Clinical Neuropsychologist
Executive Functioning Skill Building
Focusing your attention, planning and organizing projects and homework, multi-tasking, and stopping yourself from doing or saying something inappropriate are all aspects of executive functioning. When someone struggles with organization and regulation of their behaviors, there can be a significant negative impact on their functioning. For example, academic success, social relationships, and independence in daily activities can be affected. My goal is to help your child and students become better learners by developing skills to compensate for areas of weakness. In addition to working with my patients directly, I also work with their parents and caretakers so that skills and strategies can be generalized and reinforced across settings. Finally, I provide school staff with training regarding how to address student's executive weaknesses as they manifest in the classroom.
How do I know if my child or student needs support to improve their executive functioning?
All of us struggle with aspects of executive functioning on certain days and in certain settings. For example, it is normal to struggle to pay attention when you are tired or find a lecture topic uninteresting. However, some individuals experience a level of deficit in this domain that is functionally impairing. Children diagnosed with ADHD, epilepsy, autism, intellectual disability, and other developmental and neurological disorders may be particularly susceptible to executive weaknesses. These individuals will likely benefit from formal support to address areas of deficit.
How can Dr. Plunkett help my child?
In the initial session, Dr. Plunkett will conduct a clinical interview to learn about your child's history and areas of concern. From there, a treatment plan with specific goals will be developed and discussed with parents. The number of treatment sessions will be determined based on level of need. As described, each session will include a level of parent involvement so that children can be supported in implementing strategies correctly and so that skills can be generalized and reinforced across settings.
School-Based Services
Dr. Plunkett is available to provide school-wide, small group and individual training and consultation for school staff regarding how executive weaknesses manifest in the classroom and how to address areas of concern. As noted, students with deficits in these higher-order skills are at risk for academic underachievement and may be disruptive to the academic environment. Learning ways to support student's functioning is expected to be beneficial for success on an individual and classroom-wide level.