BOOK REVIEWS

Late, Lost, and Unprepared – Cooper-Kahn & Dietze

Book review

Emphasis on executive functions

In “Late, Lost, and Unprepared: a Parents’ Guide to Helping Children with Executive Functioning”, Joyce Cooper-Kahn & Laurie Dietzel, clinical psychologists, aim to help children who “despite their best intentions, often do their homework but forget to turn it in, wait until the last minute to start a project, lose things, or have a room that looks like a dump!”.

The advice is relevant, as ADHD affects communications with the frontal lobes, where Executive Functions are located. The authors suggest ways to improve Impulse Control (taking turns, interrupting), Cognitive Flexibility (new situations, frustrations), Initiation (homework, activities), Working Memory (directions, note-taking), Planning & Organizing (homework, schedules), Self-monitoring (errors, staying on topic).

Ironically it is these same weaker executive functions that make ADHD children and adults so special: their humour, creativity, passion and empathy comes from this same neurology. So I am wary of the premise that there is a right way for executive functioning to work, that there is a “normal” way to behave. I prefer to combine these techniques with greater support, to concentrate on the child’s strengths and passions, in finding ADHD-friendly solutions and in creating a life to fit a child’s character.
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ADHD Coach, Andrew Lewis

Andrew Lewis

Andrew Lewis is an ADHD Coach, writer and founder of SimplyWellbeing. He has over ten thousand hours and fifteen years of experience in coaching ADHD executives, business professionals and creatives. His expertise with ADHD is personal, with decades of his own experience, bringing up an ADHD child, running a large support group and in coaching clients often for years He has published his writing via this website and has ADHD online courses in development. His business expertise comes from a twenty years career in software, from programming, through marketing, sales and running a few start-ups.

Further reading

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Aimed at college, university students and those helping them through higher ed
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