In this episode of Make It Mindful, host Seth Fleischauer welcomes Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan, a speech pathologist and educational consultant, to delve into supporting executive functioning in students who require Tier 2 and 3 interventions. Building on the previous conversation with Mitch Weathers in episode #49, this episode explores how executive functioning challenges impact social, academic, and functional life skills and discusses practical strategies for supporting students beyond the classroom.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Understanding executive functioning as a set of cognitive processes like time perception, self-talk, and future pacing.
• How Tier 1 interventions can support students across all tiers by creating a collaborative, scaffolded environment.
• The importance of visual supports, episodic memory, and modeling self-talk for building executive functioning skills.
• Balancing standardized assessments with dynamic, portfolio-based approaches to better diagnose and support students.
• Strategies for addressing common challenges, like resistance to new tasks, and teaching students to develop self-motivation and planning skills.

Guest Bio:
Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan is a speech pathologist with over 14 years of experience in schools. She specializes in supporting related service providers, special education teams, and educators in fostering executive functioning, language, and literacy skills. She is the host of the De Facto Leaders podcast and the creator of resources at Dr. Karen Speech and Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan.

Episode Links:

• Explore resources on executive functioning at Dr. Karen Speech.
• Listen to Dr. Karen’s podcast, De Facto Leaders, at drkarendudekbrannan.com/de-facto-leaders-podcast/
• Sign up for the Executive Functioning training at drkarendudekbrannan.com/efleadership
• Download Dr. Karen's Executive Functioning Implementation Guide for School Teams at drkarendudekbrannan.com/efguide

Host Bio:
Seth Fleischauer is a former classroom teacher and founder of Banyan Global Learning, specializing in teaching digital, linguistic, and cultural competencies through live, interactive learning experiences. See banyangloballearning.com.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a rating or review and share it with a friend. As always, thank you to our editor, Lucas Salazar.