Cognitive Flexibility:

Flexing your Brain to Learn 

Welcome to the different skill notebook podcast! These are different times requiring different tools and skills. 

In this episode, we will define cognitive flexibility an executive function skill that allows one to move freely from one situation to another and to think flexibly in order to respond appropriately to the situation. 

• helps us to sustain or shift attention in response to different demands or to apply different rules in different settings

I cannot think of a more important skill in this current time.  Where different demands arise frequently and quickly.  Skill limitation in flexibility will considerably impact a child's overall success across environments.

Story: 

Adam is a client who is intelligent, eloquent, and technology savvy. He can really captivate the attention of peers with his technological knowledge and gaming success. When a peer or peers would like to move on to another activity or topic of conversation there is an exaggerated reaction from Adam.  This makes Adam appear to his peers as very controlling and bossy. This discourages peers from engaging Adam.  Adam is always on his own agenda and has now been taught to transition with peers more frequently and with ease. It is difficult for him to change gears but not impossible. The more opportunities and practice the easier it will be to shift gears. 

Shifting the agenda is something that has to be continuously and repetitively introduced. An important strategy to implement is to limit the amount of time that Adam spends on his preferred activity in order to expand his interests and expose him to new activities that he can share with his peers. It is important to expose to other peer interests this gives advance notice and prepares the child to receive an invitation to participate in a different activity. This is why increasing flexibility requires the continual introduction of different perspectives and activities. 

Also noting that the preferred activity can evolve into a career opportunity so the limiting of time spent in this preferred area should be to encourage exposure to other activities and experiences. The preferred activity is a source of escape for Adam from the challenges that experience daily as a result of his different kind of mind.  

Thank you for listening please visit us at www.socialmindcenter.com for more different skill notebook pages. 

Self-Control Skills

When there is a skill weakness in the executive function skill category it impacts learning and overall ability to achieve goals. It is important to identify in which skills group in this category is impacted in order to have a targeted equipping. Typically executive function skills are viewed as organizational and planning abilities. This skill group encompasses several mental processes that impact overall learning and social competency and is not limited to just organization and planning. We will define this skill group in detail.  In the process this will expand your understanding and assist you in improving you skill set in this area. 

Cognitive (Self) Control "Executive Function" to Build

Executive Function is a set of mental processes that have to do with managing oneself and one's resources in order to achieve a goal and involves mental control and self-regulation (Jericho, 2012);

Working memory: holding information in mind while performing tasks

Cognitive flexibility: to move freely from one situation to another and to think flexibly in order to respond appropriately to the situation (adapt)

• helps us to sustain or shift attention in response to different demands or to apply different rules in different settings

Inhibitory control (includes self-control)  the ability to stop one’s own behavior at the appropriate time, including stopping actions and thoughts

• enables us to set priorities and resist impulsive actions or responses

Executive skills resulting from the above three processes (Rodden, 2020) :

• attention/focus: is sustained attention is the ability to maintain attention despite distractibility, fatigue or boredom

• organization is the ability to create and maintain systems to keep track information and materials

Thank you for listening please visit us at www.socialmindcenter.com for different skill notebook pages. 

Work Cited

Rodden, Janice. What is Executive Function Disorder? Additudemag. May 11, 2020; https://www.additudemag.com/what-is-executive-function-disorder-

Jericho Schools. August, 2012. Executive Functioning: A Handbook for Grades K-12; http://www.jerichoschools.org/

What is the different skill notebook? 

Thinking back to when you were in high school or college did you have a classmate that took amazing notes. They loved their notes and took so much time to make the notes look like work of art. Interestingly enough there are several blogs on tumbler on journaling.  Where individuals share their amazing journals and lists. The different skill notebook is my notebook with my notes from the last 15 years detailing a skill map to adaptability and self-sufficiency.  

My name is Ana Anselma I am the owner and co-founder of the Social Mind Center in Davie, Florida. We want to invite you to our Center's family room. Our Center has an amazing family room with a coffee bar. We want you to join the smart conversations we have in our family room. So grab a cup of coffee listen for a brief 10-15 minutes more often under 10 minutes and get some smart notes. 

You learn about the social competency skills that lead to adaptability and social competency. Adaptability is the most valued skill by employers and now in the age of COVID adaptability will be an even more vital skill.

I will share my family's story with ASD and the stories of hundreds of families that have been part of our Center.

The skill groups we will explore are:

• Social Language:  words to use in different situations

• using language for different purposes

• Attention

• Working memory

• attention/focus

• organization

Thank you for listening please visit us www.socialmindcenter.com for more different skill notebook pages.