Hands & Voices is here to support you, almost done with our Birthday Month! Lets explore this week about a fun topic related to: Following Directions and Executive Functioning! #TogetherThursday
Hello Families,
How do you use directions in your adult life? Are you one of those people who read the directions on the box or toss them and try to figure them out? Did you know that knowing how to read(and write!) directions are a life skill? And where does this start exactly? Lets learn about Executive Function
“The ability to follow instructions is fundamental to the successful completion of a myriad of behaviours in childhood, including the use of technology, learning to cook, and engagement in leisure activities from board games to sport. In particular, it is a fundamental aspect of a child’s ability to engage effectively in learning activities within the classroom (Engle, Carullo, & Collins, 1991; Gathercole, Lamont, & Alloway, 2006). “ Link
This starts as young as age 0!!! Starting to model behaviors for our DHH children about how to wave, when to wave and focusing on different cues, visual, and otherwise that prompt them to seek that direction will support them in a variety of environments: Link
This(the following directions and AMAZING modeling parents do) then turns into what’s called “Executive Function” for tweens teens, young adults and ultimately ADULTS, which you can learn about here: Link
Executive functioning is SO important when it comes to following, understanding and making decisions, following directions and figuring out how to navigate life.
- Did you know that Bilingual children do better on tasks that relate to Executive functioning! Neat!
For our DHH children, this is a KEY building block of supporting them to become self-advocates and lead independent lives. What are you doing to support your family and children be amazing independent learners today?
Together we can,
Ms. Leslie