacy and learning around the planet.BooksMore Than 100 Brain-Friendly Tools and Strategies for Literacy InstructionThe New Inclusion: Differentiated Strategies to Engage ALL Students200+ Proven Strategies for Teaching Reading, Grades K-8; – Support the Needs of Struggling ReadersAbout Host, Sucheta KamathSucheta 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 empoSupport the show

Send us a textEach day, more than 7 million children in the United States are left to their own devices for at least some period of time after the school day ends. And research shows that children who are deprived of a supervised environment by a supportive adult are likely to develop a gamut of academic and behavioral problems. Sometimes the only nurturing adult in a child’s life is a teacher who encourages them to take academic and social initiatives, crafts opportunities for inner growth, and bonds emotionally to provide the loving care needed for the development of the whole child. The most engaged learners demonstrate secure interpersonal relationships, sound social awareness, and strong self-regulation. Similarly, the most engaged teachers have strong executive function and they use them to till the classroom soil. On this episode, Dr. Kathy Perez, a Professor Emerita at Saint Mary’s College of California, will discuss importance of the social-emotional learning (SEL) in everyday curriculum and the secret to fostering deeper learner engagement. About Dr. Kathy PerezDr. Kathy Perez, an international consultant, teacher, administrator and author has worked with students from preschoolers to university graduates. Dr. Kathy is currently a Professor Emerita at Saint Mary’s College of California. She has extensive teaching experience as a general and special educator, literacy/ESL coach, district administrator, site principal, and curriculum/staff development coordinator.Her innovative and interactive workshops are loaded with teacher-tested materials and activities teachers can use immediately and share with others. Kathy provides a lively and informative day of hands-on and minds-on learning.Dr. Kathy has worked extensively with teachers, administrators and parents throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Qatar, Brazil, Colombia, Caribbean, Africa, China, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore.Dr. Perez is the recipient of an International Rotary Fellowship and has been selected for The Reading Hall of Fame due to her commitment and passion for literacy and learning around the planet.BooksMore Than 100 Brain-Friendly Tools and Strategies for Literacy InstructionThe New Inclusion: Differentiated Strategies to Engage ALL Students200+ Proven Strategies for Teaching Reading, Grades K-8; – Support the Needs of Struggling ReadersAbout Host, Sucheta KamathSucheta 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.Support the show

Send us a textWhen Office Depot® sells a pencil on their website the description says, “Brand Basic Wood Pencils, #2 Medium Soft Lead, Pack Of 36”. Now take a look at Nick Offerman’s website and see how he sells a pencil. He’s the actor who famously brought the character of Ron Swanson, a colorful crank, to life in the sitcom Parks and Recreation. First of all, Offerman Wood Shop (OWS) calls it a Mistake Stick and the description says, “Keep an OWS pencil in your beard/bun at all times because you never know when you’ll need to jot down a cut list, bifurcate a compound angle, label your jerky or add a few inches to your scratching reach.” As you can see, language has the capacity to tantalize the curiosity, tease the appetite, tickle the funny bone, or simply transport you to an imaginary place. With a gift of enriched language and mature executive function skills, you can even sell snow to an Eskimo. On this episode, Dr. Julie Ann Washington from Georgia State University returns to discuss challenges in raising and educating children from low socio-economic backgrounds whose disadvantages are compounded by chronic stress, minimal exposure, and a lack of resources. For these children, specific language impairment and impoverished language can impact the development of written language, general educational trajectory, and overall mastery of executive function.About Dr. Julie WashingtonDr. Julie Washington is a Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, Special Education and Communication Disorders in the College of Education and Human Development at Georgia State University (GSU) in Atlanta. She is also Director of the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program.  Dr. Washington is an affiliate faculty of Georgia State University’s Center for Research on the Challenges of Acquiring Language and Literacy  Currently, Dr. Washington’s research is focused on understanding the role of cultural dialect in the identification of Learning Disabilities in school-aged African American children and on disentangling the relationship between language production and comprehension on development of reading skills for children growing up in poverty. Dr. Washington’s research program is funded by the National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute on Child Health and Human Development.Resourceshttps://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/04/the-code-switcher/554099/https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/https://news.stanford.edu/news/2013/september/toddler-language-gap-091213.htmlhttps://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/reading_rocketscience_2004.pdfhttp://www.academicjournals.org/journal/ERR/article-full-text-pdf/31F3BFB6129http://www.nccp.org/publications/pdf/text_1001.pdfAbout Host, Sucheta KamathSucheta 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 aSupport the show

Send us a textOn April 11, 1734, a tiny notice appeared in the small corner of the Pennsylvania Gazette owned by Benjamin Franklin that read, “Ready money for old rags”. People poured in just as expected. Franklin, the entrepreneur extraordinaire, who also held a license to print paper currency, began to send these rags to the mill he owned to convert it into paper money; thus popularizing the notion, rags to riches. Since then, the American psyche has been steeped into the belief that everyone who has the will and the self-control to influence their life can rise above all odds; including poverty and socio-economic disparity.On this podcast, Dr. Julie Ann Washington from Georgia State University talks about the idea that not only that all learners are not created equal, but neither are their learning environments and many are detrimental to a child’s future. In a society that values autonomy, agency, and everything that says self-made, parents and educators are trying their best to reconcile with those who are simply flailing around. The brain’s Executive Function guides and redirects behaviors and attitudes towards goal-oriented actions and flailing around is a sign of the brain not doing too well. Dr. Washington invites us to dive deep into the complexities of educating the marginalized and the disadvantaged.About Dr. Julie WashingtonDr. Julie Washington is a Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, Special Education and Communication Disorders in the College of Education and Human Development at Georgia State University (GSU) in Atlanta. She is also Director of the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program.  Dr. Washington is an affiliate faculty of Georgia State University’s Center for Research on the Challenges of Acquiring Language and Literacy  Currently, Dr. Washington’s research is focused on understanding the role of cultural dialect in the identification of Learning Disabilities in school-aged African American children and on disentangling the relationship between language production and comprehension on development of reading skills for children growing up in poverty. Dr. Washington’s research program is funded by the National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute on Child Health and Human Development.Resourceshttps://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/04/the-code-switcher/554099/https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/https://news.stanford.edu/news/2013/september/toddler-language-gap-091213.htmlhttps://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/reading_rocketscience_2004.pdfhttp://www.academicjournals.org/journal/ERR/article-full-text-pdf/31F3BFB6129http://www.nccp.org/publications/pdf/text_1001.pdfAbout Host, Sucheta KamathSucheta 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-awarenesSupport the show

Send us a textEvery day we go to bed knowing we have left many things unfinished, allowed intrusive thoughts about unfinished business interrupt the work flow, and wasted a lot of time. Even though, the productivity guru Stephen Covey has famously said, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing” many of us can’t decide fast enough or well enough what that main thing is. The researchers agree that having to make decisions, small or big, every step of the way depletes the mental resource available to each person on a daily basis and the best antidote to that is to not start the day without a plan; and yet, many find themselves wasting this limited but most prized resource without much thought. On this episode, the world-renowned research psychologist and accomplished author of over 35 books, Dr. Roy F. Baumeister, talks about goal-pursuit, self-efficacy, roadblocks to planning, and ways to rethink a daily plan.About Roy Baumeister, Ph.D.Roy F. Baumeister is currently professor of psychology at the University of Queensland. He among the most prolific and most frequently cited psychologists in the world, with over 600 publications. His 35 books include the New York Times bestseller Willpower. His research covers self and identity, self-regulation, interpersonal rejection and the need to belong, sexuality and gender, aggression, self-esteem, meaning, consciousness, free will, and self-presentation. In 2013 he received the William James award for lifetime achievement in psychological science (the Association for Psychological Science’s highest honor).Resourceshttp://www.roybaumeister.com/http://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/01/self-control.aspxhttps://aeon.co/essays/what-is-better-a-happy-life-or-a-meaningful-oneAbout Host, Sucheta KamathSucheta 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.Support the show

Send us a textA secret ingredient in the life of an easy-going, popular kid with lots of friends and good grades is self-control. Eventually, this kid grows up into a focused, accomplished, and well-adjusted adult who lives a physically well-disciplined and financially secure life without ever brushing against the law or criminal justice. On the other hand, those who fail to deploy self-restraint bear the brunt of an onslaught of bad decisions and a life of discontent. On this episode, the world-renowned psychologist and author of the New York Times bestseller Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength, Dr. Roy F. Baumeister talks about the mechanism behind self-control - the brain’s internal reins that help pull back and inner brakes to cease oneself from moving forward.About Roy Baumeister, Ph.D.Roy F. Baumeister is currently professor of psychology at the University of Queensland. He among the most prolific and most frequently cited psychologists in the world, with over 600 publications. His 35 books include the New York Times bestseller Willpower. His research covers self and identity, self-regulation, interpersonal rejection and the need to belong, sexuality and gender, aggression, self-esteem, meaning, consciousness, free will, and self-presentation. In 2013 he received the William James award for lifetime achievement in psychological science (the Association for Psychological Science’s highest honor).Resourceshttp://www.roybaumeister.com/http://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/01/self-control.aspxhttps://aeon.co/essays/what-is-better-a-happy-life-or-a-meaningful-oneAbout Host, Sucheta KamathSucheta 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.Support the show

Send us a textWired magazine once challenged 39 sci-fi writers and creative types to put their artistry to test by writing a 6-word story. Author of beloved Wicked series, Gregory Maguire came back with a clever riposte, “From torched skyscrapers, men grew wings.” These simple string of words sets the brain’s into motion. It wonders, what are the men are thinking, what are they feeling, what was the author thinking, and what do the other readers make of this. While a good writer tickles the reader’s imagination, a good reader imagines the mind and the inner workings of the imaginator extraordinaire. The brain’s highly developed prefrontal cortex is responsible for the Theory of Mind or granting humans the ability to think about one’s own thinking and thinking of others. This episode, my guest Dr. Carol Westby returns to discuss the ways to promote the development of Theory of Mind.About Carol Westby, Ph.D.Carol Westby, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language-pathologist and educational consultant. She has written and presented workshops nationally and internationally on play, language-literacy development and disabilities, theory of mind, social-communication impairments, and multicultural issues in assessment and intervention. She has received the Honors of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.ResourcesAn Interview with Carol WestbyCarol Westby’s WebinarsAbout Host, Sucheta KamathSucheta 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.Support the show

Send us a textIn the world of limitless possibilities, there is a limit as to how much one can know about the minds of others. Take an example: Have you ever been in your head so much that your insecurities catch up with you and you fail to gauge what others are thinking and feeling? It all simply begins when a friend doesn't return your call; or at least not right away. You begin to guess what her reasons are to not call and from there on, it escalates into this drama inside where you end up wondering if your friend actually hates you or maybe, doesn’t want anything to do with you. Then on Monday morning, you get a call from your friend saying that she went to her dentist on Friday and left her phone there. Your mind failed you! This episode, my guest, Dr. Carol Westby, will discuss the concept of Theory of Mind which enables us to understand others’ intentions, feelings, and beliefs by directing our attention to “reading” the minds of others. She will explain how the key to unlock the social struggles of those with Executive function challenges often lies in this “mentalizing” ability.About Carol Westby, Ph.D.Carol Westby, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language-pathologist and educational consultant. She has written and presented workshops nationally and internationally on play, language-literacy development and disabilities, theory of mind, social-communication impairments, and multicultural issues in assessment and intervention. She has received the Honors of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.ResourcesAn Interview with Carol WestbyCarol Westby’s WebinarsAbout Host, Sucheta KamathSucheta 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.Support the show