How Organization is Connected to Optimizing Learning and Belonging for Children
Often we want children to present with skills related to organization with intuitive magic. For most people, this is not the case. Organization requires the luxury of instruction, coaching, and a leveling up of skills as the task demand and age of the learner increases.
Teaching organization is important. Teaching organization to children who are neurodiverse is critical.
Not having organization skills and good learning habits are a barrier to getting started and task success.
It’s mental organization at its best. For all of us, organization starts with awareness of self and the environment…then we move towards planning and visualizing the task at hand.
How does one begin to provide this instruction?
First, realize that no matter the student’s verbal ability and schedule type, orientation to task is important. Facilitate the student being able to orient to items needed to look at their day.
Second, change your interaction with the student and start doing things with the learner instead of for fo the learner. Do you pull out the binders for them? Think about doing things with the student to facilitate this mental organization.
Third, give directions that exercise the attention and memory fund of the learner in bytes. If a child has a task where crayons are needed, tell them that they will need to get ‘red, green, purple, and blue’. Not only does this get kids moving for a short time, but it also gives them the task of remembering and regulating. This task allows the student to complete one job and demonstrate completion. That’s data! And we get to facilitate it.
Finally, teach how task completion should look. Oftentimes, we move the learner to a different task or activity rather than providing closure. It’s important to put all your tools and materials away. Not only does this keep the classroom organized and uncluttered, but it also allows them to mentally close the task and move on to the next one.
And remember that visual orientation matters too.
Visual orientation is an underrated skill in task orientation. Not only do children need to know what to do, they need to know where to look. It’s about being aware of your environment and using visual cues to help you navigate tasks. It’s also a great opportunity to facilitate looking and assessing what is needed, and the learner learning to use language for purpose. In ABA, this of ten is referred to as manding for assistance. It can also be seen as tacting or telling what is needed. Visual orientation and organization help you to comprehend and complete tasks more efficiently.
And when tuning in and assessing are done, learners can be empowered to ask a peer for help. How? Because organization is prioritized as a key learning strand.
Help from a peer goes beyond “I Need Help” but immediately imposes the need for specific language.
Just as asking for help is important, so is offering it. Helping a peer with a task fosters a sense of community and teamwork and signals task engagement. Just as adults need to have a sense of belonging, so do children. Knowing what to do and where information sources exist deepens their communication community.
Organization isn’t just about completing tasks; it’s about executing them in a way that goes beyond basic functionality. It’s about finding ways to improve the process and flow of a classroom and school. Similar to work environments for adults, a child’s work environment must steadily reconfigure and reinvent itself to optimize how children learn, think, and feel. The goal of organization isn’t just to get things done, but to get them done well and…faster.
Written by Landria Seals Green, MA., CCC-SLP, BCBA
CEO and Founder of ExcelPrep
References
Barringer, B. R., & Harrison, J. S. (2000). Walking a Tightrope: Creating Value Through Interorganizational Relationships. JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT, 26(3), 37.
Copeland, S. R., & Cosbey, J. (2008). Making Progress in the General Curriculum: Rethinking Effective Instructional Practices. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities_, _34_(1), 214–227. https://doi.org/10.2511/rpsd.33.4.214
Fuchs, L. S., Fuchs, D. E., Jordan, N., Compton, D., Wehby, J., Schumacher, R., & Gersten, R. (2015). Inclusion Versus Specialized Intervention for Very-Low-Performing Students: What Does Access Mean in an Era of Academic Challenge? -. Council for Exceptional Children, 81(2). https://journals-sagepub-com.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/doi/10.1177/0014402914551743
