While research on executive functioning has been taking place since the early 1970s, it has recently become a common buzzword in the worlds of education and speech-language pathology. This may be due to new research showing that a child’s future success depends less on their ability to memorize math facts and decode words, and more on having strong executive functioning and social-emotional skills. So what is executive functioning, and why is it so important for learning?

Each June, college students and recent graduates from across the country make their way to The Parish School to gain the real-world experience they need to enter the field of their dreams – speech-language pathology.

Parish elementary students are getting to school bright and early, sliding on their rain boots, and heading out the classroom door, ready to join their classmates on a brisk morning walk around campus. The new ritual, which started last spring and usually takes about 15 minutes, gets their brains focused and ready for the day ahead.

It is so important that every member of a child’s treatment team is empowered to support their growth and has the tools to help that child succeed. The Parish School seeks to develop resources for growing the skills of our staff, families and students. The Hanen Centre©, a non-profit organization, shares this goal of helping others to help children communicate. Within the past year, Parish has implemented several programs from the Hanen organization as part of family and staff training. Here are a few of our favorite Hanen strategies parents can try during book reading with their child...