Students who have a deficiency in their working memory skills will have a hard time keeping information long enough in order to use it, this may show up through the following examples:

• They struggle with multi-step directions and instruction because they often get the first step done and can't remember what comes next.

• These students are unable to use strategies to solve math problems that involve problem solving, especially if the problem is multi-step because they have a hard time remembering the details in the problem in order to use them to solve.

• Multi step math equations like double digit multiplication, division or subtraction and addition with regrouping can also be difficult for students with deficits in this area because they have a hard time remember the formulas needed to solve.

• These students may show difficulty in remembering details needed to answer questions when reading or listening to a story.

• These students tend to get lost in conversations or whole group discussions because they have a hard time listening to others while holding on to what they want to say when it is their turn to talk.

• These students are known to ask the same question repeatedly.

Students who may have deficits in their Inhibitory Control may show it through the following examples:

• These students may struggle remembering to raise their hand to answer questions and result to blurting out answers or interrupting their classmates or teacher.

• These students jump to conclusions without knowing all the facts. For example, they tend to complete assignments without hearing or reading the directions or answering a question with the first thing that pops into their head instead of thinking about it. The tendency to jump to conclusions could also be seen in reading struggles as a student looks at the beginning sound and says the first word that comes to mind with the same sound, without looking at the rest of the word.

• Struggles in this area can also be displayed through impulsive behavior that affects a child's peer relationships. A child who lacks Inhibitory control may display violent or aggressive behaviors when they do not get their way, are frustrated or mad. For example, a child wanted to be first in line, but another student made it to the front before them, the child who lacks inhibitory control may react by pushing or yelling at the student so they can be first.

• We may also see deficits in this area in students who are unable to wait or take turns in most aspects of their day. Such as, waiting for the teacher to help them, not going first in a game, waiting to be called on when answering a question, and not being the first to line up for recess or lunch.

• Students who may struggle with inhibitory control tend to struggle with emotional control too. They may get overexcited and have trouble calming down their body or they have a hard time getting past something that made them upset. These students are distracted by their overwhelming feelings and will have a hard time joining the group when they are in this state.

• These students may also show deficits through lack of movement control and can be seen as fidgety, having trouble staying in their desk, keeping their hands to themselves or running around the room. They can often be described as overly active or restless.

Students who have a deficiency in their Cognitive flexibility show it through the following examples:

• These students have a hard switching strategies in academics, social situations and when handing their emotions.

-Academic example: Consider a student who uses the strategy of counting on their fingers to add, but finds they get stuck when they need to add up over ten. The student refuses to continue their math work because their strategy does not allow them to answer the question any longer. This student is having a hard time accepting there is more than one way to solve.

-Social example: Consider a student who is having a hard time making friends, but keeps yelling at peers to leave them allow or not touch what they are playing with. This student does not understand that their actions and approach is what is keeping them from making and keeping friends.

-Emotional example: Can be seen through a child shutting down or getting easily frustrated when asked to fix their work or try again. This type of student also may show work refusal or meltdown type behaviors when learning a new skill.

• Deficits in this area may also show up in a child's inability to adjust to a change in demands or priorities within the classroom. For example, this could show up when a student gets upset when asked to write a paragraph because in their previous experiences had only been required to write one or two sentences.

• Students who struggle in this area may have a hard time admitting when they are wrong and many teachers find these are the students they have power struggles with.

• Deficits can also show up in students who have a hard time with a schedule change. Along these same lines, this type of student may also have a hard time with a substitute teacher.

Task Initiation:

Task initiation is the ability to be and stay motivated. It is being able to take on new tasks and stick with it till completion even when things get hard. Struggles in this area can be easier to spot in the classroom, it may show up in the following examples:

• Students who struggle with task initiation are unable to start working on their own or have trouble starting right away. They tend to procrastinate when it is less desirable task or a new task.

• These students also struggle in conversations because they have a harder time generating ideas and answering open ended questions.

• They have a hard time collaborating and working with others because they tend to take short cuts, rush through or fully rely on their peer to not only get started but to also complete the work.

Planning, Organization & Time management:

These three skills go hand in hand. A person cannot be organized if they do not plan ahead and consider the time they have to get something done. Students who have a deficit in one of these areas tend to struggle with the others.

• Students who lack these skills, tend to have the messier locker, cubby area or desk that keeps them from finding what they are required to have when class starts.

• They forget to take important items home or turn them in at school.

• Students who have a hard time in these areas struggle in writing because they start without a plan and their message tends to get lost. These are the students who have to constantly go back and revise their work after the fact.

• They struggle answering sequence type questions or sharing a story because they do not tell it in a logical way by getting the events mixed up or out of order.

• They struggle with thinking about or doing more than one thing at a time.

• Students who struggle in this area also do tasks out of order and tend to need more time to catch up or finish assignments later.

Emotional regulation

Emotional regulation is our ability to manage and control our emotions and emotional reactions. This is a skill, that when mastered, helps us stay calm when handling little problems. It is a skill that many young children struggle with and the deficits can be very apparent in the classroom. Here are a few examples of what you might see:

• These students who struggle in this area are bothered easily and have a very low tolerance for frustration, criticism or not getting their way.

• They are the students that overact or react strongly to little problems

• These are the students who are known to have big reactions like, freezing up, shutting down, running away or out of the classroom, hiding under tables, fighting with the teacher or with peers, and having outbursts or meltdowns.

Metacognition

Metacognition is the ability to think about your thinking and the process of your learning. It is self understanding and knowing your strengths and weaknesses. This skill is what allows us to think about what we already know about a topic before we learn it. This skill also allows us to reflect and check in with ourselves on our understanding and progress. Students who struggle in this area can show it through the following examples:

• When confused or stuck these students have a harder time expressing what they are stuck on or explaining why they are confused.

• These students struggle with understanding other perspectives other than their own.

• They have a hard time with empathy.

• These students struggle with answering open ended reflective questions, such as, "what makes me happy?", or "how can I become a respectful and responsible student?".

• They struggle with branching out of their comfort zone and often avoid practicing curiosity and creativity.

Attention

Attention works side by side with working memory. Attention is what allows information to be taken in and working memory is what allows us to make sense of it. Attention is needed to help determine what information taken in is useful. Without strong attention skills a child's learning abilities will suffer. Here are a few examples of what you might see in your students who have attention struggles:

• These students are the ones that are focusing on the kids out the window on the playground or the voices in the hall instead of listening to the teacher's instructions.

• These students struggle with focusing on a person or activity for a given period of time.

• Students who struggle in this area also have a hard time shifting their attention and bring it back. For example, if a teacher is presenting a lesson and the principle comes on over the income, this student will have a hard time refocusing on the teacher again.

• It may also be clear if a student has an attention issue if they are unable to recall what they have been just taught.