October 2022 Educational Tips Newsletter

EDUCATIONAL TIPS NEWSLETTER

October 2022

Often times we forget in our daily interactions with youth that the same reasons they struggle academically in school are the same reasons they might also struggle to stay compliant with the legal system and home life at times. As many of us are aware, traumatic events and mental health disorders have an impact on brain development including both the limbic system and, more related to learning, the prefrontal cortex.

Executive functions are skills everyone uses to organize and act on information. If a youth has executive functioning issues (common in ADHD, PTSD, anxiety, ODD, etc.) he/she may struggle with some or all of these skills.  Some of these skills may directly impact a youth’s ability to understand, stay compliant with the legal system and remember expectations. Listed below are the most common skills related to executive functioning, how it manifests in daily life a and suggestions to work with youth during parole/probation/pre-trial appointments to mitigate the weaker skills. Many of these skills will overlap with others.

Above all, reinforce what works and utilize youth strengths.  It is also beneficial for staff to read a youth’s special education documents as they will outline the accommodations that a youth needs to excel and grow both in life and school.

Feel free to share with everyone you think can benefit even parents/guardians.  Sometimes, reminders are helpful as to the sensitive nature of youth brain development.  This is particularly true when our patience is tested and we are seeing the same incidences continuing to create barriers to success for youth. If patterns in behavior are occurring, it could be an executive functioning issue. Consider ways in which we might approach things differently and how we can educate parents/guardians and even youth on the ways in which their brains are functioning.