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Teacher Tip: Focused Interventions for Initiation Deficits

As teachers, we know students avoid work for a wide variety of reasons. However, sometimes there are students who — not of their own volition — simply can’t get started. When this occurs, it may be due to problems associated with one of their executive functions — initiation.

Sometimes referred to as task initiation, initiation is a metacognitive executive skill that involves a student’s ability to initiate and independently start a task or activity. In addition, this skill allows students to independently generate ideas, responses, or problem-solving strategies.

Students who have problems initiating tasks frequently experience trouble attending to their plan and focusing on what needs to be done so that the task is followed through to completion.

For students with this initiation deficit, it is not enough for them to simply will themselves to focus and concentrate. Rather, they need to be taught how to turn that spotlight on their attention so that they can remain focused and motivated, from beginning to end.

Out of all the content areas, writing is perhaps the hardest to initiate, especially if a student has executive function deficits. The sheer number of steps involved can make it seem like an insurmountable task for students with initiation deficits.

To combat this, teachers can support students during the writing process by using a prewriting strategy that is tied to personal goal-setting. Before asking students to even think of what to write about or to organize their thoughts, consider asking them a series of questions that are designed to focus their attention on the upcoming task. Doing so gives them the “jump start” they so desperately need.

For more tips and strategies for helping students with seven specific executive function deficits, check out PDI’s graduate-level, professional development course Focused Interventions to Improve Executive Function Skills for teachers of grades K-12.

PDI offers over 100 graduate-level, professional development courses. Visit our website at www.webteaching.com for details.