Executive Functioning, Behaviors, Building Independence, Career Planning, Goal Setting

From School to Home: How to Promote Generalization of Executive Functioning Skills

How many times have you encountered a scenario like this with your neurodivergent child or student? You and your learner have worked for hours on teaching an executive functioning skill in the classroom–let’s say, using a visual timer for homework sessions. The student has steadily progressed towards independence and can now complete 30 minutes of … read more

Self-Determination, Behaviors, Building Independence, Goal Setting, Neurodivergent Experiences

Understanding Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic Motivation: A Comprehensive Guide

Here at Life Skills Advocate, we spend a lot of time talking about goals and motivation. There’s a lot of misguided, mentalistic, and frankly–not at all helpful–information available to parents and educators about motivation, especially the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Have you ever wondered why some teens and young adults continue to achieve … read more

Attentional Control, Behaviors, EF 101 Series, Executive Functioning

Executive Functioning 101: All About Attentional Control

As of this writing, if you enter the search words “How to Focus Better” into Google, you’ll encounter about 6.2 billion results. In a world with so many distractions, we scramble to sustain our attention on what matters the most. If adults struggle with this skill, imagine how difficult it can be for learners with … read more

Impulse Control, Behaviors, EF 101 Series, Executive Functioning

Impulse Control: 5 Ways to Help Your Teen Succeed

Blurting out answers in the middle of class. Interrupting a meaningful conversation. Fighting with siblings. Fidgeting and talking during quiet work. What do all of these challenging behaviors have in common? They all relate back to impulse control. While we know that the teenage brain has a tendency to explore and examine the world in … read more

Impulse Control, Behaviors, EF 101 Series, Executive Functioning

Executive Functioning 101: All About Impulse Control

“But, I have to have it!” “I don’t care what you say. I’m going to do it anyway!” “You can’t stop me.” As parents and educators of individuals with unique learning needs, we know teens and young adults can struggle to control emotions and impulsive behavior. Statements like these only highlights what research tells us … read more

Emotional Control, Behaviors, EF 101 Series, Executive Functioning

Building Emotional Control: Strategies & Supports for Diverse Learners

Parents and educators of teenagers know how hard emotional control and regulation can be—especially for teens with unique learning needs. Diverse learners encounter unique challenges at home, school, and with friends and family. These challenges can mean emotional triggers can crop up at any time. That’s why building emotional control and emotional regulation in your … read more

Emotional Control, Behaviors, EF 101 Series, Executive Functioning

Stop, Think, Act: How to Practice Emotional Control Skills with Your Teen

Keep your cool. Don’t flip your lid. Don’t get bent out of shape. Get a grip. Going off the deep end. Hot under the collar. Steamed up. Hit a raw nerve. It’s not entirely clear why, but the English language has many different ways to describe emotional control—and situations where we don’t always do the … read more

Schedules & Routines, Behaviors

How The Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change Fits In With Building Structure & Routine

When it comes to creating and implementing a new routine for your child, there’s a good chance that you’ve done more than your fair share of research. You’ve looked into rewards systems for routines, setting SMART goals to stick to a routine—you’ve even come up with a plan for dealing with unexpected alterations to a … read more

Emotional Control, Behaviors, EF 101 Series, Executive Functioning

Executive Functioning 101: The Basics of Emotional Control

Before we talk about the basics of emotional control, let’s begin with a story: Sam is a sixteen-year-old student with autism and ADHD who struggles with homework tasks. Sam likes drawing complex sketches of buildings and wants to be an architect someday. However, her smartphone sometimes gets in the way after school, and she regularly … read more

Behaviors, Executive Functioning, Goal Setting

The Myths of Motivation: Understanding Teen Motivation

In the world of behavior analysis, understanding the function, or ‘why,’ a behavior occurs is critical to how we help teens and young adults make meaningful changes and achieve BIG goals. Many times, we hear parents and teachers get caught up in myths of motivation and behavior that really don’t help their teen succeed. Over … read more