For the past several weeks, we’ve reviewed the executive functioning skill of flexibility, one that is particularly important for diverse learners. Many of the challenges we commonly associate with diagnoses like autism and ADHD relate to a teen or young adult’s difficulty to shift focus and adapt to changes in their environment.
In many cases, we find it’s hard for parents, teachers, and caregivers to know when and how to teach flexibility. While we might work to avoid the common triggers that disrupt and frustrate our learners, ultimately, there are benefits to gradually improving a child’s overall tolerance and ability to adapt to change.
What Is Flexibility?
Flexibility is an executive functioning skill that describes switching between tasks and demands in response to changes in the environment. In essence, when we’re flexible, we can change our behavior to different contexts or stimuli in our world.
Sometimes executive functioning researchers might also describe flexibility using the terms cognitive flexibility, shift, task switching, or mental flexibility.
Individuals who struggle with flexibility have difficulty discriminating between different environments and often can’t shift focus between various tasks or relevant information. When an individual is inflexible, they may get ‘stuck’ or keep trying the same response repeatedly even though it’s not working.
Developing Flexibility Skills
We begin to develop flexible thinking early in childhood. As our children grow into teenagers and young adults, we expect them to manage more complexity in their school, work, and social lives. Along with that complexity comes increasing changes to routines and an increasing probability they’ll encounter difficulty or unpredictable situations. Developing flexibility skills allows our teens to take difficult situations in stride. They may need additional support at occasional points, but with well-developed executive functioning skills, they’re able to pivot and recover quickly when the unexpected happens.
But not all teens and young adults—especially those with diverse learning needs—fully develop flexible thinking and the behaviors to shift and adapt to change. That’s where having a long-term strategy comes in to continue to expand flexibility gradually.
5 Activities To Teach Diverse Learners Greater Flexibility
Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child has an extensive guidebook for parents and teachers to develop executive functioning skills like flexibility in children. Some of the best activities for teens include:
Video Games
Believe it or not, your teen’s passion for video games is a great place to start building flexible thinking and tolerance. The challenges inherent in a quest or puzzle-style video game can begin to hone your child’s problem-solving skills. Different computer and video games require creative out-of-the-box thinking to accomplish levels and tasks. Search for games that both match your learner’s skill level and their interests.
Card Games & Board Games
If you’re concerned about your teen’s screen time, it’s also possible to learn flexible thinking from card games and board games. Classic games like chess, hearts, Othello, and poker all teach learners to use different strategies to accomplish an established goal. Newer games like 5 Second Rule, Sleeping Queens, and Code Names push learners to develop creative solutions, recall information to solve a problem and use theory of mind to evaluate other players’ strategies.
Sports & Athletics
Organized sports are another terrific way for teens and young adults to learn flexible thinking and other executive functioning skills. Sports require us to think critically to develop a strategy and then adjust as things change at the moment. Suppose your child may not enjoy the social aspects of organized group sports. In that case, there are plenty of benefits to participating in individual recreation activities like running, swimming, horseback riding, and biking. Many of these activities require fast responses, quick decision-making, and flexible thinking to succeed.
Mindfulness & Meditation
Perhaps movement and games aren’t the best activities to teach your learner flexibility, as much as slowing down and examining the present moment. Yoga and meditation teach the principles of mindfulness or attending to our moment-to-moment experiences without inflexible judgments.
Cognitive flexibility has also been positively linked to mindfulness and meditation. Studies show even brief mindfulness moments can help learners examine inflexible thoughts or where they might be harboring tension in their physical body posture may be helpful to enhance flexible thinking.
To try out a simple mindfulness activity yourself or with your learner, download our guided “Stretch Break” mindfulness exercise to help in moments where it may be challenging to relax into flexible thinking.
Music
Finally, many teens and young adults with unique learning needs connect well with music-based activities. From a neuroscience perspective, there are many different benefits of indulging in music activities—including greater flexibility. Learning to play a musical instrument, singing, and movement-based activities paired with music can help improve a wide-ranger of executive functioning skills, including cognitive flexibility, attentional control, self-monitoring, and emotional control. Work with your learner to build interest in music, especially in intricate patterns, themes, or improvisation.
Recognize Teaching Moments
One final thought about teaching flexibility to learners who might need long-term strategies and supports is that parents and teachers also need to recognize that building flexibility happens best during ‘teaching moments.’ Expecting a child to brainstorm solutions and shift thinking on a complex problem when they’re too tired, overwhelmed, or engaging in problem behavior will only lead to more frustration. Establish a routine to help your child calm down and return to focused attention before expecting flexible thinking.
Further Reading
- Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2014). Enhancing and Practicing Executive Function Skills with Children from Infancy to Adolescence. Retrieved from www.developingchild.harvard.edu.
- Hegde, S. (2014). Music-based cognitive remediation therapy for patients with traumatic brain injury. Frontiers in neurology, 5, 34.
- Lee, J. K., & Orsillo, S. M. (2014). Investigating cognitive flexibility as a potential mechanism of mindfulness in generalized anxiety disorder. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 45(1), 208-216.
- Life Skills Advocate Blog – Executive Functioning 101: Flexibility
- Life Skills Advocate Blog – 7 Flexible Thinking Strategies To Support Your Teen Or Young Adult
- Life Skills Advocate Blog – Executive Function Skills By Age: What To Look For
- Life Skills Advocate Blog – How Teaching Executive Functioning Skills Can Reduce Challenging Behaviors
- Life Skills Advocate Blog – How To Get Your Kids To Buy Into Limiting Their Video Game & Screen Time
- Moore, A., & Malinowski, P. (2009). Meditation, mindfulness, and cognitive flexibility. Consciousness and cognition, 18(1), 176-186.