Some important areas to note: 

• The Pre-frontal Cortex: The Wise Old Owl 

  • • The logic and problem-solving centre of the brain 

    • Houses our higher-order and executive functioning skills (see more below) 

  • The Amygdala: The Watchdog 

    • • The home of the fight/flight/freeze/fawn response

  • The Hippocampus: The Elephant that Never Forgets

    • • Associated with our long term memory

These are the higher-order functions of our brain that help us with complex thoughts and functions including: ​

• Working memory​

• Emotional Control ​

• Flexibility ​

• Sustained attention ​

• Task initiation​

• Planning and sequencing​

• Prioritizing ​

• Inhibiting our impulses ​

Check your expectations: the frontal lobes and executive functions are not fully developed until age 25-30​

• Kids with ADHD tend to be about 30% behind their peers ​

• When we become stressed or emotional, our logical frontal lobes (including those executive functions) go offline ​

• When a student is escalated, attempts to reason, teach, or correct are likely to be ineffective​

• Verbal input may actually further escalate the situation​