LearningRx leads workshop on executive function

Michelle Hecker Davis, Chattanooga LearningRx director, is leading a free workshop on executive function and memory skills at the Walker County Advancing Education Center Aug. 30. (Contributed photo)
Michelle Hecker Davis, Chattanooga LearningRx director, is leading a free workshop on executive function and memory skills at the Walker County Advancing Education Center Aug. 30. (Contributed photo)

Parents of school-age kids who have difficulty with skills such as following directions, concentrating, prioritizing and managing time often don't know where to turn for help. LearningRx, which offers one-on-one cognitive skills training, is offering a free workshop focused on executive function - the set of mental processes that allow a person to control his or her behavior in order to attain a chosen goal - to educate parents about which brain processes are affected by executive function and how those skills can be improved upon.

A workshop is being held at Walker County Advancing Education Center Wednesday, Aug. 30 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Walker County Advancing Education Center is at 925 Osburn Road. For those who register before midnight Friday, Aug. 25, free child care and lunch will be provided during the workshop. Visit lifelinefamilies.org/special-education/events to register. Email Michal Jones at michaljones@walkerschools.org to arrange child care.

Another workshop will be held at Bachman Community Center Thursday, Aug. 31 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Bachman Community Center is at 2815 Anderson Pike. There is no deadline to sign up, but attendees are asked to RSVP by visiting facebook.com/ChattLRx and clicking on the event page.

"We wanted to be able to offer something free to the community to help educate parents on how cognitive skills affect learning," said Chattanooga LearningRx Director Michelle Hecker Davis.

Attendees will learn to identify which brain processes involve executive function, how difficulty with those skills affects daily life and what can be done to improve them, she said.

Executive function includes skills such as inhibitory control, which serves as the brain's filter and brakes, allowing a person to resist temptation, prioritize actions, concentrate, screen out distractions and follow directions, Davis explained. Executive functioning is necessary for tasks requiring memory, planning, time management and flexible thinking.

"The goal is to give them the skills to help a student struggling in those areas," she said, adding that a lack of executive functioning skills often runs in families.

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