Cognitive & Executive Function Skills
What are Cognitive Processing and Executive Function skills?
Cognitive Processing Skills
Cognitive processing is made up of a number of skills your brain uses to be able to learn, understand and remember information, think about ideas, read, and focus on tasks. These skills allow you to pay attention to incoming information, then remember it for use during daily living and school activities.
These cognitive skills also assist in processing new information. Even if one of the cognitive processing skills is weak, it will have an impact on understanding and holding on to any newly learned information. Struggles with learning are likely to result. Our programs target the following cognitive processing skills, including sustained and selective attention, working memory, auditory processing, visual processing, and processing speed, to allow for greater efficiency and ability to learn.
Executive Functioning Skills
Executive Functioning skills regulate, control and manage your thoughts and actions. These skills help you to pay attention when necessary, stay focused even with distractions, organize and plan ahead to meet goals, and remember multiple-step directions, to name a few. They are vital in daily functioning (at school, home and work), and can be broken down into these areas: planning, inhibition, attention, working memory, cognitive flexibility, problem solving, reasoning, initiation, self-monitoring, time management, emotional control, and metacognition.
The Cognitive Training and Executive Functioning Programs We Use
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Interactive Metronome® improves brain timing through thinking tasks coordinated with whole body movements. Auditory and visual cues, as well as games help guide the learner to move their body to an exact beat. Processing speed, attention and working memory are targeted and improved through repetition. As the learner goes through the program, their neurons (brain cells) begin to transmit in a more rhythmic, and efficient pattern resulting in academic, social and athletic breakthroughs.
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Bal-a-vis-x® is a program that incorporates balance, vision and auditory exercises for brain integration. Bal-A-Vis-X was developed by Bill Hubert, after years of working as a first-grade teacher, middle school teacher, and martial arts instructor. As a teacher, he incorporated rhythm into balance exercises with balls and beanbags and began seeing academic improvements with his students. In fact, he found that fine tuning a child’s balance and rhythm simultaneously addressed his or her academic challenges. This is a complementary program to Interactive Metronome.
Coaching of Executive Functioning Skills for youth. Coaching teaches people how to organize, plan prioritize, manage time, maintain focus, self-assess and study/work efficiently. People who learn these skills are better equipped to navigate the challenges of school and adult life. Through coaching, we help learners to identify, employ and evaluate tools and strategies that address their specific needs. Strategies and sessions are individualized based on youth’s attitude towards changing work habits and are based their own goals for self-improvement.
Brainology® by Dr. Carol Dweck, Ph.d, is geared toward children in grades 4-8, and is an interactive learning program that has been shown to increase children’s persistence, challenge-seeking, and growth mindset. Children learn self-regulation techniques, study skills, healthy habits and how the brain functions among other topics, so that they can become successful learners.
