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What might a student struggling with Planning and Problem Solving look like?

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What might a student struggling with Planning and Problem Solving look like?

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• Failure to develop a plan
• Failure to start on a task
• Failure to break down complex tasks

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Difficulties in executive function relating to planning and problem solving may be caused by a multitude of factors, such as:

• Inability to get started
• Inability to follow through
• Inability to visualize the goal
• Inability to visualize the final product
• Not thinking the goal is important/reasonable
• Not knowing how to set goals and sub-goals
• Inability to visualize an action plan
• Inability to break big tasks down into small steps
• Inability to put steps into logical order
• Inability to remember action plan steps
• Inability to stay focused due to unexpected roadblocks
• A lack of a sense of urgency
• Not seeing the task as relevant or a priority
• Inability to accurately estimate the time tasks will take
• Inability to delay gratification of an immediate want
• Feeling overwhelmed by and avoiding the task
• A lack of a back-up plan when tasks become hard
• Inability to anticipate barriers or consequences
• No knowledge of needed resources
• Not knowing when or how to ask for help
• Not having or using fix-up strategies
• Unawareness of when help is needed
• Poor self-monitoring skills
• Inability to identify attributes of a quality product
• Inability to use rubrics/checklists to self-assess
• Not giving credit for small successes

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• Challenging the student's excuse for actions rather than redirecting their efforts.
• Assuming they are repeating mistakes to be obstinate or lazy.
• Assigning work that is too difficult for their skill level or work that is not challenging enough.
• Waiting too long to provide corrective feedback.
• Not providing modeling followed by opportunities to recover from mistakes.
• Doing planning for them rather than with them.

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Once the students have identified the root causes of the stalled school performance, they can take actions to help. This can be done by the student, school staff, and the student's family.

Here are some ways to help students suffering with planning and preparation problems:
• Visualize Clear Goals
• Stay Focused by Anticipating Roadblocks
• Know When & How to Access Resources
• Visualize Specific Steps of the Action Plan
• Put Steps in Logical Order
• Accurately Estimate Time
• Delay Gratification
• Build Self-Monitoring Skills

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Failure in these areas is NOT due to laziness or procrastination. It is an underdeveloped set of Planning and Problem solving skills. 

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Failure in these areas is NOT due to laziness or procrastination. It is an underdeveloped set of Planning and Problem solving skills. 

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Executive function is the term used by neurologists to describe the brain processes that drive our ability to focus, solve problems, organize ourselves, remember information, learn from mistakes, and manage impulses, all of which help us learn efficiently and develop important social skills.

When students have trouble with their planning and problem-solving skills, it can be viewed by some as carelessness. However, it is important to know that this is not the case; rather, the student has an error in their executive function.

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Parents can help by implementing their own interventions, providing students with support in the home environment. For example, consider guiding your child through a calendar or checklist of household chores, giving your child time estimates to help them balance when homework should be done or when fun can be had, or providing rubrics to establish what constitutes a "clean" bedroom with observable goals.

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• Helping students set clear goals and visualizing action plans with small steps and detailed timelines.
• Anticipating trouble spots before they happen and developing a back-up plan.
• Identifying resources and ways to access them.
• Using checklists, rubrics, and self-questioning to reflect on actions.
• Replaying experiences and analyzing why things happened the way they did.
• Providing direct feedback and checking it with their perceptions.