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Role Play Activity: Educator and Student

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Role Play Activity: Educator and Student

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Setting Limits behavior strategy resource

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Setting Limits behavior strategy resource

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Offering Choices behavior strategy resource

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Offering Choices behavior strategy resource

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Resource Guide from SELPA Verbal De-Escalation training, including excellent resources on setting limits and offering choices.

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Verbal De-Escalation Resource Packet SELPAs rev

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Webinar 1 Paraeducator Foundations Slide Deck

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Webinar 1 Paraeducator Foundations Slide Deck

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Webinar 2 Paraeducator Classroom Strategies Slide Deck

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Webinar 2 Paraeducator Classroom Strategies Slide Deck

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Printable Paraeducator Job Aid (printable complete)

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A brief description of the components of Executive Functioning.

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This section of the Job Aid focuses on facilitating student independence and helpful reminders.

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optional notes/study guide document

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optional notes/study guide

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optional notes/study guide

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Center on Disability Community Inclusion

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Center on Disability Community Inclusion

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Remote Use of Paraprofessional Supports for students with Disabilities during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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CDCI-Remote Use of Para Supports during Covid-19

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Rethinking the Role of Educational Assistants

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Rethinking the role of educational assistants

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Why Teacher's Aides Deserve Our Appreciation Every Single Day

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Why Teacher's Aides Deserve Our Appreciation Every Single Day

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Paraprofessional, Instructional Assistant, Teacher's Aide, Educational Assistant... these wonderful people go by many names. When we read these titles, however, we may not really understand what their jobs entail. After almost 10 years in education, though, I think I can sum up a parapro's job description in one word: superhero.

Every day, I watch these people do amazing things. I watch them stand and greet students as they enter our gym or cafeteria, providing smiles and hugs for each one. I see them follow schedules even more complicated than mine, moving between grade levels and never missing a beat. I watch them wrestle with copy machines and spend hours cutting out laminated items. I hear them out in the hallways, working with that one child who still can't read sight words or add two-digit numbers. I even have watched them take verbal or physical assault from the student they have been assigned to help because music class is too much. They are vital to all of the education initiatives that we've come to embrace over the years, like "Title," "Response to Intervention," "Special Education."

We ask these amazing people to do so much, to give so much of themselves. We ask them to jump through hoops like certification testing and after-hours trainings, and we expect them to do anything and everything within the buildings in which they work. If you think that teachers are underpaid (which, let's be real, we are), let me tell you who is really underpaid: paraprofessionals. They make a fraction of what teachers do, yet they are asked to do so much more than they are paid for.

Oftentimes, only students recognize paraprofessionals for all that they do, but everyone should understand and appreciate how important paraprofessionals are in the field of education. These amazing men and women are some of the strongest connections our students with extensive needs make within the building. If you are involved in education in any way, as a parent, an employee or even a community member who cares, try to take a moment to thank a paraprofessional. They deserve our appreciation, not just one day a year, but every day.
Featured image via National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

Loni

Kwp

Lori

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Why Teacher's Aides Deserve Our Appreciation Every Single Day

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Paraprofessional, Instructional Assistant, Teacher's Aide, Educational Assistant... these wonderful people go by many names. When we read these titles,

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Evidenced Based Practices for Students with Autism

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Evidenced Based Practices for Students with Autism

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Evidenced Based Practices for Students with Autism

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Evidenced Based Practices for Students with Autism

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Evidenced Based Practices for Students with Autism

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article

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The Council for Exceptional Children created standards for Paraeducators

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Visual supports for Paraprofessionals working with students with Autism.

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Visual supports for Paraprofessionals working with students with Autism.

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Video that explains various roles Paraeducators play

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Rethinking the role of educational assistants

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Paraprofessionals in Inclusive Classrooms: Increasing Student Learning and Independence

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The Big Bang Theory Sheldon Bazinga! in ball pit

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Ameriquest Brownie Ad - Don't judge too quickly.

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Cheat Sheet and Interventions

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A brief description of the components of Executive Functioning.

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45330. (a) As used in this section, a paraprofessional means a person who assists classroom teachers and other certificated personnel in instructing reading, writing, and mathematics. A paraprofessional includes an instructional aide as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 45343 and a teacher aide…

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Three major federal laws protect the rights of people with disabilities. Knowing what these laws do helps people who learn and think differently speak up for what they need in school, work, and life. It also helps families know how to support kids who learn and think differently.

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Executive Functioning

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Executive function is a set of mental skills that include working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. We use these skills every day to learn, work, and manage daily life. Trouble with executive function can make it hard to focus, follow directions, and handle emotions, among other things.

Some people describe executive function as "the management system of the brain." That's because the skills involved let us set goals, plan, and get things done. When people struggle with executive function, it impacts them at home, in school, and in life.

There are three main areas of executive function. They are:

Executive function is responsible for many skills, including:

Paying attention

Organizing, planning, and prioritizing

Starting tasks and staying focused on them to completion

Understanding different points of view

Regulating emotions

Self-monitoring (keeping track of what you're doing)

Executive functioning skills usually develop quickly in early childhood and into the teen years. But they keep developing into the mid-20s. When kids are younger, some may lag behind peers for a while. As they get older, though, they may have fewer challenges as teens and young adults.

People struggling with executive skills may:

Avoid COVID Slide with tips and tools designed to help your child return to the classroom.

Have trouble starting and/or completing tasks

Have difficulty prioritizing tasks

Forget what they just heard or read

Have trouble following directions or a sequence of steps

Panic when rules or routines change

Have trouble switching focus from one task to another

Get overly emotional and fixate on things

Have trouble organizing their thoughts

Have trouble keeping track of their belongings

Have trouble managing their time

Trouble with executive function isn't a diagnosis or a learning disability. But it's common in people who learn and think differently. Everyone with ADHD has trouble with it. And lots of people with learning challenges struggle with executive function, too.

These difficulties can cause trouble with learning. But they don't mean that people are lazy or not intelligent. People who struggle with executive function are just as smart and work just as hard as other people.

There's been a lot of research into what causes trouble with executive function and ADHD. Here are two main factors.

Also, trouble with executive function often occurs with learning challenges.

Learning disabilities don't always involve a problem with executive function. But it's not uncommon for kids with dyslexia or dyscalculia , for example, to also have trouble with executive skills. Learn how problems with executive function can impact reading and math.

Slow processing speed isn't a problem with executive function. But it can cause trouble with it. Learn more about slow processing speed.

Testing should be done as part of a full evaluation that looks at many areas of learning and thinking. These evaluations, which schools do for free, are often done by psychologists. But there are other types of professionals who do this type of testing.

Some of these same professionals offer treatments and approaches like:

Behavior therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Behavior therapy helps people replace negative behaviors with positive ones. CBT helps kids deal with thoughts and feelings and manage behavior.

Medications. There are no medications just for executive function, but there are medications for ADHD.

Organizational coaching. These are consultants you can hire. They're not tutors who help build academic skills. Instead, they work on building organization and time management skills. They can also work on study skills. Learn more about organizational coaches.

For educators: Learn about strategy instruction as a teaching practice that can help these students.

You can think of executive function as "the management system of the brain."

It includes skills like self-control, organization, and flexible thinking.

People with ADHD struggle with executive function.

About the Author

About the Author

The Understood Team is made up of passionate writers, editors, and community moderators. Many of them learn and think differently, or have kids who do.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Philip D. Zelazo, PhD is the Nancy M. and John E. Lindahl Professor at the Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota.

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Executive function is a set of mental skills that include working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. We use these skills every day to learn, work, and manage daily life. Trouble with executive function can make it hard to focus, follow directions, and handle emotions, among other things.

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contracts, Think Sheets, Daily Reports,

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Behavior Contract printables and teacher forms, free behavior contracts to print. All of the behavior contracts are in PDF format. Behavior contracts help to curb inappropriate behaviour in favor of supporting appropriate behavior. Regular follow up must occur for behavior contracts to work. There are behaviour contracts for a variety of grades and age levels. "Enhance classroom management and foster positive student behavior with our comprehensive collection of free behavior contracts. Download now and gain access to a wide range of customizable contracts, designed to promote discipline, accountability, and a conducive learning environment. Empower your teaching with these invaluable resources and create a harmonious classroom experience. Get your free behavior contracts today!"

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worksheets for teachers and worksheets for homeschoolers    behavior contract printables and teacher forms

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Free classroom behavior contract printables. Are you looking for a way to modify your child's behavior? A behavior contract helps kids stay on track and stick to the desirable behavior.

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a classroom management tool that a informs kids what to do next.

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We learn from reflecting on experiences, good and bad. A Reflection Sheet is a very effective tool to use when a student is displaying unacceptable or acceptable behaviors and can be used in conjunction with the Class Rules.

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Beyond Academics: Prioritizing Social Learning Potential for All Students
Streaming live June 23-25, 2023

Practical strategies to support gifted & twice-exceptional students. Learn ways to weave social supports across students & school settings.

Register for Day 1

Strategies for developing meaningful relationships & understanding the role of emotions and empathy.

Register for Day 2

Empower students & families to address cyberbullying & bullying. Learn strategies for sustainable change while honoring neurodiverse students.

Register for Day 3

Developmental Resources to Foster Social Emotional Learning Across all Ages

Products for All Ages

Visual Supports

Online Training

Free Webinars

Article Library

Digital Products

Online Training

Utilizing more than 25 years of clinical practice and the latest research, these one-of-a-kind online training courses explore a large range of aspects required for developing social competencies, including self-regulation, executive functioning, social problem-solving, and much more. These courses have been watched and raved about over 50,000 times from all around the world!

This is your opportunity for deeper learning and to earn CE Credit (for select professionals).

Browse All Training

Digital Products

Our newest and most popular digital products make it easy for children to explore social emotional learning.

Build social awareness and vocabulary with our award-winning You Are A Social Detective, Social Thinking and Me & Superflex curriculum.

Teach strategies to help students better problem solve & self-regulate with our all new Social Thinking Frameworks collection.

Practical Strategies Taught by Thought Leaders

Digital Curricula, Storybooks & Visual Supports

What is Social Thinking?

There are 3 distinct yet overlapping definitions:

What do we mean when we say, "social thinking?" We have a lot of information to share. Here are three ways to understand how we use the words "social thinking:"

Watch the video or browse below to learn more!

Over time, our teachings can help people cultivate relationships and improve performance at school and at work. For 25 years our experts have been a guiding resource for schools, clinics, and families around the world, and we're here for you, too. Whether you're teaching individuals with ADHD, autism spectrum (levels 1 or 2), social communication disorders, or an entire mainstream class-our strategies can help you help them.

This has been a game changer for helping general education teachers. We have been using the Social Thinking Methodology with our students, they are making friends, are more successful academically, and generally happier in all they do. Thank you! - Jennifer, Special Education Teacher

Social Thinking Speakers: Global Training Experts

The Social Thinking Training and Speakers' Collaborative (STTSC) consists of 13 clinicians, including Michelle Garcia Winner and Dr. Pamela Crooke, who train around the world on the Social Thinking Methodology in addition to working closely with schools, clients, and families. All of our speakers have an active caseload and provide training to help schools embed Social Thinking's teachings across all aspects of the educational day in public and private schools. We also work with universities as well as businesses to help adults continue to develop stronger social communication skills. Please note that the members of our STTSC are the only people licensed and approved to give training on the Social Thinking Methodology.

The speaker did an excellent job at keeping our attention and broke the information down in a way that was easy to understand and gave us a process to help ensure we could implement what we learned.
- Special Ed. Teacher, School Training

Personalized Training for Your School or Clinic

Social Thinking offers a wide array of all day and partial day courses and embedded school trainings to fit your needs. Our speakers collectively instruct over 15 courses offering practical concepts and strategies to boost the social learning process and academic achievement that can be used across settings, such as in the classroom, on the playground, at home, at work, and in the community. Each course covers a specific topic, from working with early learners, to the transition to adulthood; to helping mature adults improve executive functioning skills. Each speaker has unique specialties that align with the courses they instruct.

Book a Speaker

Strategies to Build Social Competencies

The Social Thinking Methodology provides evidence-based strategies to help people ages four through adult develop their social competencies, flexible thinking & social problem solving and improve:

Browse Our Resources by Age

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Beyond Academics: Prioritizing Social Learning Potential for All Students Streaming live June 23-25, 2023 Practical strategies to support gifted & twice-exceptional students. Learn ways to weave social supports across students & school settings. Register for Day 1 Strategies for developing meaningful relationships & understanding the role of emotions and empathy.

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Back to school time can be a wonderful, exciting time for some students and a frustrating, new experience for other students. School based therapists can help students develop strategies from a sensory motor perspective to remain calm when they get angry or frustrated A new, huge collection of visual images that includes 26 calming strategies for the classroom has just been published.

You can download the Take 10 Deep Breaths calming strategy in color or black and white for FREE.

The 26 visual images for Calming Strategies for the Classroom include:

1. Take 10 deep breaths.

2. Think happy thoughts.

3. Count to 10.

4. Squeeze a stress ball.

5. Do some exercises.

6. Get a drink of water.

7. Read a book.

8. Rock gently on a ball.

9. Relax on pillows.

10. Take a walk.

11. Listen to music.

12. Do wall push ups.

13. Do yoga.

14. Play quietly.

15. Chew gum.

16. Write in journal.

17. Give yourself a hug.

18. Use the swing.

19. Spin in a circle.

20. Jump on a mini trampoline.

21. Use the scooter board.

22. Draw a picture.

23. Lay on the ball.

24. Sit on air disc.

25. Balance on a stool.

26. Go to a quiet area.

Here are some suggested uses for the Calming Strategies for the Classroom packet:

Hang up the full size pictures around the room for group instruction.

Print out the black and white versions of the calming strategies and color them in to help the students calm down and reduce stress.

Print out the small cards, laminate and put them on a key ring. When the students need to make choices to help them calm down, they can choose between the visual picture images.

Use the choice board page to help students decide which strategy to use to calm down in the classroom.

Get more details about Calming Strategies for the Classroom.

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Back to school time can be a wonderful, exciting time for some students and a frustrating, new experience for other students. School based therapists can help students develop strategies from a sensory motor perspective to remain calm when they get angry or frustrated A new, huge collection of visual images that includes 26 calming strategies [...]

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classroom template english blank printable graphic organizer high school summer middle school meaning

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The Knowledge Center, Inc. and Austin Wildeman highlight the importance of empathy in education.

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How to support Middle School and High School students with Autism

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How to support Middle School and High School students with Autism

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Understanding Autism: A Guide for Secondary School Teachers (Part 2)

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Executive Functioning

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Skip to content

Accessible and practical, this book helps teachers incorporate executive function processes-such as planning, organizing, prioritizing, and self-checking-into the classroom curriculum. Chapters provide effective strategies for optimizing what K-12 students learn by improving how they learn. Noted authority Lynn Meltzer and her research associates present a wealth of easy-to-implement assessment tools, teaching techniques and activities, and planning aids. Featuring numerous whole-class ideas and suggestions, the book also shows how to differentiate instruction for students with learning or attention difficulties. Case examples illustrate individualized teaching strategies and classroom accommodations. More than a dozen reproducibles are included; the large-size format facilitates photocopying and day-to-day reference. Purchasers also get access to a webpage where they can download and print the reproducible materials.

See also Meltzer's edited volume, Executive Function in Education, Second Edition, which presents state-of-the-art knowledge on the role of EF in learning across the content areas.

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Promoting Executive Function in the Classroom

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Accessible and practical, this book helps teachers incorporate executive function processes-such as planning, organizing, prioritizing, and self-checking-into the classroom curriculum. Chapters provide effective strategies for optimizing what K-12 students learn by improving how they learn. Noted authority Lynn Meltzer and her research associates present a wealth of easy-to-implement assessment tools, teaching techniques and activities, and planning aids.

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Webinar 3 Paraeducator Supporting Positive Student Behavior Slide Deck

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Webinar 3 Paraeducator Supporting Positive Student Behavior Slide Deck

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Para Academy Part 3 Supporting Positive Student Behavior