SLP 360: Why "Won't" Is Actually "Can't": Rethinking Executive Functioning in Neurodivergent Students

Join Sue for an upcoming Live Virtual Workshop where you will learn from Sue practical tips & strategies to make a difference. ✅ Origins: Dean began autism advocacy work in 2004 as a teenager. ✅ Executive Function: Brain's "admin team" handles planning and emotional regulation. ✅ Autistic Inertia: Difficulty shifting from stopped to started, or vice versa. ✅ Object Permanence: Hidden items feel forgotten, causing hidden anxiety. ✅ Reframing: Struggles are "can't do," not laziness or avoidance. ✅ Sensory Load: Autistic brains process significantly more information at rest. ✅ Environment Change: Adjusting structures helps all students, not just neurodivergent ones. Read more about this podcast in the show notes found via the link below suelarkey.com.au/autistic-inertia-classroom-strategies Join the Facebook group specifically for this podcast www.facebook.com/groups/suelarkeypodcastcommunity/ Join my Neurodiversity Network suelarkey.com.au/neurodiversity-network/ Follow my Instagram account for regular tips www.instagram.com/sue.larkey/ To learn more about teaching or understanding ASD, please visit my website below. elearning.suelarkey.com.au

Join Sue for an upcoming Live Virtual Workshop where you will learn from Sue practical tips & strategies to make a difference. ✅ Executive Function: It's a brain muscle, improves with practice. ✅ Emotional Control: Kids overreact to small setbacks or mistakes. ✅ Impulse Control: Use visual wait signals instead of scolding. ✅ Planning: Break big tasks into smaller weekly chunks. ✅ Task Initiation: Give five-minute warnings to start work. ✅ Working Memory: Limit steps and reduce classroom distractions. ✅ Time Management: Use timers and routines to build independence. Read more about this podcast in the show notes found via the link below suelarkey.com.au/executive-function-skills-children Join the Facebook group specifically for this podcast www.facebook.com/groups/suelarkeypodcastcommunity/ Join my Neurodiversity Network suelarkey.com.au/neurodiversity-network/ Follow my Instagram account for regular tips www.instagram.com/sue.larkey/ To learn more about teaching or understanding ASD, please visit my website below. elearning.suelarkey.com.au

Join Sue for an upcoming Live Virtual Workshop where you will learn from Sue practical tips & strategies to make a difference. ✅ Start Early: Begin transition planning in year five. ✅ School Visits: Visit school multiple times when crowded. ✅ Sensory Needs: Note sounds, smells, and uniform textures. ✅ Safe Spaces: Establish a calming spot for anxiety. ✅ Language Shift: Teach "unsure" instead of "I don't know". ✅ Peer Support: Use rotating peer mentors, not fixed pairs. ✅ Discreet Help: Use QR codes or signals, avoid aides. Read more about this podcast in the show notes found via the link below suelarkey.com.au/neurodiverse-secondary-school-transition Join the Facebook group specifically for this podcast www.facebook.com/groups/suelarkeypodcastcommunity/ Join my Neurodiversity Network suelarkey.com.au/neurodiversity-network/ Follow my Instagram account for regular tips www.instagram.com/sue.larkey/ To learn more about teaching or understanding ASD, please visit my website below. elearning.suelarkey.com.au

Join Sue for an upcoming Live Virtual Workshop where you will learn from Sue practical tips & strategies to make a difference. ✅ Independence: Build routines so students work on their own. ✅ Coping Skills: Teach deep breaths, not just "calm down". ✅ Timing: Schedule support during each child's productive hours. ✅ Special Interests: Use passions like number plates to teach. ✅ Peer Help: Encourage "see two, then see me" habits. ✅ Avoid Helplessness: Let students attempt tasks before helping them. ✅ Breaking Tasks: Use highlighters to simplify overwhelming worksheets. Read more about this podcast in the show notes found via the link below suelarkey.com.au/teacher-assistant-support-strategies-classroom Join the Facebook group specifically for this podcast www.facebook.com/groups/suelarkeypodcastcommunity/ Join my Neurodiversity Network suelarkey.com.au/neurodiversity-network/ Follow my Instagram account for regular tips www.instagram.com/sue.larkey/ To learn more about teaching or understanding ASD, please visit my website below. elearning.suelarkey.com.au

Join Sue for an upcoming Live Virtual Workshop where you will learn from Sue practical tips & strategies to make a difference. ✅ Consistent TAs: Same TA builds healthy, stable attachment. ✅ Team Roles: Teachers and TAs support, not replace, each other. ✅ Ego Aside: Let another adult help when needed. ✅ Student Choice: Let teens choose how they use TA time. ✅ Withdrawal Timing: Don't pull kids from classes they enjoy. ✅ Behavior Meaning: Behavior communicates unmet needs or feelings. ✅ Generalization: Skills learned one place may not transfer. Read more about this podcast in the show notes found via the link below suelarkey.com.au/teacher-assistant-support-strategies Join the Facebook group specifically for this podcast www.facebook.com/groups/suelarkeypodcastcommunity/ Join my Neurodiversity Network suelarkey.com.au/neurodiversity-network/ Follow my Instagram account for regular tips www.instagram.com/sue.larkey/ To learn more about teaching or understanding ASD, please visit my website below. elearning.suelarkey.com.au

Join Sue for an upcoming Live Virtual Workshop where you will learn from Sue practical tips & strategies to make a difference. ✅ Peer Groups: Friend groups shrink and tighten around age seven. ✅ Playground: Feels like a party full of strangers. ✅ Mind Blindness: Autistic kids often miss literal social cues. ✅ Lunchtime Clubs: Build friendships around shared interests proactively. ✅ Club Setup: Decide name, frequency, size, and entry method. ✅ Friendship Stages: Hello progresses slowly to close friendship. ✅ Inclusion: Ask if neurodiverse kids attend birthday parties. Read more about this podcast in the show notes found via the link below suelarkey.com.au/helping-neurodiverse-children-make-friends Join the Facebook group specifically for this podcast www.facebook.com/groups/suelarkeypodcastcommunity/ Join my Neurodiversity Network suelarkey.com.au/neurodiversity-network/ Follow my Instagram account for regular tips www.instagram.com/sue.larkey/ To learn more about teaching or understanding ASD, please visit my website below. elearning.suelarkey.com.au

Join Sue for an upcoming Live Virtual Workshop where you will learn from Sue practical tips & strategies to make a difference. ✅ Social Meltdowns: Social overwhelm triggers meltdowns, not just sensory. ✅ Skill Not Will: Children want friends but lack the skills. ✅ Perspective Taking: Explain why a friend didn't pass the ball. ✅ Warning Signs: Yelling, dobbing, crying, shutting down signal overload. ✅ In The Moment: Remove bystanders, distract, don't interrogate about incidents. ✅ Classroom Accommodations: Give thinking time before collaborating or choosing partners. ✅ Connection First: Teach social knowledge proactively in five-minute activities. Read more about this podcast in the show notes found via the link below suelarkey.com.au/difference-between-meltdowns-and-tantrums Join the Facebook group specifically for this podcast www.facebook.com/groups/suelarkeypodcastcommunity/ Join my Neurodiversity Network suelarkey.com.au/neurodiversity-network/ Follow my Instagram account for regular tips www.instagram.com/sue.larkey/ To learn more about teaching or understanding ASD, please visit my website below. elearning.suelarkey.com.au

Join Sue for an upcoming Live Virtual Workshop where you will learn from Sue practical tips & strategies to make a difference. ✅ Masking: Girls mimic peers, appearing fine while exhausted inside. ✅ After-School Meltdowns: Held-in stress erupts at home, not school. ✅ Perfectionism: Small mistakes trigger distress; girls avoid asking help. ✅ Playground Fatigue: Breaks drain autistic girls rather than energise them. ✅ Diagnosis Timing: Earlier understanding eases the transition into high school. ✅ Teacher Signs: Watch anxiety, possessive friendships, and end-of-day unravelling. ✅ Special Interests: Share her passion to build calm and confidence. Read more about this podcast in the show notes found via the link below suelarkey.com.au/masking-meltdowns-neurodiverse-girls Join the Facebook group specifically for this podcast www.facebook.com/groups/suelarkeypodcastcommunity/ Join my Neurodiversity Network suelarkey.com.au/neurodiversity-network/ Follow my Instagram account for regular tips www.instagram.com/sue.larkey/ To learn more about teaching or understanding ASD, please visit my website below. elearning.suelarkey.com.au

Join Sue for an upcoming Live Virtual Workshop where you will learn from Sue practical tips & strategies to make a difference. ✅ Behavior: Reflects unmet needs, not choice. ✅ Mistakes: Fear of errors triggers refusals, meltdowns. ✅ Support: Change structure, not the child. ✅ Being First: Often signals safety, not defiance. ✅ Rewards: Praise completion, not finishing first. ✅ Peer Play: Neurotypical kids can include neurodivergent peers. ✅ Reframe: Ask what support is missing. Read more about this podcast in the show notes found via the link below suelarkey.com.au/behaviour-strategies-for-neurodiverse-students Join the Facebook group specifically for this podcast www.facebook.com/groups/suelarkeypodcastcommunity/ Join my Neurodiversity Network suelarkey.com.au/neurodiversity-network/ Follow my Instagram account for regular tips www.instagram.com/sue.larkey/ To learn more about teaching or understanding ASD, please visit my website below. elearning.suelarkey.com.au

Join Sue for an upcoming Live Virtual Workshop where you will learn from Sue practical tips & strategies to make a difference. ✅ Individual Needs: Every child needs different calming tools. ✅ Teach Usage: Model and practice breaks when calm. ✅ Energy Breaks: Some kids need high-energy activities instead. ✅ Sensory Tools: Weighted blankets, fidgets, and body socks help. ✅ Space Setup: Avoid overload; keep areas simple, tailored. ✅ Non-Verbal Requests: Use tokens or cards to avoid talking. ✅ Returning Routine: Teach timed check-ins to exit calmly. Read more about this podcast in the show notes found via the link below suelarkey.com.au/sensory-tools-emotional-regulation Join the Facebook group specifically for this podcast www.facebook.com/groups/suelarkeypodcastcommunity/ Join my Neurodiversity Network suelarkey.com.au/neurodiversity-network/ Follow my Instagram account for regular tips www.instagram.com/sue.larkey/ To learn more about teaching or understanding ASD, please visit my website below. elearning.suelarkey.com.au