Unstuck and On Target: Improving Executive Function, On-Task and Flexible Behavior

Presented by Lynn Cannon, M.Ed., Social Learning Specialist; and Lauren Kenworthy, Ph.D., Pediatric Neuropsychologist
Sponsored by Brookes Publishing

Watch the Recording

This presentation is for professionals who work with children with autism, ADHD, traumatic brain injury and other disorders linked to executive dysfunction. Executive Function (EF) problems are common in children and cause academic, social and adaptive problems. Lynn Cannon, M.Ed., Social Learning Specialist, and Lauren Kenworthy, Ph.D., Pediatric Neuropsychologist, will introduce you to tools you can use today that will help you identify when a child is having trouble with EF, so you can better distinguish a “can’t” from a “won’t” and therefore intervene more effectively.

The presenters will describe the Unstuck and On Target! intervention, which is a cognitive-behavioral school- and home-based intervention program targeting flexibility, goal-setting, and planning. Finally, they will report on the results of recent randomized, controlled trials of Unstuck that found improvements in classroom behaviors, such as following directions, transitioning easily, and engaging socially.

This recorded edWebinar will help you:

• Recognize EF weaknesses in children and distinguish among different EF skills
• Apply specific techniques to support improvement in EF at home, in treatment, or at school
• Learn specific scripts or vocabulary and when to use them to increase EF skills
• Summarize the research results examining the effectiveness of an EF intervention

Elementary teachers as well as special education professionals will benefit from watching this recorded session.

About the Presenters
Lynn Cannon, M.Ed. is a social learning specialist at The Ivymount School and The Maddux School. She received her M.Ed. in special education from the University of Virginia. For over 15 years, she has worked as an educator, administrator and program director, serving students with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Lynn is also a co-author of Solving Executive Challenges, a resource guide for teachers and parents; The Conversation Club, an instructional manual for teaching conversation skills to students with neurodevelopmental disabilities; and the Ivymount Social Cognition Instructional Package (IvySCIP). The IvySCIP offers a comprehensive, online system for assessing and supporting social and emotional learning in K–8 students with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders. Her research and teaching interests are in developing interventions and support materials for students with neurodevelopmental disabilities, therapists, educators and their families. She has co-authored more than five peer-reviewed publications and has received federal funding for two research grants.

Lauren Kenworthy, Ph.D. is Professor of Neurology, Pediatrics, and Psychiatry at the George Washington University School of Medicine, and Director of the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at Children’s National Health System. Dr. Kenworthy received her B.A. from Yale University and Ph.D. from the University of Maryland. Her research interests are in describing and treating the neuropsychological phenotype of autism. She is an author of more than 60 peer-reviewed publications; a co-author of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF); and a co-author of Solving Executive Challenges, a resource guide for teachers and parents. She is currently completing a trial of Unstuck and On-Target in low-income schools for children with ADHD or ASD.

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