TGlearn has partnered with Nashville Christian School to provide executive function coaching to students and families. Every month, we send out an informational email based on a specific executive function skill. In January, the skill was response inhibition.
View the send out below:
January: Response Inhibition
Upper School/Middle School
What is response inhibition?
Response inhibition (RI) is the capacity to think before acting and the ability to resist the urge to say or do something and evaluate a situation and how a behavior might impact it. Think of stopping at a red light even when you are in a rush.
Tips:
Review routines
After a long break, routines, expectations, and behaviors should all be reviewed and reinforced. New students, especially, should have help from staff and faculty to understand and integrate these new processes and routines. This is a time to be firm, but also understanding.
Model the behavior
To get students’ to “buy in” to practicing response inhibition and impulse control, they need a positive model. Teens are less likely to think before they speak if their teacher does not also do the same.
Teach coping strategies
Coping skills like breath work, short meditation, and finger tapping can all help students take a moment to think before they speak or react by calming down the central nervous system.
Practice
Remember: response inhibition and impulse control are learned skills that have to be taught and reinforced. Hold students responsible and accountable for their actions, but also remember they are still learning. Give them opportunities to do better next time if they make mistakes. Patience and consistency are key!
Why?:
Problem Solving
Having strong impulse control and behavioral awareness is a key indicator of success in life. This skill allows one to problem solve, adapt to new environments, and better handle stressors.
Safe Behavior
Having poor response inhibition can lead to serious behavioral problems and lead to students/children participating in risky behaviors that could harm them.
Better Relationships
Having good response inhibition can strengthen relationships: family, friends, acquaintances, and coworkers. Being able to think before speaking or acting means being more thoughtful to those we spend our time with.
Video:
Lower School:
Response Inhibition At-Home:
Make Them Wait
Oftentimes, kids are impatient when adults are talking. A positive way to teach response inhibition to your child(ren) is to make them wait. If your child(ren) is being impatient or rude while you are talking with another adult—make them wait! This is great practice and does not positively reinforce the negative behavior.
Practice, Practice, Practice
The key to forming strong response inhibition and impulse control is practice! Because students are learning to inhibit their initial responses and impulses, it is important to be patient with them while they learn. Use everyday situations to help them learn how to inhibit these responses!
Positive Reinforcement
When student(s) successfully perform impulse control or response inhibition in a relevant setting, let them know and praise them! Positively reinforcing desirable behaviors is often more impactful than negatively reinforcing undesirable ones (ie: yelling).
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