Paula Moraine

Understand and support executive function in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with this fully-explained, innovative model. Showing how to use an individual's strengths to address executive functioning weaknesses, this approach will also help to build a strong foundation for social and communication skills. Advocating a person-centred approach, the author describes the importance of identifying the individual's preferred style of engagement and communication, and how sensory experiences impact their thoughts, feelings, and actions. She explains how to use this information to identify the individual's strengths and weaknesses across eight key areas which are the building blocks of executive functions: attention; memory; organization; time management; initiative; behavior; goal setting and flexibility. These areas can be used daily to establish predictability and offer a foundation for interpreting, processing and understanding the world with flexibility. Professionals and parents can also use them as the basis of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), or to create personalized interventions and support at school or at home.

Toiminnanohjauksen osatekijät ovat aivomme toimintoja, jotka kontrolloivat tarkkaavaisuuttamme ja käyttäytymistämme. Tarkkaavaisuus on yksi perustavanlaatuisista työkaluista, joita oppijalla on. Silloin, kun opettaja tai vanhempi ymmärtää, miten oppilas tai lapsi käyttää tarkkavaisuuttaan, polku kohti toiminnanohjauksen hallintaa on alkanut. Paula Moraine tekee toiminnanohjaukseen vaikuttavista taidoista ymmärrettävämpiä ja opastaa opettajia ja vanhempia, kuinka voidaan tukea oppilaita oivaltamaan, miten he oppivat. Teoksessa esitettyjen periaatteiden avulla voidaan vahvistaa kenen tahansa oppilaan toiminnanohjaustaitoja. Kirjassa kiinnitetään huomiota mm. tarkkaavaisuuteen, muistiin, järjestelykykyyn, suunnitteluun, ennakointiin ja kertaukseen. Kirjoittaja puoltaa oppilaskeskeistä lähestymistapaa, jossa kasvattajat tutkivat ensiksi toiminnanohjauksen keskeisiä osatekijöitä. Moraine selittää askel askeleelta, kuinka kasvattaja ja oppilas voivat hyödyntää toiminnanohjauksen osatekijöitä ja niiden yhdistelmiä. Erilaisten kirjassa ehdotettujen toimintatapojen ja esimerkkien soveltaminen onnistuu parhaiten huomioimalla kunkin oppilaan yksilölliset tarpeet ja kyvyt sekä oppimistyyli.

This book presents an innovative model for strengthening and developing executive function in any student, including those with attention, memory, organization, planning, inhibition, initiative, and flexibility difficulties. It provides guidance on how to support each student's evolving executive function, and how to encourage those who are ready to develop self-advocacy and become more responsible for the development of his or her own executive function skills. The author advocates a student-centred approach in which educators first explore eight key 'ingredients' with the student: relationships; strengths and weaknesses; self-advocacy and responsibility; review and preview; motivation and incentive; synthesis and analysis; rhythm and routine; and practice and repetition. She provides step-by-step explanations of how the educator and student can then explore and use these 'ingredients' in different ways and in different combinations to successfully address particular areas of difficulty. The approach is clearly explained, and the author provides many useful examples, tried-and-tested practical tips and strategies; suggested conversation starters; sample time management plans; and other tools that can be adapted to meet the particular needs and abilities of each individual student. Original and effective, the approach outlined in this book will be of interest to teachers and other professionals involved in supporting executive function in students of all ages, as well as parents and carers.