Executive functions are skills necessary for children and adolescents to become successful adults (e.g., maintaining focus and sustaining attention, even when material is boring, creatively connecting ideas and facts while working through a problem, and “thinking outside the box”). Research shows that children with better executive functioning (e.g., children who are more persistent, less impulsive, and have better attention regulation) have better health, higher incomes, better jobs and have a
If you are the parent or caregiver to a twice exceptional learner, chances are you are concerned about fostering their social and emotional development. Parents and caregivers play a significant role not only in the academic progress of their twice-exceptional children, but also their social and emotional success. Parents must first recognize their children's gifts, as well as their disabilities, and then assume responsibility for the development of their child's potential.
Many children struggle with a variety of attention and learning challenges, which often go undetected. Subsequently, adults often blame children for being lazy or unmotivated, and use punitive approaches, rather than problem-solving approaches, which rarely help.
Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) is a childhood condition of extreme irritability, anger, and frequent, intense temper outbursts. DMDD symptoms go beyond a being a “moody” child—children with DMDD experience severe impairment that requires clinical attention. DMDD is a fairly new diagnosis, appearing for the first time in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published in 2013.
