Tuesday, October 20, 2026
8:00 am - 3:30 pm
Workshop Summary:
This hands-on workshop will support participants in understanding and addressing executive functioning needs in the classroom and through the transition into adulthood. The workshop will begin with a practical overview of executive functioning, focusing on its impact on daily life. Participants will engage in guided activities and discuss real-world case examples. The second half of the day will focus on assistive technology, with high and low-tech tools being introduced and explored. Participants will create a resource list of tools they can use immediately with students or adults. Participants will create make-and-take supports, including fidgets, task spinners, strategy cards, and self-monitoring scales, and will leave with ready-to-use materials, strategies, and tools.
Professional Development Credits:
IACET CEUs: 0.65
ACVREP CEs: 6.5
Learning Outcomes:
Participants will be able to identify at least three core executive functioning skill areas and describe how changes to environments, routines, or systems can reduce the demand on the executive functioning system.
Participants will be able to compare and contrast the emotional outcomes of attempting to "fix" executive functioning challenges with those of strategies that "work with" the brain's natural tendencies.
Participants will be able to evaluate the features of at least five different assistive technology supports for executive functioning.
Presenter(s)
Registration Options:
| Description | Workshop Fee | Register |
|---|---|---|
| 3-Day Conference Registration: (Workshop included at no additional cost with 3-day conference registration) | $0 | |
| Tuesday-Only Workshop Registration | $375 | Workshop Only Registration |
Materials Fee:
In addition to the $375 fee, this workshop carries a $5 materials fee.Learn more About this Workshop
Presenter-provided Abstract:
Executive functioning is a broad set of skills essential for everyday success. From the classroom to the workplace, social settings, and home life, executive functioning allows individuals to plan, organize, regulate emotions, manage time, and follow through on tasks.
Designed as a full-day workshop, this session allows time for participants to deeply engage in examining how executive functioning skills develop over time, how executive functioning deficits shape an individual’s experience of the world, and how practical strategies and tools can be applied immediately across settings and ages.
The workshop will begin with a brief overview of executive functioning to establish a shared foundation and ground participants in a common understanding, followed by guided reflection and structured discussion, with time for exploration, questions, and application. Participants will examine how interconnected skills—such as memory, attention, organization, time management, and emotional regulation—show up in their own lives and professional contexts. Structured prompts will support discussion around how changes in the classroom, workplace, and home environments over the past two decades have influenced executive functioning demands and support. Participants will also examine how intentional changes to environments, routines, and systems can reduce executive functioning demands and create more accessible conditions for success, rather than placing the burden solely on the individual.
Participants will then engage in a series of guided, whole-group and small-group activities exploring each area of executive functioning and how skills evolve across the lifespan. Case examples and collaborative problem-solving will center the student experience, including the impact of executive functioning deficits on academic performance and social development, before extending into transition and adulthood. Participants will work together to identify how some executive functioning challenges often become increasingly “hidden” over time, while others seem to become more “seen,” and what this means for independence, self-advocacy, and long-term support.
Participants will have the opportunity to develop new ways to talk about executive functioning deficits and to create strategy cards that can help students or adults reframe executive functioning struggles as skills that need to be practiced or supported.
During the second half of the workshop, participants will actively explore and evaluate low and high-tech tools, emphasizing features and functional matching over diagnosis or assessor preference. Discussion will include why multiple supports may be necessary, how to reduce tool abandonment, and how poorly matched tools can unintentionally increase executive functioning demands.
High-tech assistive technology tools will be demonstrated with participant input, allowing attendees to build a personalized, lifespan-oriented toolkit that transitions effectively into adulthood, while ensuring tools and strategies can be introduced at an early age. Additionally, teacher-focused tools that support executive functioning throughout the classroom will be demonstrated and discussed.
Throughout the workshop, participants will engage in hands-on make-and-take activities including fidgets, self-monitoring scales, task spinners, reminder tags, and organizational supports, using provided materials within their workspace. Participants will leave with tangible materials, curated digital resources, and a structured resource guide organized by executive functioning need, ensuring immediate application beyond the session.