Literacy Link Therapy LLC

Self-direction (aka executive function) cannot be instructed.

It has to be experienced and practiced.

A child learns how to be self-directed by practicing being the director of their own life.

Not by adults constantly telling them what to do.

But this is where many environments unintentionally work against development.

Children are often given:
• behavioral directives
• constant reminders
• immediate correction
• adult-led problem solving

And while this may keep things running smoothly in the moment, it quietly removes the very practice children need.

Self-direction develops through experiences like:

• deciding where to start
• realizing something isn’t working
• adjusting the plan
• managing mistakes
• finishing something without being prompted

These moments build the internal systems behind executive function:
planning, self-monitoring, attention control, and regulation.

When adults do the directing, children learn to wait for direction.

When children are given space to direct, they learn to think, plan, and act for themselves.

Self-direction grows when children are allowed to practice being the director...

even if it’s messy sometimes.

Because executive function is not something we can tell children to have.

It is something they build through experience.

💯

Learning requires vulnerability.

The vulnerability to take risks.

The vulnerability to be wrong.

The vulnerability to try again instead of shutting down.

We are most able to be vulnerable in environments that feel safe.

This is especially true for children.

How we meet a child’s mistakes and missteps is critical to how safe they feel with us.

Do we meet them with disappointment, a poor grade, or punishment?

Or do we meet them with curiosity, support, and the opportunity to fix their mistakes?

How we meet our students drives their feeling of safety with us, ultimately leading to how vulnerable they’ll be willing to be in our learning environment.

A message from one of my clients this week! Kiddo asked me how to spell the word “speech” and I couldn’t see what they were writing until they were finished and held it up to show me. 🥰 (Image reads “I love speech”)

PDA is not defiance

Defiance is not always found in PDA

Many PDA kids and adults avoid demands and expectations in unorthodox ways

Sometimes stuffing their stress down deep and collapse when they get home.

Sometimes driven to meet expectations they’ve internalized.

If a person is defiant PDA is not the first conclusion I jump to, because human beings defy expectations for any number of reasons.

Program for high school students with ADHD