Full PreFrontal: Exposing the Mysteries of Executive Function

Send us a textThe most vital skills of making and keeping friends, figuring out COVID-19 social etiquette, and navigating the social world with adaptive flexibility is far from being innate or natural. While we have barricaded ourselves in our homes and in spite of 24/7 access to the internet that gives us the illusion of hyper-connectivity, many are struggling to artfully connect with others and find meaning in isolation. Figuring out ways to fine-tune our social-emotional acumen by managing our emotions skillfully and navigating social situations willfully seems to be the key.On this episode, award-winning author, blogger and Speech Language Pathologist, Elizabeth Sautter, M.A., CCC, discusses how listening, communication, and relationship skills build better friendships. She emphasizes that social-emotional skills can and do improve and grow with special attention to the underlying skills building process. About Elizabeth Sautter MA, CCC-SLPElizabeth Sautter, M.A., CCC, is a Speech and Language Pathologist, award-winning author, blogger, and highly sought after speaker specializing in social and emotional learning since 1996. Elizabeth’s interest in social learning began early in life growing up with a sister who has developmental challenges. She is also a mom of two teens with complex social, emotional, and academic needs. These personal experiences have fueled a passion in Elizabeth to serve individuals and their families who are struggling with everyday challenges.Elizabeth is the creator of Make Social Learning Stick, which provides consultation, training (including the Make it Stick online parenting course), and resources to assist children, teens, and their families in building skills and practical strategies to manage emotions, navigate social situations, and achieve their goals. She is the co-author of the popular children’s book series, Whole Body Listening Larry. She is a collaborative trainer for the Zones of Regulation, and co-author of the accompanying storybooks, card decks, and games.Elizabeth is the co-founder of Communication Works, a speech therapy practice providing services to schools, individuals, and their families. She lives in the Bay Area with her husband, two teenage sons, a cat, and a dog, and firmly believes that social-emotional learning has changed her life and wants to do the same for others.Book:Make Social and Emotional Learning Stick: Practical activities to help your child mange emotions, navigate social situations & reduce anxiety (Second Edition)About 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 textJapanese author Haruki Murakami said it well, “A person's life may be a lonely thing by nature, but it is not isolated. To that life other lives are linked.” A key ingredient in transforming lonely human nature into a well-linked life is the faculty of mature social skills which make it possible to show interest in others, know how to make friends, read social situations, reciprocate in person or via text, put oneself in others’ shoes and collaborate successfully. Executive Function is equally essential in managing social goals, solving social problems, and propelling our social connectivity with thoughtful reflection. However, not everyone is intuitive and equipped to form social connections and nurture interpersonal relationships well and hence may require specific skills training.On this episode, Founder/Director of the UCLA PEERS® clinic, associate clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the UCLA and  licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Elizabeth Laugeson discusses key components of evidence-based social skills program for preschoolers, adolescents and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other social impairments. About Dr. Elizabeth LaugesonDr. Laugeson is a clinical psychologist and an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. Dr. Laugeson is the Founder/Director of the UCLA PEERS® Clinic,  an outpatient hospital-based program providing parent-assisted social skills training for preschoolers, adolescents and young adults with ASD and other social impairments. She also serves as the Training Director for the UCLA Tarjan Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD).Dr. Laugeson has been a principal investigator and collaborator on a number of studies funded by the NIH and CDC investigating social skills training for youth with developmental disabilities from preschool to early adulthood and is the co-developer of an evidence-based social skills intervention for teens and young adults known as PEERS®. Books:The Science of Making Friends: Helping Socially Challenged Teens and Young AdultsThe PEERS Treatment ManualThe PEERS Curriculum for School-Based ProfessionalsPEERS® for Young AdultsAbout 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 textLegend has it that after forgetting the lyrics to one of her well rehearsed songs during a concert at New York’s Central Park, celebrated singer and actress, Barbra Streisand, lost her confidence. Petrified by the embarrassment and riddled with anxiety, Streisand withdrew from public performances for almost 36 years. Clearly, a bad experience can leave psychological scars including ongoing discomfort of subtle apprehension to debilitating anxiety, making it hard to live fully and meaningfully. On this episode, distinguished professor of psychology at Macquarie University, Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow, and the Founding Director of the Centre for Emotional Health Dr. Ron Rapee talks about anxiety in developing minds and the barriers created in childhood. When anxiety becomes persistent, it begins to affect many aspects of life and stops children from achieving their best. Ordinary support may not be sufficient, but rather well-proven techniques such as the Cool Kids suite of programs can work wonders.About Dr. Ron RapeeRonald M. Rapee, PhD, is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Macquarie University, in Sydney, Australia, and former Director of the University's Centre for Emotional Health. He is best known for his theoretical models of the development of anxiety disorders and his creation of empirically validated intervention programs that are widely used internationally. Dr. Rapee is a recipient of the Distinguished Career Award from the Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy and the Distinguished Contribution to Science Award from the Australian Psychological Society. He is an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow and has been appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia for his contributions to clinical psychology.Book:Helping Your Anxious Child: A Step-by-Step Guide for ParentsAbout 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 textImagine being more than 2,500 feet above the ground; with no harness, no ropes and no safety equipment. Alex Hannold scaled Yosemite’s El Capitan solo, seemingly effortlessly and with great command over the rock. The most remarkable aspect of the near impossible feat of accomplishment is Alex’s grit, a strength-based psychological skill that propels most humans to carve out a path to reach goals that are once thought to be unattainable. The question is, can we cultivate grit?On this episode, educational scholar, lecturer in Curriculum & Instruction at Baylor University, and author of “A student’s guide to grit and greatness”, Dr. Laila Y. Sanguras, discusses how we can help kids recognize the value of effort influenced achievement. By focusing on grit, educators can unveil the secret that anyone who is at the top of their game got there by practicing the invisible micro skills, enduring  innumerable obstacles and committing to life’s big goals.About Dr. Laila SangurasLaila Y. Sanguras, Ph.D., is a lecturer in the department of Curriculum & Instruction and co-editor of the Gifted Education Review, a newsletter for teachers and parents of gifted children. Dr. Sanguras earned a B.S. in education from Western Oregon University, followed by a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Portland State University and Ph.D. in educational research from the University of North Texas.Dr. Sanguras’ primary scholarly interest is the development of psychosocial skills, particularly grit and coping, and how teachers and parents can support their children to succeed academically and personally. She works closely with school districts and parent organizations to bring research to practice. Dr. Sanguras also presents at numerous professional conferences and enjoys mentoring students on their personal research projects.Websites:https://www.andstillweteach.com/http://www.giftededucationreview.com/Books/Materials:Grit in the Classroom: Building Perseverance for Excellence in Today's StudentsRaising Children with Grit: Parenting Passionate, Persistent, and Successful KidsEducator's Quick Reference Guide to Grit in the ClassroomAbout 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 textEvery Halloween, when the late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel invites parents to video tape lying to their children having eaten all of their Halloween candy, it never fails to produce funny, hilarious, and some heart-wrenching videos of kids having officially lost their mind over the prank. However, it’s truly astonishing to find a kid or two who mange to stay calm and collected in the face of candy-distress. It is reasonable to ask how children regulate themselves during a conflict or disappointments of everyday life and bring themselves in the zone of an emotionally balanced internal state. On this episode, Sucheta interviews author and creator of the Zones of Regulation® framework, Occupational Therapist, and autism specialist, Leah Kuypers, who talks about the benefits of the cultivated ability to achieve a preferred state of alertness that corresponds to the context where one has to act and behave. By figuring out and knowing the science of how the body and emotions are interconnected everyone can stay calm and carry on.  About Leah KuypersLeah Kuypers earned a Bachelors of Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Graduate Certificate in Autism and a Master of Arts in Education from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN.  She has practiced as an OT/autism specialist in school and clinical settings, specializing in self-regulation and social learning, and has worked with students of all ages and challenges, including anxiety, ADHD, and ASD.  Leah created The Zones of Regulation® (www.zonesofregulation.com), a framework designed to teach self-regulation, and is author of the book and two apps by same name (2011, Social Thinking Publishing; 2013, 2016 Selosoft, Inc). In addition to working with students, she provides trainings and consultation to parents and professionals on self-regulation and challenging behavior, as well as conducts workshops on the Zones to groups across the world.  She resides in Minneapolis, MN with her husband, son, daughter and dog.Website:www.zonesofregulation.comBooks/Materials:The Zones of Regulation bookNavigating The Zones Game and Advanced PackThe Zones of Regulation PostersThe Zones of Regulation AppsAbout 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 text“The builder said he was very sorry” writes Louis Sachar in the introduction to his children’s book, where instead of building a school one-story high with thirty classrooms, he ends up building a thirty stories high Wayside School with one classroom per floor. Readers discover that, none the less, the stories from such a strange and silly place are simply delightful.Similarly, however challenging it is to raise complex kids wired for impulsivity, disorganization, neediness, disengagement, and occasional resistance, it can also be a great source of immense joy, pride, and gratitude. And their stories of courage can invoke hope for many to create harmony in shared spaces.On this episode author, parent educator, certified coach, co-founder of ImpactADHD.com, and a co-creator of Sanity School®, Elaine Taylor-Klaus, discusses how parenting is a daily exercise in letting go. By using effective tools, every family can create connected, fulfilling, and empowering relationships with their real, unique, and amazing kids.About Elaine Taylor-KlausElaine Taylor-Klaus is an author, parent educator, and certified coach. The co-founder of ImpactADHD.com, co-creator of Sanity School® (an online behavior therapy program), and co-author of Parenting ADHD Now! Easy Intervention Strategies to Empower Kids with ADHD, she provides coaching, training and support for parents of complex kids – and parents raising kids in complex times. Her newest book, The Essential Guide to Raising Complex Kids with ADHD, Anxiety and More will be out in September 2020, and is available on pre-order with bonus gifts including a “Parenting in a Pandemic” supplement. Elaine has served as a parent advisor for the American Academy of Pediatrics and on the national Board of Directors of CHADD. She is the mother in an ADHD++ family of six.Website:https://sanityschool.com/Book:The Essential Guide to Raising Complex Kids with ADHD, Anxiety, and More: What Parents and Teachers Really Need to Know to Empower Complicated Kids with Confidence and CalmAbout 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 textNapoleon Hill once said, “strength and growth comes from continuous struggle and effort,” but what about those who struggle to know how best to direct their effort during the ongoing struggle? Children and adults with ADHD suffer from this exact problem which makes it hard for them to find their voice, fit in, and fully flourish with all the gifts they have. A true loss for everyone is when the world castigates children and adults with ADHD as disposable assets and inadvertently ends up dismissing the true capability of brains that are simply wired differently. On this episode, our guest, Peter Shankman, successful entrepreneur, author of bestsellers, and the host of the #1 podcast on ADHD shares how embracing his ADHD and everything else that makes him different has proven advantageous to become a leader and lead a meaningful life. By better regulating one’s self-sabotaging inattention and accepting structure and processes that tame executive dysfunction, ADHD can truly be a gift that keeps on giving. About Peter ShankmanThe New York Times has called Peter Shankman "a rockstar who knows everything about social media and then some." He is a 5x best selling author, entrepreneur and corporate keynote speaker, focusing on customer service and the new and emerging customer and neurotatypical economy.  With three startup launches and exits under his belt, (most notably Help a Reporter Out) Peter is recognized worldwide for radically new ways of thinking about the customer experience, social media, PR, marketing, advertising, and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and the new Neurodiverse and Remote economies.Websites:Shankman.comPodcast: FasterThanNormal.comShankMinds.com20MinutesInLockdown.comBooks:Faster Than Normal: Turbocharge Your Focus, Productivity, and Success with the Secrets of the ADHD BrainNice Companies Finish First: Why Cutthroat Management Is Over--and Collaboration Is InArticles:10 productivity tricks from a CEO with ADHDTen Ways to be Happier When You Live/Love Someone Diagnosed With ADHDAbout 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 textSolving BIG problems requires big thinking. John Wooden once said, “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” Even though preparing children to take charge of their learning and their future happens in the classrooms, in actuality, it is set in motion through the mission and vision of personal and institutional leadership; without which, classrooms will simply be ships without sails. With skills to master, personal and situational setbacks to overcome, and trying to make a difference in the world, a lot rides on how we innovate systems that promote student learning, teacher preparedness, and community collaboration.On this episode, our guest Dr. John E. Deasy, recently retired superintendent of Stockton Unified School District in Los Angeles, former State superintendent of the year, former high school principal, and former teacher talks about leading the way in shaping education through principles and practice. Schools and educational institutions as whole can cast a seismic shift through introspective culture, deliberate decisions to bring everyone on the same page, and inspirational practices in everyday learning – essential ingredients of successful schooling.About Dr. John E. DeasyDr. John E. Deasy is the recently retired superintendent of Stockton Unified School District in California. During his tenure he oversaw a massive upgrade of new curriculum, technology for all youth, counselors and mental health clinicians in all schools, championed homeless issues and saw strong improvement in all youth indicators of success.He was the Board Chair and former CEO of Reset: New Day, New Year, which is an alternative prison for young men 18-25 in the Bay Area of California. He was the founding Editor-In-Chief of The Line. The Line is a magazine dedicated to civil discourse in dealing with the most pressing matters for those on the front lines of social justice, entrepreneurship, and education. John also serves at a Superintendent In Residence for the Broad Center and facilitates work in the Broad Academy while coaching a number of current and emerging national education leaders. John also maintains a management consulting practice. John is also an Aspen Fellow from the inaugural cohort of the Aspen Institute’s fellowship of entrepreneurs in education and is a senior moderator for the Institute.John led dramatic improvements in each school district that he served as superintendent which propelled student achievement, high school graduation rates, and access rates to high quality courses and schools to historic levels, while simultaneously reducing suspension and drop out rates in each district he served as the leader. Dr. Deasy was superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, where he championed a “youth first” agenda credited with reversing the district’s school-to-prison pipeline, raising achievement and helping more students graduate ready for college and the workplace than at anytime in the District’s history.  About 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 textHow to nurture a healthy relationship with life experiences, particularly undesirable, uncomfortable or unfavorable ones, is best captured in Pema Chodron’s quote “Nothing ever goes away until it teaches us what we need to know.” However, setbacks may lead to more setbacks for those with under-developed executive function including a lack of self-awareness, rigidity and a failure to problem solve. On this episode, the former Head of Executive Leadership Development at Nike and author of “Flourish or Fold: The Five Practices of Particularly Resilient People” Dr. Taryn Marie Stejskal discusses ways to leverage the wisdom gleaned from decades of research on resilience. She shares how each and everyone of us can prioritize strengthening resilience through a shift in mindset and by inculcating specific practices so that we can rise above personal adversities.About Dr. Taryn Marie StejskalDr. Taryn Marie is a foremost international expert on resilience, in both leadership and life. She is the author of “Flourish or Fold: The Five Practices of Particularly Resilient People”, and is featured in the forthcoming documentary Breaking Free, both expected to release in 2021. She is the former Head of Executive Leadership Development at Nike, Global Leadership Development at Cigna, and founded Resilience Leadership, where she serves as the Chief Resilience Officer (CRO), leveraging over a decade of research on resilience, that gave birth to the empirically-based framework, The Five Practices of Particularly Resilient People, for executive coaching, top-team effectiveness, high potential leadership programs and workshops, and inspirational keynote addresses. She is a sought-after coach for executives, athletes, musicians, and actors who are looking for an edge by way of understanding and harnessing their inherent resilience.Dr. Taryn Marie is a Co-Founder of Resilience Element 75 (RE75), focused on making resilience accessible to the world through film and wearable technology as well as serving as one of Marshall Goldsmith’s Top 100 Coaches across the globe. Her groundbreaking research on resilience has been featured in publications such as Ariana Huffington’s Thrive Global, Ladders, LA Progressive, and Women’s Daily Magazine, on television broadcasts, and featured online by Happify, eMindful, and Powerful Universe.Dr. Stejskal received an undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Michigan along with a master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) and a doctorate degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. She completed pre- and post-doctoral fellowships at Virginia Commonwealth Medical University. She serves as an ambassador for The African Community and Conservation Foundation (ACCF) as well as several non- and for-profit boards.Website: http://www.resilience-leadership.com/ About 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 textNone of us are fans of being bored; a state often marked by restlessness and mild forms of agitation. That’s why we all try and avoid the angst that seems to be associated with boredom. But surprisingly, scientists who study the brain, suggest that boredom isn’t too bad for us, but rather the brain’s nudge to get out of that state, take action, and bring about change. On this episode, neuroscientist, trained Clinical Neuropsychologist, and co-author of “Out of My Skull”, professor James Danckert discusses the neural correlates of boredom, how to structure our thinking about it, and the significance of boredom in school, at work, and in life.About James Danckert, Professor of Cognitive NeuroscienceJames Danckert trained as a Clinical Neuropsychologist in Australia before moving to Canada to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Melvyn Goodale at London Ontario. He was awarded a Canada Research Chair at the University of Waterloo where his research explores the neural and cognitive correlates of boredom, how the brain builds and updates mental models, and the consequences of stroke for attention and vision.Website: https://www.jamesdanckert.com/Books:Out of My Skull: The Psychology of Boredom About 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