Brain Story Certification: Module 6
The following outlines key learnings from the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative’s (n.d.) brain story certification for module 6.
A Brief Introduction to Air Traffic Control:
- Focus on executive function and self-regulation.
- Uses metaphor of air traffic control managing the airspace, where aircraft are the competing demands of the child’s environment.
- Toxic stress impacts the development of developing executive function
- Serve and return interactions, along with good behavior modeling, help promote healthy development.
- Sensitive periods of development are from ages 2-6, and in adolescence
Excerpt from “Interventions in Executive Function,” Deborah Philips, PhD:
- Executive functioning is a group of skills that allow us to focus on multiple streams of information at once. It allows us to set goals, make plans, and make decisions based on the information we are given. It is a key component of school readiness.
- Components of executive function skills:
- Inhibitory (“Effortful”) Control – Thoughts/impulses filter to resist temptations and distractions. Marshmallow test. It may good to think of Walter Mischel’s (2014) “hot” and “cool” systems of processing. This lets us pause and think before we act. This has implications for addiction (Alberta Family Wellness Institute, n.d.).
- Working Memory – Processes of holding and manipulating information in our minds for short periods of time. Impacts can be seen in math and reading comprehension.
- Mental flexibility – adjustments to changing demands, priorities, and perspectives without distress.
- aspects of reciprocity (such as turn-taking) are carried out through executive function.
- Fitting into the flow – sustaining the relation – requires mental flexibility.
- Pruning for higher cognitive function takes place through adolescence. 2 sensitive periods of 3-5 and 15-25 for interventions. Better to do interventions between 3-5 years of age.
- By 6 months to 1 year, there is development in executive function.
- If the executive function works well, it is often not thought of and then not visible. What we often notice is the underdevelopment of the executive function.
- This can lead to social rejection by peers, or seen and labeled as deviant by adults.
- Executive function has links with socio-economic status, criminal conviction, and addiction.
Excerpt from “Interventions in Executive Function,” Deborah Phillips, PhD.
- Environments of relationships include scaffolding of important skills such as:
- Sustaining joint attention
- Providing support for emotional regulation
- Providing give and take interactions
- Many kids games build these functions (eg. Simon says)
- Scaffolding gets removed once the healthy development is completed.
Excerpt from “Interventions in Executive Function,” Deborah Phillips, PhD.
- Toxic stress undermines executive functioning
- It brings on the fight/flight response
- Brain circuits that work with stress responses are also connected with attention
- Memory is damaged by stress.
Excerpt from “Interventions in Executive Function,” Deborah Phillips, PdD
- Executive functioning in the classroom
- It can be trained and remediated.
- Access to quality preschool can influence executive function outcomes for memory, flexibility, inhibitory control, and focus/engagement.
- Classrooms were highly organized and predictable environments.
- Components used in the enhancement of executive functioning
- Turn-taking
- inhibiting strong impulses
- Following through on plans
- Language as a regulatory tool
- Practicing skills
- Look up “Tools of the Mind”
- Embed these activities throughout the day.
References
Alberta Family Wellness. (n.d.). Brain story certification. Retrieved from https://training.albertafamilywellness.org/
Mischel, W. (2014). The marshmallow test: Mastering self-control. New York, NY: Little, Brown.