Executive functioning for college students: Beyond checklists and planners (with Jill Fahy)

What if young adults are still prompt-dependent when they go away to college? 

Or what if they and their parents aren’t aware of how much support they’re actually getting? 

On top of that, how can professionals navigate the complexity of supporting language and executive functioning (or knowing when to address which skills)? 

I invited Jill Fahy to episode 122 of the De Facto Leaders Podcast to answer some of these questions. 

Jill is a licensed speech-language pathologist and professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Eastern Illinois University. She is also the co-director of the Autism Center and Director of the Students with Autism Transitional Education Program, where she develops and delivers transitional programming in social skills and executive functions for college students. 

When Jill and I decided to record this conversation, we both agreed that one interview is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this topic. 

At the very least, we wanted to take a stab at illustrating the complexity of designing effective supports for students in both language and executive functioning. 

We also shared our frustration with common professional-development models, and why it’s so hard to get to actionable step-by-step plans in a typical seminar on this topic. 

In this conversation, we discuss:

✅How can we tell if students need work on language or executive functioning? What if kids need support in both areas? 

✅Why many young adults struggle to turn in assignments and manage their schedules, even if they’ve been given tools like checklists and planners. 

✅Common executive functioning skills needed for independent problem-solving and goal-directed behavior; including ideational fluency and future thinking. 

✅How to consider someone’s executive functioning profile (and use this to help them and their family get an accurate picture of how much support they’re really getting).

You can connect with Jill via email at jkfahy@eiu.edu. You can read her article, Assessment of Executive Functions in School-Aged Children: Challenges and Solutions for the SLP from ASHA Perspectives here. 

You can learn more about the Students Transitional Education Program at Eastern Illinois University here and the Autism Center here. 

In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program for related service providers who want to take a leadership role in implementing executive functioning support. You can learn more about the program here. 

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL and Renaissance:

Learn more about Renaissance:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
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• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
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🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.