Ability to
Stay on Track

Below are some recommended strategies to support the ability to stay on track.

Please review these techniques to identify what may be the next best step!

• Whenever possible, structure assignments in a way that would reduce the amount of information the student must hold in mind while working. Make sure directions are brief, simply put, and posted in a spot that is easily accessible. When the student has to complete a task that has multiple steps, consider using a visual or a to-do list.

• Try to structure assignments to avoid multi-tasking when possible. Before presenting the task, consider what the main point of the assignment is (e.g., spelling, sentence composition, story generation, math calculation, etc.). Next, think about how to structure the task in a way that reduces other demands so the student can focus only on the main objective.

  • • For instance, if the focus of the task is math computation, consider allowing the student to write down only the numeric response rather than a full sentence.

    • If the goal is to tell a story or share something the student has learned, consider whether the student could respond orally instead of writing the answer down.

• Help the student use tools to help keep track of information (e.g., planners, graphic organizers, outlines, to-do lists).

• Give partial notes in advance of the lecture so the student is able to focus on listening and actively thinking about the material.

Many Google Chrome extensions and apps have been developed to help students stay on task. These could be found in the Chrome web store or App store. If you are suggesting that a student use one of these tools, make sure that you explicitly teach the student and/or caregiver how to use the feature. Depending on the student’s needs, these may be helpful:

• Mic Note by Micnote.audio (audio recorder and notepad, allows voice messages to be shared with teacher)

• Flipgrid by Flipgrid (allows students to create and share short videos)

• Todoist by Todoist.com (organizes to-do items as soon they enter the mind and keeps track of deadlines)

• Sticky Notes by ProWebJect (helps keep track of essential information and allows dictation)

• Note Anywhere by LanceHub (allows user to put sticky notes in any spot on any webpage and the notes are loaded whenever the user returns to the page)