Executive Function

Executive Function

Executive Functions is a set of mental skills that help you get things done. Executive functions let people plan, organize and complete tasks. Executive function is an imposing name for a group of essential mental tasks, including planning, strategizing, organizing, setting goals, and paying attention to the important details, that will help to achieve those goals. Executive functioning skills are mental processes that allow all of us to plan, manage our time, organize and have self-control. These skills are important for everyone to have, but are especially essential in children. When children have opportunities to develop and enhance their self-regulation skills, not only do the children gain advantage in career development, but society as a whole benefits for years to come .These skills are controlled by an area of the brain called the frontal lobe.

Executive function helps you: 

1. Manage time
2. Pay attention
3. Switch focus
4. Plan and organize
5. Remember details
6. Avoid saying or doing the wrong thing
7. Do things based on your experience
8. Multitask

Warning signs that a child may be having problems with executive function include trouble in:

1. Planning projects  

2. Estimating how much time a project will take to complete
3. Telling stories (verbally or in writing)
4. Memorizing
5. Starting activities or tasks
6. Remembering
7. Work or go to school
8. Do things independently
9. Weak initiation know-how struggles with starting a project or assignment. They sometimes have no idea where or how to start, but can usually complete the task if they get started.
10. Weak organizational skills struggle with handling, storing and retrieving objects or thoughts in an effective way.
11.Impulsive
12. Weak emotional control
13. Flexible thinking is not there.
14. Weak working memory
15. Planning and prioritization is not there
16. Ability of self-monitoring is not there

Many children have difficulties with one or more executive functions. In fact, most people who struggle with executive functioning are never “diagnosed” with a problem but simply see it as an area of weakness for them.

Three Area of Executive Functioning

Many experts view it as a group of three skills that allow kids to manage their thoughts , actions and emotions in order to get things done. They also enable kids to plan manage time and organize.

1. Working memory: A child might use this skill to read a passage on an English test, hold on to the information, and use it to answer questions.

2. Cognitive Flexibility: Being able to think about something in more than one way. It is also known as flexible thinking.

3. Inhibitory control: Being able to ignore distraction and resist temptation. It also include self control.


Children with psychiatric issues, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; learning disabilities; and problems in social, emotional, and behavioral functioning, often display impairments in their use of executive functions. They may display difficulties in getting started on tasks, sustaining attention and effort levels, following multi-step directions, staying organized, and managing time effectively. It is important to note that many children will display executive strengths in certain areas and dysfunctions in others. Executive functioning difficulties are often undiagnosed in many children, but their problems are usually identifiable through school. Children with executive functioning difficulties often manifest as Alternative Learners, or students who struggle in traditional classrooms.

How can I help my child improve his skills?

Parenting a child with executive functioning issues can have its challenges. But there are specific strategies and tools that could make everyday life easier for you and your child.

Here are some tips from the National Center for Learning Disabilities:

Take a step-by-step approach to work.
Rely on visual organizational aids.
Use tools like time organizers, computers, or watches with alarms.
Make schedules and look at them several times a day.
Ask for written and oral instructions whenever possible.
Plan for transition times and shifts in activities.
Work on visualization skills.

Encourage your child to create a picture in his mind of what he’s just read or heard. For example, if you’ve told him to set the table for five people, ask him to come up with a mental picture of what the table should look like. Then have him draw that picture. As he gets better at visualizing, he can describe the image to you instead of needing to draw it.
Suggest games that use visual memory.

There are lots of matching games that can help your child work on visual memory. You can also do things like give your child a magazine page and ask him to circle all instances of the word the or the letter a in one minute. You can also turn license plates into a game. Take turns reciting the letters and numbers on a license plate and then saying them backwards, too.
Play cards.

Simple card games like Crazy Eights, Uno, Go Fish and War can improve working memory in two ways. Your child has to keep the rules of the game in mind. But he also has to remember what cards he has and which ones other people have played.
Help make connections.

Help your child form associations that connect the different details he’s trying to remember. Grab your child’s interest with fun mnemonics like vibgyor. (Thinking about this name can help kids remember the order of the colors in the rainbow.) Finding ways to connect information helps with forming and retrieving long-term memory issue. It also helps with working memory, which is what we use to hold and compare new and old memories.

To improve time management:

Create checklists and estimate how long each task will take.
Break long assignments into chunks, and assign time frames for completing each one.
Use calendars to keep track of long-term assignments, due dates, chores, and activities.
Write the due date on the top of each assignment.
Make Time Management Fun
Show Your Kids How to Measure Time
Create a Family Calendar Together
Create Calendars for Each Family Member
Stay on Task.
Don't Overscheduled Your Kids
Schedule Free Time.
Help Them Establish Daily Priorities

To better manage space and keep things from getting lost:

Have separate work areas with complete sets of supplies for different activities.
Organize the work space.
Minimize clutter.
Schedule a weekly time to clean and organize the work space.

To improve work habits:

Make a checklist for getting through assignments. For example, a student's checklist could include such items as: get out pencil and paper; put name on paper; put due date on paper; read directions; etc.
Meet with a teacher or supervisor on a regular basis to review work and troubleshoot problems.

· Read to them often, and let them read to you!

· Model instruction instead of giving away answers.

· Give them alternative examples if they still aren’t getting the concept (real life examples help students make connections to what they are learning and become easier for them to paint a picture in their mind).

· Ask them to explain how they got the answer (they need to be able to support their choice and is great practice for building creative and critical thinking skills).

· Before checking their work, let them check and correct their own mistakes first (this will prevent them from relying on an adult for the answers).
Visual Scheduling or a time timetable can be made about the things expected from him, or what will he be doing next after his task is over.

Children need to be provided with guidance and support both at school and at home, because learning is an ongoing process that never stops and should not be put on hold. So it is important to be involved with your child in some way just as much as it is important not to do the work for them. For children to get the most out of their learning experience they need to be using their knowledge in everything they do.

Take advantage of this time, your child is the prime age to be a learner; their minds are fresh and hungry for knowledge!




Happy Parenting ! :)

Learning Through Play

Learning through play..

Children develop in a holistic manner. Physical development should be seen as being important in young children’s development as intellectual development. Research has shown that physical activity in young children can enhance concentration, motivation, learning and well-being. Generally, our lives have become more inactive and our children have less opportunity for physical activity each day. The reasons for our increased inactivity include:

• Excessive television viewing

• Fewer family members to play with

• Fewer safe outside play areas.

Preschools can provide many opportunities for physical play to promote fi ne and gross motor skills and hand / eye coordination. Children enjoy physical play, indoors and outdoors. They revel in freedom of movement and in play that is inventive, adventurous and stimulating. Children also learn social skills as they cooperate with one another and show consideration for one another.

Large Muscle Development – gross motor and locomotor skills

• Walk forwards, backwards and sideways

• Walk on tip-toes (balance)

• Running, stopping and starting

• Climb up steps or a ladder with one foot leading

• Pivot around and around on feet

• Jump up and down on the spot on both feet

• Jump a distance • Balance along a plank 18cms from the ground

• Balance on one leg for 4 seconds

• Crawl through a barrel or tunnel These basic activities develop body management, balance, bodily co-ordination, strength, agility and confi dence.


Fine Motor Skills

• Building blocks

• Assembling construction materials – Duplo etc.

• Putting Jigsaws together

• Grip a pencil or paintbrush

• Hammer shapes into a pegboard

• Pour water or dry sand from one container to another

• Thread beads

• Manipulate Playdough These activities promote hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness, fi ne motor control, accuracy, two handed coordination and manipulative strength.


Eye – Hand & Eye – Foot Coordination Skills

• Catch a large ball between extended arms

• Kick a ball

• Pedal a tricycle along a straight line

• Push a large ball away towards a target

• Pull an empty truck around obstacles These activities promote spatial awareness, hand – eye coordination, strength and foot & leg coordination.

Paint & Junk

• Holding Brushes, pencils (fi ne motor skills)

• Cutting

• Spreading glue and paint

• Sprinkling glitter (fi ne fi nger movement)

Imaginative Play

• Manipulating fastenings on dressing up clothes and dolls (fi ne manipulative skills)

• Pressing telephone buttons

• Writing shopping lists

• Wrapping parcels

• Using dustpan and brush

• Coordination in pretend cooking – setting the table.

Sand and Water

• Pouring, filling, stirring, pushing, pulling, moulding, digging, patting (developing fi ne motor skills)

• Manipulating tools

• Pouring into containers (Hand – eye coordnation)

• Use equipment with skill.

Physical and Outdoor Play

• Throwing and catching

• Rolling

• Carrying and passing

• Climbing

• Swinging

• Sliding

• Cycling / driving wheeled toys

• Dancing

• Moving to action rhymes.

Small World

• Manipulating play people, farm animals, vehicles (fine motor skills and coordination)

• Threading beads

• Cars into the garage (hand – eye coordination)

• Putting furniture in the house.

Construction Play

• Manipulate a range of construction equipment (fi ne and large motor skills)

• Lifting, carrying

• Develop skills in fitting together and taking apart materials (develop hand – eye coordination and spatial awareness.

Practical Play ideas to use at Home with young children ..


Young children’s joy in movement leads to healthy growth by encouraging them to challenge and exercise their own bodies. Physical play is fun! A healthy child has lots of energy. He/she needs opportunities to crawl, run, dance, climb, balance and these skills help his/her bones and muscels develop.

What we need for physical play is:-

• SPACE. This could be a park or garden, the beach or field or a playground. Space is run freely.

• Safe equipment and safe surfaces

• Large equipment such as climbing frames, see saws, planks, tyres and stepping stones.

• Small equipment such as balloons, balls, bean bags, hoops, skipping ropes, streamers, trikes, bikes and cars.

• Lots of enthusiasm and energy.

Physical activities should not be beyond a child’s capability. We can play simple games of catch with our children – Hop-Scotch, Follow the Leader, Statues, Skipping, Ring-A-Ring-A-Rosie, Throwing and Catching games and Hide-and-Seek. A great deal rests on the acquisition of fine motor skills.

Children need these skills in order to become competent in many areas of life:

• Writing

• Handling tools

• Craft skills

• Using cutlery

• Holding brushes

• Handling delicate things, including living things

• Turning the pages of books.

In order to accomplish these tasks children need lots of help and practice in using the fine muscles of hands, arms and fingers. We can provide many play activities to help stimulate this development.

• Clay and dough

• Large beads to thread

• Cars, farms, doll houses

• Books with pages to turn, flaps and lift up sections

• Dressing dolls / action man

• Paint brushes, crayons and pencils..

Happy Parenting !!!

Working Memory

What is working memory?

Psychologists use the term ‘working memory’ to describe the ability we have to hold in mind and mentally manipulate information over short periods of time. Working memory is often thought of as a mental workspace that we can use to store important information in the course of our mental activities. A good example of an activity that uses working memory is mental arithmetic. Imagine, for example, attempting to multiply 43 and 27 together, and spoken to you by another person, without being able to use a pen and paper or a calculator. First of all, you would need to hold the two numbers in working memory. The next step would be to use learned multiplication rules to calculate the products of successive pairs of numbers, adding to working memory the new products as you proceed. Finally, you would need to add together the products held in working memory, resulting in the correct solution. Without working memory we would not be able to carry out this kind of complex mental activity in which we have to both keep in mind some information while processing other material.

When do we use working memory?

Mental arithmetic is just one example of an activity that relies on working memory. Other examples from everyday life include:

• remembering a new telephone number, a PIN number, web address or a vehicle registration number while we are trying to find a pen and paper to write it down or to use it in some other way

• following spoken directions such as ‘Go straight over at the roundabout, take the second left and the building is on the right opposite the church’

• calculating how much the bill will be at the supermarket checkout for the items we have in our basket

• remembering the unfamiliar foreign name of a person who has just been introduced to you for long enough to enable you to introduce them to someone else

• measuring and combining the correct amounts of ingredients (e.g. rub in 50g of margarine and 100g of flour, and then add 75g of sugar) when you have just read the recipe but are no longer looking at the page.

You may notice from these examples that we typically use working memory as a sort of mental jotting pad in situations when there is no other external record such as written notes or a calculator.

Why is working memory important in classroom learning?

Many of the learning activities that children are engaged with in the classroom, whether related to reading, mathematics, science, or other areas of the curriculum, impose quite considerable burdens on working memory. Activities often require the child to hold in mind some information (for example, a sentence to be written down) while doing something that for them is mentally challenging (such as spelling the individual words in the sentence). These are the kinds of activities on which children with poor working memory struggle with most, and often fail to complete them properly because they have lost from working memory the crucial information needed to guide their actions. As a result, the children may not get the learning benefit of successfully completing an activity, and this slows down their rates of learning.

Children with poor working memory also have problems following lengthy instructions to do one thing after another, because they forget the instruction before the whole sequence of actions has been completed. As a consequence, the child will often not engage properly with the normal pace of ongoing classroom activities. Often it appears that the child has not paid attention, when in fact they have simply forgotten what it is that they have to do.

Working memory is also needed to help us remember where we have got to in a complicated mental activity. Consider the case of a child with low working memory capacity attempting to follow the teacher’s instructions to write down a sentence she has just spoken. The child not only needs to hold the sentence in working memory for sufficiently long to guide his or her attempts to write the individual words, but needs to remember how far they have got in this attempt, and to find the next word in working memory. Although to skilled writers this seems like an easy task, children with poor working memory capacities find this extremely difficult, and often either skip or repeat words and letters as they lose their place in this demanding mental activity.

Characteristics of children with poor working memory

Typically, children with poor working memory:

• are well-adjusted socially

• are reserved in group activities in the classroom, rarely volunteering answers and sometimes not answering direct questions

• behave as though they have not paid attention, for example forgetting part or all of instructions or messages, or not seeing tasks through to completion

• frequently lose their place in complicated tasks that they may eventually abandon

• forget the content of messages and instructions

• make poor academic progress during the school years, particularly in the areas of reading and mathematics

• are considered by their teachers to have short attention spans and also to be easily distracted.

Working memory and learning difficulties

Poor working memory capacity is characteristic of children with many kinds of learning difficulties. These include individuals with language impairments, with difficulties in reading and mathematics (including dyslexia), with some forms of ADHD and with developmental coordination disorder. Approximately 70% of children with learning difficulties in reading obtain very low scores on tests of working memory that are rare in children with no special educational needs. Not all children with special educational needs have working memory problems. Individuals with problems in areas that are not directly related to learning, such as emotional and behavioural disturbances, typically have working memory capacities that are appropriate for their ages.

Why is working memory crucial for learning? 

Working memory is important because it provides a mental workspace in which we can hold information whilst mentally engaged in other relevant activities. The capacity to do this is crucial to many learning activities in the classroom. Children often have to hold information in mind whilst engaged in an effortful activity. The information to be remembered may, for example, be the sentence that they intend to write while trying to spell the individual words. It could also be the list of instructions given by the teacher while carrying out individual steps in the task.

Children with small working memory capacities will struggle in these activities, simply because they are unable to hold in mind sufficient information to allow them to complete the task. In these situations, their working memory is overloaded. Losing crucial information from working memory will cause them to forget many things: instructions they are attempting to follow, the details of what they are doing, where they have got to in a complicated task, and so on. Because children with poor working memory fail in many different activities on many occasions due to working memory overload, they are likely to struggle to achieve normal rates of learning and so will typically make poor general academic progress.

For such children, we recommend an educational approach in which the teacher monitors the child’s classroom learning activities and modifies them if necessary in order to ensure that he or she is working within their working memory capacity rather than being overloaded. This will help the child to complete and succeed in these activities, and so will build up knowledge and skills across time in a way that will facilitate learning. More detailed guidance about this approach is provided in the ‘Classroom support for children with working memory problems’ section.

Case study of a child with poor working memory

Naman is a 6-year-old boy with an impairment of working memory. His nonverbal IQ is in the normal range. He is a quiet child who is well-behaved in the classroom, and is relatively popular with his peers. He has been placed in the lowest ability groups in both literacy and numeracy. His teacher feels that he often fails to listen to what she says to him, and that he is often ‘in a world of his own’. In class, Naman often struggles to keep up with classroom activities. For example, when the teacher wrote on the board ‘Monday 11th November’ and, underneath, ‘The Market’, which was the title of the piece of work, he Understanding Working Memory 13 lost his place in the laborious attempt to copy the words down letter by letter, writing ‘moNemarket’. It appeared that he had started to write the date, forgotten what he was doing and began writing the title instead. He also frequently fails to complete structured learning activities. In one instance, when his teacher handed Naman his computer login cards and told him to go and work on the computer numbered 13, he failed to do this because he had forgotten the number. On another occasion, Naman was encouraged to use a number line when counting the number of ducks shown on two cards but struggled to coordinate the act of jumping along the line with counting up to the second number. He abandoned the attempt, solving the sum instead by counting up the total number of ducks on the two cards. Naman also has difficulty with activities that combine storage of multiple items with other demanding mental processing. For example, when asked to identify two rhyming words in a four-line text read aloud by the teacher, Naman was unable to match the sound structures of the pair of words, store them and then recall them when the teacher finished reading the text.

Classroom support for children with working memory problems

As yet, no certain ways of directly improving working memory in children such as Nathan have been developed. However, there is plenty that can be done to enhance learning in children with working memory problems. The approach that we recommend involves teachers managing children’s working memory loads in the classroom, with the aim of alleviating the disruptive consequences on learning of excessive working memory loads.

The following recommendations should be used to guide both the development of lesson plans for children with working memory impairments and the monitoring of children’s performance in class. In each case, the aim is to minimise the chances that the child will fail to complete the intended learning activity successfully due to working memory failures.

1. Recognise working memory failures

Working memory failures typically manifest themselves in frequent errors of the following kinds:

• incomplete recall, such as forgetting some or all of the words in a sentence, or of a sequence of words

• failing to follow instructions, including remembering only the part of a sequence of instructions, or forgetting the content of an instruction (for example, the child correctly remembers to go to Mrs Seema’s classroom as instructed by the teacher, but once there cannot remember the content of the message to be given)

• place-keeping errors – for example, repeating and/or skipping letters and words during sentence writing, missing out large chunks of a task

• task abandonment – the child gives up a task completely.

If these types of activity failure are observed, it is recommended that the working memory demands of the task are considered (see point 2) and if believed to be excessive, the activity should be repeated with reduced working memory loads (see point 3).

2. Monitor the child

It is important to monitor the child’s working memory regularly in the course of demanding activities. This will include:

• looking for warning signs of memory overload (see point 1);

• ask the child directly – for example, ask for details of what s/he is doing and intends to do next.

In cases when the child has forgotten crucial information:

• repeat information as required

• break down tasks and instructions into smaller components to minimise memory load

• encourage the child to request information when required.

3. Evaluate the working demands of learning activities

Activities that impose heavy storage demands typically involve the retention of significant amounts of verbal material with a relatively arbitrary content. Some examples of activities with working memory demands that are likely to exceed the capacities of a child with working memory deficits include:

• remembering sequences of three or more numbers or unrelated words (e.g. 5, 9, 2, 6 or cat, lion, kangaroo)

• remembering and successfully following lengthy instructions (e.g. Put your sheets on the green table, arrow cards in the packet, put your pencil away, and come and sit on the carpet)

• remembering lengthy sentences containing some arbitrary content to be written down (e.g. To blow up parliament, Guy Fawkes had 36 barrels of gunpowder)

• keeping track of the place reached in the course of multi-level tasks (e.g. writing a sentence down either from memory or from the white board)

4. Reduce working memory loads if necessary

In order to avoid working-memory-related failures (see point 1), working memory loads in structured activities should be decreased. This can be achieved in a number of ways, including:

• reducing the overall amount of material to be stored (e.g. shortening sentences to be written or number of items to be remembered)

• increasing the meaningfulness and degree of familiarity of the material to be remembered

• simplifying the linguistic structures of verbal material (e.g. using simple active constructions rather than passive forms with embedded clauses in activities involving remembering sentences, and in instructions)

• reducing processing demands (see point 5)

• re-structuring multi-step tasks into separate independent steps, supported by memory aids if possible

• making available and encouraging the use of external devices that act as memory aids for the child; these include ‘useful spellings’ on white boards and cards, providing number lines, printed notes, and dictaphones to store information that needs to be remembered.

5. Be aware that processing demands increase working memory loads

Although children may be capable of storing a particular amount of information in one situation, a demanding concurrent processing task will increase working memory demands and so may lead to memory failure, as illustrated in the two examples below of children with working memory deficits.

Example 1 The children in Naman’s class were asked to identify the rhyming words in a text read aloud by the teacher. They had to wait until all four lines had been read before telling the teacher the two words that rhymed: tie and fly. This task involves matching the sound structures of a pair of words, and storing them. Naman was unable to do this, although he was able to remember two words under conditions where no concurrent processing was required.


Example 2 An activity in Jay’s class involved the teacher writing number sequences on the white board with some numbers missing. She counted the numbers aloud as she wrote them, and asked the class what numbers she had missed out. In each case, there was more than one number missing (e.g. 0, 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8). In this activity, the child has to use his/her number knowledge to identify each missing number, and store them. On all occasions, Jay was unable to identify the missing numbers. In such cases, steps should be taken to modify the learning activity in order to reduce working memory loads (see point 3).

6. Frequently repeat important information

It is good practice when working with children with working memory deficits to regularly repeat information that is crucial to ongoing activities. This will include:

• general classroom management instructions

• task-specific instructions (what the whole activity consists of, broken down into simple steps) • detailed content intrinsic to an activity (e.g. the particular sentence to be written). Understanding Working Memory Children should also be encouraged to request repetition of important information in cases of forgetting.

7. Encourage the use of memory aids

A variety of tools that support memory are in common use in classrooms – these include number lines, Unifix blocks and other counting devices, cards, dictaphones, personalised dictionaries with useful spellings, teacher notes on the class white board, and wall charts. These tools can help in several different ways to reduce working memory loads – they may reduce the processing demands of the activity (e.g. useful spellings and Unifix blocks), and they may also reduce the storage load of the task and so help the child keep their place (e.g. number lines).

However, many children with working memory problems often struggle to use such tools, possibly because of the initial cost of mastering the new skill. It is therefore recommended that children are given practice in the use of memory aids in situations with minimal working memory demands in order to establish mastery of the basic skill, before their use in more complex activities with higher working memory loads.


8. Develop the child’s use of memory-relieving strategies

Children with working memory deficits are typically aware of when they have forgotten crucial information, but often do not know what to do in such situations. An important role for the teacher is to encourage the child to develop strategies for overcoming memory problems. These will include:

• use of rehearsal to maintain important information

• use of memory aids (see point 7)

• organisational strategies – breaking tasks down into component parts where possible

• asking for help when important information has been forgotten.

Happy Parenting !!!

Communicating With A Non-Verbal child...

Communication is a basic human need, allowing people to connect with others, make decisions that affect their lives, express feelings and feel part of the community they live in.

People with little or no speech still have the same communication needs as the rest of us. We may just have to work a bit harder to find a communication strategy that works.

The following tips have been contributed to Scope by parents of children and adults with special needs. We hope you will find them useful.

1. Make it mean something

Poly (Imaginary name)can clap her hands so we have taught her to clap when she wants to say yes.

2. Level it up

Playing and talking are easier if you can see each other. Sit so you are at the same level.

3. Talk about it

Non-Verbal kids can’t speak and also has limited understanding but it is important to keep talking to them about what’s going on.

4. Eye contact

I put stickers on my forehead as a target for kid to look at. This reminds him/her to look at people’s faces, so people feel more like he is engaging with them.

5. It has meaning – it’s just not obvious

We treat every non-verbal indication as a communication and try to work out what a kid is trying to say to us.

6. Use mirrors

If looking directly into your eyes is too invasive for the person you’re supporting, try using mirrors to see if they can look at you that way.

7. Do you want X or Y?

When I am out and about with non-verbal kids, I say ‘do you want X’ (tapping my hand in one spot) ‘or Y’ (tapping my hand in another). He/she then selects a spot. We use it for all sorts of communication now – not just choices.

8. Find other means of expression

Give your child an opportunity to express themselves. Dance, music, drawing, painting, messing with textures, banging drums, shaking maracas – and join in too. Don’t be afraid to lay down with them on the carpet and see the world from their point of view.

9. Simplify your language. 

Doing so helps your child follow what you’re saying. It also makes it easier for her to imitate your speech. If your child is nonverbal, try speaking mostly in single words. (If she’s playing with a ball, you say “ball” or “roll.”) If your child is speaking single words, up the ante. Speak in short phrases, such as “roll ball” or “throw ball.” Keep following this “one-up” rule: Generally use phrases with one more word than your child is using.

10. Puppets and singing

Often children on the autistic spectrum do not communicate with other people or make eye contact. Yet they can, and do, communicate – often verbally – with a puppet or even their pets. Some children find singing a delight and can sing wonderfully even though they use very little verbal communication. Use these strengths as an aid to interaction.

11. Create social stories

I have been creating my own social stories using pictures of my kids and clip art pictures. You can find images of most things through Microsoft Office and easily type up your own personalised stories.

12. Make ‘flash cards’

Take photos of a non verbal person’s favorite toys, family members, objects eg cup, biscuit etc. Choose the most motivating items to begin with. Print and laminate them postcard size. Giving a choice of no more than three cards at a time, encourage them to choose by pointing or touching. May also be helpful to put the relevant sign on the back of photo as a reference for others

13. Carry a surprise card

If you have a child with Autism or Asperger’s, it’s worth carrying a ‘surprise’ card with you for unplanned situations (like unannounced fire drills). On the card, have a surprise symbol (an exclamation mark) & ‘SURPRISE! we are going to x, y, z’ (your child’s favorite place).

14. Instant mobile photo’s

Don’t forget to make best use of your mobile (if it has a camera) – it’s a fabulous instant device to use as a photo communication tool.

15. Leave “space” for your child to talk. 

It’s natural to feel the urge to fill in language when a child doesn’t immediately respond. But it’s so important to give your child lots of opportunities to communicate, even if he isn’t talking. When you ask a question or see that your child wants something, pause for several seconds while looking at him expectantly. Watch for any sound or body movement and respond promptly. The promptness of your response helps your child feel the power of communication.

16. Objects of reference

Objects of reference are a great way of helping people with profound learning disabilities and/or other sensory impairments to understand the world around them. Use an object to symbolize the activity they are about to participate in, eg a fork for dinner, towel for bath.

17. Follow your child’s interests. 

Rather than interrupting your child’s focus, follow along with words. Using the one-up rule, narrate what your child is doing. If he’s playing with a shape sorter, you might say the word “in” when he puts a shape in its slot. You might say “shape” when he holds up the shape and “dump shapes” when he dumps them out to start over. By talking about what engages your child, you’ll help him learn the associated vocabulary.

18. Encourage play and social interaction.

 Children learn through play, and that includes learning language. Interactive play provides enjoyable opportunities for you and your child to communicate. Try a variety of games to find those your child enjoys. Also try playful activities that promote social interaction. Examples include singing, reciting nursery rhymes and gentle roughhousing. During your interactions, position yourself in front of your child and close to eye level – so it’s easier for your child to see and hear you.

19. Imitate your child. 

Mimicking your child’s sounds and play behaviors will encourage more vocalizing and interaction. It also encourages your child to copy you and take turns. Make sure you imitate how your child is playing – so long as it’s a positive behavior. For example, when your child rolls a car, you roll a car. If he or she crashes the car, you crash yours too. But don’t imitate throwing the car!

20. Communication books & charts

Some children can learn to make choices by pointing to a symbol and or word in a communication book or on a communication chart. They might be able to point with a fist or a finger or they might be able to point with their eyes or with a head pointer.

21. Focus on nonverbal communication. 

Gestures and eye contact can build a foundation for language. Encourage your child by modeling and responding these behaviors. Exaggerate your gestures. Use both your body and your voice when communicating – for example, by extending your hand to point when you say “look” and nodding your head when you say “yes.” Use gestures that are easy for your child to imitate. Examples include clapping, opening hands, reaching out arms, etc. Respond to your child’s gestures: When she looks at or points to a toy, hand it to her or take the cue for you to play with it. Similarly, point to a toy you want before picking it up.

22. Consider assistive devices and visual supports. 

Assistive technologies and visual supports can do more than take the place of speech. They can foster its development. Examples include devices and apps with pictures that your child touches to produce words. On a simpler level, visual supports can include pictures and groups of pictures that your child can use to indicate requests and thoughts.


Your child’s therapists are uniquely qualified to help you select and use these and other strategies for encouraging language development. Tell the therapist about your successes as well as any difficulties you’re having. By working with your child’s intervention team, you can help provide the support your child needs to find his or her unique “voice.”

Teaching Days Of The Week To Special Need Children

Explain to your child that every day is a new day. The first step is to teach your child that every time he wakes up, it's the start of a new day.


Name the days of the week. Teach your child the names of the days of the week — Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tell him what day today is.

Write the days of the week on flash cards and teach your child to rank them in the correct order. Arrange them on a table or on the wall and practice together.


Explain that there are only seven days in a week. Try to explain to your child that seven days make one week. When one week is over, another one begins.


Teach your child to distinguish between today, yesterday and tomorrow. Although it can be confusing for them, try to explain to your child the difference between yesterday, today and tomorrow.

1. Explain yesterday: Tell your child that yesterday was the day before today. Name it and connect it with what you were actually doing yesterday.

2.Explain today. Tell your child that this is the current day and try to connect it with the activities that are planned for today.

3· Explain tomorrow. Explain that tomorrow will come after today. Name that day and emphasize the activities that will mark it



Explain the difference between working days and weekends. Tell your child that Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are the days when kids go to school and parents go to work. That is why these days are called working days.

1· Then explain that Saturday and Sunday are the weekend, a time for relaxation and fun, when there is no school or work.

Show your child the days of the week on a calendar. On a calendar, show your child that one row makes one week. Point out each of the days and color code them to make them easier to distinguish, e.g. red for Monday, yellow for Tuesday, etc.

Introduce the days of the week through their schedule. Children may notice that some days are different from others due to the events they do on each day. Making an association between an event and a particularly day can help them to remember what day it is.

1. For example, Monday could be Art and craft day, Wednesday could be Aloo parathas for dinner, Sunday could be going to park or gaming zone etc.


countdown to important events. Counting down to an important event in the child's life can help them to keep track of the days.

1· For example, if they are excited about going to a birthday party on Saturday, in the week leading up to it you could ask them "How many days left until the party?".

2· Alternatively, if your child is excited about their own birthday coming up in several weeks, you could ask them "how many more Mondays until your birthday?"


Use fun, familiar songs to teach your child the days of the week. There are a number of very good song parodies that use familiar rhythms to teach the days of the week. Singing songs works well for memorization because the familiar pattern is easy for the brain to absorb. In addition, each song can be sung virtually anywhere giving the child even more time to practice and to learn the concept that is being taught.

1· According to experts, singing not only releases endorphins (feel good hormones) but also strengthens memory skills and brain development by making the brain work at several tasks at the same time.

2· In short, singing makes you happy and makes you smarter – so it is a perfect way to teach your child about the days of the week. You can even practice your new songs and skills in the car on the way to school or to run errands.


Let your child make her own calendar. Another great way to help your child learn the days of the week is to show her a calendar and have her say the days’ names with you. Then, with a blank calendar page have your child help you create a new calendar.

1· Have your child tell you what happens on each day of the week. For example, if she goes to preschool only three days of the week she could say “On Monday I go to school” and so on. Let your child use pictures cut from magazines or appropriate stickers to “tag” each day of the week so that it is easier for her to remember.

2· Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays could get a school bus or a school building picture or sticker and then Tuesdays and Thursdays could get something that she associates with those days. Saturdays could have a picture of the supermarket or family event and then Sundays could have pictures of your house of worship if you so choose.



Use picture books. Try to find picture books that deal with the topic of the days of the week and read them to your child. If your child is able, have her read the book to you, or even try to explain the pictures and events.



Use jump rope and hopscotch to teach the days. Jumping rope or playing hopscotch while singing can be a good way to teach kids days of the week. While your child is jumping or skipping, they can sing:

“M for Monday, turn around, T for Tuesday, touch the ground, W for Wednesday, jump so high, T for Thursday, touch the sky, F for Friday, say hooray! S for Saturday, time to play, S for Sunday, clap your hands, It’s time to start all over again!”

In the same way, you can let your child play hopscotch. Draw 7 squares, one for each day a week. As your child jumps from square to square they can sing the song.

Brushing Teeths..

An uphill battle for any parent, getting your child to brush his or her teeth can be a challenging task. For parents with special needs children, this is particularly true, due to ongoing oral-motor issues and oral sensitivities.

In order to better understand how tooth brushing can be a positive experience for both the parent and child, here are few tips for helping children with special needs brush their teeth.



1. First, let him/her face a mirror with you standing behind him/her. Using one hand to support his/her chin, and the other hand to help him/her brush.

2. If he/she can hold his/her own toothbrush, let him/her brush on his/her own. You need to supervise, observe and correct his/her brushing technique.



If the person doesn't know how to spit, it is difficult for him/her to rinse after tooth brushing.

You can first let him/her wear an apron to avoid getting his/her clothes wet. Prepare a glass of drinking water for him/her to rinse. When he needs to rinse, teach him/her to first open his/her mouth and then slowly pour the water into his/her mouth. Let the water flow out from his/her mouth so that the foam from toothpaste will be rinsed out from his/her mouth naturally.

@Swallowing toothpaste while brushing

Use only a pea-sized blob of toothpaste to brush his/her teeth. No harm will be done to his/her body even if he/she accidentally swallows the toothpaste. Fluoride is effective in preventing tooth decay and strengthening teeth, therefore it is essential that fluoride toothpaste is used. If you are worried that the fluoride content in toothpaste is too high, you might consider using children's fluoride toothpaste which contains only half of the fluoride content as the regular adult fluoride toothpaste.

@Involuntary wobbling of the head

You may stand behind him/her, use one hand to wrap around his/her head, and gently support his/her chin to stabilize his/her head. Remember to do this only if he/she is willing, otherwise he/she will refuse to brush or floss his/her teeth.

@Protruding tongue which interferes with toothbrushing

Tongue protrusion during toothbrushing is a natural reflex. You may first ask him/her to calm down and start toothbrushing for him/her as soon as he/she relaxes his/her tongue. There is only a short period of time while he relaxes his/her tongue. Therefore you may need to precisely place the toothbrush inside his/her mouth and speed up the brushing process to make toothbrushing more pleasant for him/her. You may also consider using an electric toothbrush to shorten the time needed for brushing. However, you should use a correct brushing technique with care in order to avoid damaging his/her teeth and gum.

@Biting on toothbrush

You may use some supplementary tools (e.g. a few chopsticks wrapped by a towel) for him/her to bite on one side of his/her mouth so that his/her mouth will stay opened. You can then place the toothbrush inside his/her mouth and start brushing on the other side of his/her mouth for him/her.

@Refuse toothbrushing

Find out the reason why he/she refuses to brush, then target at this reason to help him/her overcome his/her hard feelings towards brushing. If toothbrushing brings him/her discomfort, his/her gum may be sensitive due to gum inflammation. You may first choose a softer toothbrush and let him/her try to get used to brushing only a few teeth. After he/she gets used to brushing, you can then try to brush the rest of his/her teeth. Ask him/her to raise his/her hand when he/she feels uncomfortable and stop brushing to let him/her take a rest. It is important that you must not try to brush all his/her teeth by force. Otherwise, it will be difficult to change his/her attitude toward toothbrushing in the future.

@Gagging when he/she brushes his/her teeth

You may use a toothbrush with a smaller head. When you are brushing his/her molars, try not to place the toothbrush too far back as long as you can brush his/her last tooth in order to avoid gagging. If there are sensitive areas which make him/her gag, you should brush those areas last.

@Crooked teeth which are difficult to clean

You may use a toothbrush with a small head. Pay special attention to areas of irregularity to make sure that the bristles have touched the gingival margins. This could ensure that the teeth are thoroughly cleaned.

@Difficulty in inserting the dental floss into the interproximal area (area between the teeth)

Difficulty in inserting the dental floss into the interproximal area may be caused by the accumulation of calculus. The situation will improve once the calculus has been removed by the dentist. Remember to floss daily after the calculus has been removed in order to avoid accumulation again.

 Posting Reward Chart for brushing the teeths (pictures from Google)

Visual sequencing how to brush the teeths (pictures from Google)

posting some books on Brushing the teeths (Available on Amazon)

Hope the Blog is useful !!!

Happy Brushing :)

Calming Strategies

As much as you hate to see it in your own child, every child throws tantrums and has meltdowns, sometimes in the middle of the grocery store. This can be even more prevalent if your child has a language delay and doesn’t understand or can’t communicate what he wants. We’ve seen those kids, we call them “spoiled” and they have a long road ahead of them because they aren’t always going to get their way. Instead, your job is to teach your child how to deal with getting upset. In particular, it can be extremely helpful to teach your child calming strategies to calm himself or herself down. There are many calming strategies that you can teach your child to get through those awful meltdowns faster and without requiring you to bribe your child with ice cream and toys to make it stop. Calming children with self-calming strategies has worked for children across the world, and it can work for your child, too!

1 Don’t Give In

If this method is going to work at all, you HAVE to stop giving in to your child’s meltdowns.. If you try to teach your child these calming strategies but you eventually give in after he’s been screaming for 5 minutes (even if you only give in sometimes), the calming strategies will NEVER be as effective as throwing that tantrum so the tantrums will never stop and the calming strategies will never work. You have to stop giving in!! I know this can be so hard to do because you don’t want to see your child hurting and you don’t want to cause a scene in whatever public place you may happen to be, but this is crucial. If your child starts throwing a fit about something, you CANNOT give in, even if you were just about to change your mind anyway. Your child will feel like the tantrum worked to get him what he wanted and the next tantrum will be even bigger. Here’s what you should do at this point if your child is tantruming:
Remain calm, don’t show any emotion to your child. If you have to walk away so you can compose yourself, do that. If you need to tag in your spouse to handle the problem because you’re too emotional, do that.
Try to wait the tantrum out for a bit. See if it goes away on its own if you don’t give it much attention. Just monitor your child for safety and make sure that your child doesn’t put himself in any dangerous situations (like throwing a tantrum in the knife aisle at Bed, Bath, and Beyond). If he does, calmly move him away from danger without making a big deal out of it.
Remove your child from the situation. Carry him out of the store or back to his room. Try to isolate him from any attention he may get for the tantrum.
Wait till it passes. Because it will. Eventually, your child will tire and that’s when he will need a hug. Be there with his hug when he’s ready for it and have faith that the rest of these steps will make these tantrums better. (But again, don’t give in to what he wanted, even after the tantrum stops).

2. Identifying Calm Vs. Upset

The first thing you need to do is teach your child the difference between being calm and being upset. You will want to do this with your child when she is calm. I like to use a mood thermometer for this. A mood thermometer has a happy face at the bottom, an angry face at the top, and sometimes a few faces in between indicating someone who is on their way up or down the continuum.





Show your child the thermometer and say “when we are happy and calm, we are down here at the bottom”. Explain to your child that she is calm right now and show her where she is. You can even show her pictures of other children who are calm and happy. Then, tell her that when we are not happy, we are the top of the thermometer. We are upset. Show her pictures of children who are upset. You can type “child tantrum” into Google image search and get some pretty great upset children. Have her help you figure out which children look calm and which children look upset. You can also talk about some emotions in between, such as sad or scared. These often will lead to being upset if not dealt with early. Those will be the best times to try some calming strategies with your child. Keep working on labeling these emotions until your child is starting to understand them. You can even label her own emotions when you see them. For example, if your child is starting to get upset, show her the thermometer and say “You look sad” while pointing to the sad face. Just help her understand what those emotions look like and how they feel. I’ve even had some parents take pictures of their children displaying different emotions and use those to show their children. Be creative and talk about emotions a lot. Once your child starts to understand, move on to step three.

3. Teaching Calming Strategies when Calm

Think about your child when he’s in the middle of a tantrum. Do you think now would be a good time to teach him a new skill? Probably not, I’m guessing he wouldn’t be listening very well at that point. So the best time to teach calming strategies is while your child is already calm. It sounds counter-productive but we’ll get to the actual calming part later. Try a whole bunch of calming strategies with your child and see which ones he seems to do well with or he seems to like the most. Keep trying them until you get about 4 that your child can do fairly well. It helps if each strategy has its own picture to go with it so your child can learn what they are. You can create your own pictures (like take pictures of the child doing the strategy) or you can use the ones created above..

Here are some strategies to try with your child. Show him how to do each one and then have him do it with you. After you’ve practiced them several times, have your child do them by himself so you can see which ones he’s learning the best. This will help you pick your four.
The Balloon: Have your child hold his hands in front of his mouth like holding a small balloon. Tell your child to blow up the balloon. As he blows, he spreads his hands apart to pretend the balloon is getting bigger. Once the balloon is as big as it can get, your child claps his hands together to “pop” the balloon.
The Pretzel: Have your child fold herself into a pretzel and squeeze. Have her wrap her legs together and fold her arms across her chest like she’s hugging herself. When she is as twisted as she can possibly get, have her squeeze hard.
Take a Walk: Have your child take a walk to cool off. Sometimes just walking around a bit can help.
The Bunny: Have your child pretend to be a bunny. He can get down on the ground like a bunny or just sit on his bottom. Have him breathe like a bunny does in short, quick breaths. Don’t let your child do this too long or he might get dizzy but a little bit of shallow breathing can bring his breathing back under his control. Follow this up with some long deep breaths, like hissing like a snake or blowing out candles.
Write a Letter: Have your child “write a letter” about why she’s mad. Get out a piece of paper and a big fat crayon. Have your child scribble violently all over the paper. This should release some tension. If your child is older, you may actually be able to get her to write down why she’s mad. When she’s done, have your child read it to you or just crumple the paper and throw it away. If this strategy works for your child, you can have a calm-down bucket or stash that has paper and a crayon just for such an occasion.
Count or Sing the ABCs: Have your child count as high as he can or sing/say the alphabet. Many times this is enough to bring the breathing back under control to quell the tantrum.
Hug a Pillow/Stuffed Animal: Have your child pick a pillow or stuffed animal to hug. Tell her to squeeze it hard so she can get all of that upset out. She could also tell her stuffed animal why she’s upset

4. Make a Calming Strategies Board and Practice

Choose the four strategies that work best for your child (and feel free to use your own if you know of something that works for your child) and put them together on a board. It’s best if you get some sturdy poster board for this as it may be thrown across the room in anger at first. Cut out the pictures from my printout or make your own and put the four pictures (with descriptions) on the board. You should also put the mood thermometer on the board so you can use it to show your child. While your child is still calm, show her the board and say “this is what we will use when we are upset. When your body is red (point to the red on the thermometer) and you are upset, we will use these calming strategies to make your body green and help you calm down.” Have your child practice each of the calming strategies while she’s calm so you know she can do them. You could also pretend to be upset at some point and go over to the board to show her how to use it. Role playing is great for young children and those with language delays. You can also create a smaller version of this board to stick in your purse in case you need it on the go.

5.Practice the Calming Strategies When Your Child is Upset

Now that your child knows the strategies, it’s time to put them into action. The next time your child starts to get upset, try to catch it before he gets completely out of control mad. Say “Your body doesn’t look green, let’s get our calming board”. Bring him the calming board and show him where he is on the thermometer. Label his emotion for him by saying “You are upset” or “you are mad”. Then, ask him to pick a calming strategy to try. If you’re lucky, he’ll remember his training and pick a strategy so you can help him through it. More likely though, he will be so mad about it that he will refuse to choose and possibly even try to cause harm to your board. Remain calm, this too will pass. If he doesn’t want to pick a strategy, you pick one for him and demonstrate it. Don’t force him to do it with you. Then, wait a minute or two and try that whole process again. Eventually, he should calm down enough to be able to do a strategy. However, the first several times you try this, it may take a while, especially if he’s just now getting used to you not giving in to his tantrums. Just keep trying it every few minutes until he’s ready to do one with you. If you stay calm, that will bring him down even faster. Eventually, your child should be more willing to do this. If you do it consistently with him, he will get to the point where you can say, “You look like you need to calm down, why don’t you go pick a strategy. When your body is green again, we can talk (or I can give you a hug)”. Then, he should be able to go calm himself down using the strategies you have practiced so many times. Keep in mind it may be a long way down the road before he can do this on his own, but that’s the overall goal. Once your child is calmed after a tantrum, talk with your child calmly about what happened and what you can do to solve the problem. Now is the time to work through the problem, now that he’s calm.

Keep calm and be persistent and you can teach your child these calming strategies as well.

(Image courtesy Google)



Posting some story books on Anger Management..(Available on Amazon)

Teaching Rhyming Words To Special Need Children

Why teach about rhyming?

Developing a child's phonological awareness is an important part of developing a reader. Young children's ability to identify rhyme units is an important component of phonological awareness. Research shows that students benefit from direct instruction on rhyme recognition paired with fun activities that target this skill.



Body Name Game

How to Play: Begin by modeling how to rhyme. Point to parts of your body, say a rhyming word and your child should say the body part. This puts rhyming into her ears with a visual cue (pointing). If you point to your nose and say rose, she will automatically say nose.

1. Tell your child, "We are going to play a rhyming game. Rhyming words have the same sound endings. I'm going to point to something on my body, and say a word. You're going to say the body part that rhymes. Okay?"

2. Give her two examples: "I'm pointing to my leg, and I say beg. You say leg. I'm pointing to my nose. I say rose, and you say nose.

3. Here's a list of body parts and rhyming words:




deer-ear
pail-nail
sack-back


go-toe
gum-thumb
put-foot

bye-eye
deck-neck
see-knee

bear-hair
fin-chin
band-hand

peek-cheek
farm-arm
feel-heel


4. When your child is able to do this, turn it around. Point to your knee and your child will say a rhyming word such as bee or me!

5. When your child rhymes body parts, play this game:

a. Say, "I'm going to say a word and you'll tell me as many rhyming words as you can. I say bee." Your child then says words such as "he, she, we three, free, or agree."

b. Choose one-syllable words that are easy to rhyme with such as had, rat, man, fall, ten, red, big, fill, hop, dog, bug and sun. All of these have multiple words that rhyme.

Read a Ton of Rhyming Books


In my opinion, introducing rhyming to children is best done by reading rhyming books. It exposes the kids to how rhymes sound in a meaningful, engaging manner. While reading such books to the kiddos, it’s easy to point out the rhyming words by saying, “I hear rhyming words! ‘Dog’ and ‘fog’ rhyme.” A simple extension would be to have the children come up with more words that rhyme with words in the book. Tomorrow I’ll share specific rhyming books that I enjoy reading with kids.

Songs and Finger Plays

Another wonderful way to introduce rhyming is through songs. Most kids love to sing, listen to, and dance along to music. With the youngest children, simple finger plays do the trick. They’re short, contain rhyming words, and involve the kids in the music. “Ring Around the Rosey” and “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” are favorites for a reason! As children get older (moving from toddlers to preschoolers), they still enjoy finger plays. The older children also enjoy longer songs to sing and dance to, and rhyming words are often a part of such songs.

Use Children’s Names

Children’s names are incredibly meaningful to them, making names an awesome teaching resource! Simple word plays with children’s names (and the names of those important to them) is another way of introducing rhyming concepts. Here are some ways to use names when introducing rhyming:

· Call kids by rhyming versions of their names —sam jam, Ram shyam , Super Cooper, etc.

· Insert children’s names into songs and poems — “The itsy-bitsy Riddhi climbed up the water spout . . .”

· Play goofy name games that involve rhymes — “If your name rhymes with Fairy, jump up and down. If your name rhymes with moon, turn around in a circle.”

· Sing some version of “The Name Game” with your children/students. A shorter, simpler version might be the best way to start with this.


Rhyming Basket

Objects are placed in a basket (one object for each child present), and the basket is passed around the circle. As each child gets the basket, I say a word (such as “fizzers”) and they pull out the object that rhymes (“scissors”). You can use any objects, because it doesn’t matter if the rhyming words are real words or nonsense words.


Erase a Rhyme

Draw a picture on a dry erase board, such as grass, sky, tree, flower, and sun. Say a word, such as tower, and have a child come up to erase what rhymes (flower); erase what rhymes with bee (tree); erase what rhymes with fun (sun). Continue until the whole picture is erased. Draw on a dry erase lap board before the children arrive, so that they don’t have to wait while you draw. Usually, after I’ve drawn a few, some of the children will volunteer to draw one for the next day.


Rhyming Rings

Hook words that rhyme together on a metal ring. Include a picture with the word. Children flip through the picture cards and say them into a PVC phone. Example: bag, tag, rag, wag. You can make these using clipart, or save time and purchase


I hope this blog will be helpful in teaching Rhyming words..(Posting some Rhyming story books , nursery rhymes and picture of activities..)

Cheers !!