Flexible and Focused: Teaching Executive Function Skills to Individuals with Autism and Attention Disorders (Critical Specialties in Treating Autism and other Behavioral Challenges)

Flexible and Focused: Teaching Executive Function Skills to Individuals with Autism and Attention Disorders is a manual written for individuals who work with learners who struggle with executive function deficits. The manual takes the perspective that executive function skills can be improved through effective intervention, just like any other skills. This how-to manual provides practical strategies for teaching learners to be focused, organized, flexible, and able to effectively manage themselves. Ready-to-use lessons, data sheets, worksheets, and other tools for practitioners, educators, and parents are provided to help them tackle common problems associated with executive function deficits in learners of any diagnosis, ages 5 to adult. The principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), which form the foundation of this manual, are translated into simple, easy-to-use procedures. Lessons for improving executive function skills in real-life everyday situations are provided in the following areas:

• Self-awareness
• Inhibition and impulse control
• Self-management
• Attention
• Organization
• Problem solving
• Time management
• Planning
• Working memory
• Emotional self-regulation
• Flexibility

• Provides an overview of what constitutes executive function skills
• Outlines how techniques based on applied behavior analysis can be used to teach skills
• Presents step-by-step lessons for practitioners, educators, and parents to implement with individuals with executive function deficits
• Includes data sheets, task analyses, worksheets, and visual aids

Adel C. Najdowski, PhD, BCBA-D (she/her/hers), is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Master of
Science in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) program at Pepperdine University as well as Research Manager at
Halo Behavioral Health. Dr. Najdowski has provided ABA-based services to children with autism spectrum
disorder (ASD) and developmental disabilities since 1995. She has more than 45 publications, including her
books Flexible and Focused: Teaching Executive Function Skills to Individuals With Autism and Attention Disorders
and A Workbook of Ethical Case Scenarios in Applied Behavior Analysis. She currently serves on the
editorial board of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and has previously served for Behavior Analysis in
Practice and as Guest Editor for a special issue in Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. She currently serves
on the board of directors for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) and previously served on the
board of directors for the California Association for Behavior Analysis (CalABA). She is also on the disciplinary
review committee (DRC) for the BACB. Her current research interests include topics related to social justice
teaching higher-order skills to children, teens, and adults diagnosed with ASD. She is a frequent speaker at conferences
and on podcasts and web-based shows.