Full PreFrontal: Exposing the Mysteries of Executive Function
Full PreFrontal: Exposing the Mysteries of Executive Function is hosted by speech-language pathologist Sucheta Kamath. The show explores executive function, the set of cognitive skills that help people focus attention, manage distractions, plan ahead, regulate emotions, and think flexibly. Episodes feature conversations with neuroscientists, psychologists, educators, and other experts about research and practical strategies. It examines why strong executive function matters for school-aged children and how these skills shape lifelong learning and success.
Episodes
Ep. 210: Hugh Catts, Ph.D. - Reading Comprehension: Not a One-Size-Fits-All Skill
Send us Fan MailReading comprehension isn’t a checklist skill. It’s an active process shaped by what students know and how they think. With the nation's attention laser focused on promoting literacy outcomes in K-12 education, too often, comprehension is treated as a skill to be mastered through activities such as finding the main idea or making inferences. Rather than viewing it as a one-siz
Ep. 209: Mickey Smith Jr. - Students, You Matter to Me!
Send us Fan MailChildren in general, and students to be specific, are incredibly sensitive to the expectations of the adults in their lives; particularly their teachers. A study by Rubie-Davies and colleagues showed that in two sets of 2nd through 7th grade students, in spite of the similar levels of reading achievement at the start of the year, the achievement results at the end of the year marke
Ep. 208: Dr. Garry McGiboney - Reimagining Learning Engagement
Send us Fan MailAs students get ready to return to school this fall, the post-pandemic norm of plummeted student engagement rises to the top as a deep and wide concern for teachers, parents, families, educational leaders, and policymakers. However, we should be careful about HOW we describe, assess, or remedy engagement. Stakeholders need to be cautious in not letting students’ behavioral engageme
Ep. 207: Dr. Gene Kerns - Literacy, Background Knowledge, and Executive Function
Send us Fan MailIf an American 10th grader is assigned to read the autobiography "Virat Kohli: Legend of a Great Player," about the world-famous Indian cricketer known as the best limited-overs batsman in history, they might read the pages, but would they truly grasp the meaning of Kohli’s remarkable accomplishments on the global sports platform? Americans who don’t play cricket, let alo
Ep. 206: Dr. Gene Kerns - Unlocking Student Talent
Send us Fan MailIndian-American author and wellness expert, Deepak Chopra, says, “Find the place inside yourself where nothing is impossible.” The big challenge for educators and parents alike is how do developing brains become all that they have the possibility of becoming? Is this simply a mindset or is reaching one’s own full potential a story of building skills with practice? What are sure-fir
Ep. 205: Dr. William Stixrud - How to Talk With Kids and Build Their Motivation
Send us Fan MailIt’s human to crave connections. If there’s a silver bullet that comes closest to protecting kids, it’s the art of making meaningful connections with adults in their lives. This provides children with a sense of closeness and belonging ,which in return, contributes positively to their physical, social, psychological, and emotional health. Effective communication is the key ingredie
Ep. 204: Kelly B. Cartwright, Ph.D. - The Science of Reading & Executive Function
Send us Fan MailReading comprehension is unequivocally the foundation of all other learning, not just during the formal years of education, but in creating socially engaged communities and an inclusive world. The ‘Active View of Reading’ framework suggests that complex executive function skills such as goal setting, planning, organizing, and sequencing information critically supports goal completi
Ep. 203: Maggie Jackson - Gift of Uncertainty
Send us Fan MailModern living means living with uncertainty. We are surrounded by progress, yet the things we are unsure of keeps growing, needing us to skillfully cope; hence, making hard decisions without all the answers requires skill and courage. On the other hand, the world measures certainty as the mark of expertise and celebrates those who exude the attitude of invincibility through a firm
Ep. 202: Ayelet Fishbach - The Science of Motivation
Send us Fan MailThe start of the New Year always rings in new possibilities. However, setting and achieving goals for yourself and by yourself is harder than it seems. There are a multitude of obstacles including questions like knowing which tasks and ambitions to prioritize, where exactly to start, and how best to carry on when facing roadblocks and distractions. One truth remains though, we are
Ep. 201: Dr. Christopher Chabris & Dr. Daniel Simons - Nobody’s Fool
Send us Fan MailHow would you feel if during your trip to Agra, India, someone offers to sell you the Taj Mahal (one of the greatest wonders of the world)? In its absurd glory you might question the offer as you read this, but not everyone did. One of the greatest con artists from India, Natwarlal aka Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava, not only sold the Taj Mahal to unsuspecting foreign tourists, but als
Ep. 200: All Things Executive Function ~ 200th Episode
Send us Fan Mail200 episodes! The Full PreFrontal Podcast has reached a significant milestone, and what does that mean to us? We’re “in it for the long haul!” We find inspiration from Japanese artist, On Kawara, known for his work that illustrates the beauty, structure, and discipline in doing something over a long period of time with persistence and care. A milestone often not only marks the star
Ep. 199: Donna Henderson, Psy.D. - If This Is Autism…
Send us Fan MailDuring the 2007 season of America’s Next Top Model, contestant Heather Kuzmich introduced American viewers to her diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder and the challenges that go along with it. Having to live in a house with twelve strangers while navigating the social politics of housemates who were also her competitors proved to be quite a bit of challenge for Kuzmich and yet sh
Ep. 198: Donna Henderson, Psy.D. - Is This Autism?
Send us Fan MailIf a boy has an odd affect, you might think he’s autistic. But if a girl has an odd affect, you’ll think she’s a drama queen!…How does autism present itself? And what if it presents in a way you might not expect? The ordeal of connecting, communicating, and belonging to a neurotypical world while being neurodiverse is the same as navigating the right-handed world while being left-h
Ep. 197: Dr. Mary Hemphill - From a One Minute Meeting to a Lifetime of Flourishing
Send us Fan MailThe process of educating children and growing as an educator in return requires everyone to acknowledge the bidirectionality that is inherent to teaching and learning. The context and culture that invests in both the academic growth of a child and also in the process that honors the input from its learning community brings itself into a new realm of possibilities. By carefully crea
Ep. 196: David F Lancy - A Cultural & Anthropological Take on Childhood Independence
Send us Fan MailCulture in general plays an important role in human development and particularly childhood is shaped by culture. Not so long ago raising children was considered rather noisy, dirty, tedious and anything but pleasant. However, those living in WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) societies that make up about 12% of the world’s population have perpetuated ov
Ep. 195: Sari Solden, MS - Empowering Girls and Women with ADHD
Send us Fan MailCulture encourages girls and women to exhibit both traditional “feminine” qualities, such as being empathic, good with relationships, nice, obedient, good mothers, and home-organizers, as well as traditional “masculine” qualities, such as being assertive, competitive, academically driven, and career-focused. However, when girls display disruptive, hyperactive, impulsive, or disorga
Ep. 194: Wendy Wood - Good Habits, Bad Habits
Send us Fan MailWhy is it that our resolve to lose weight, give up eating desserts, and start a new exercise regimen is bound to fail? Because we all have bought into to the conventional wisdom that follow-through with a new decision is simply a matter of conscious choice and decision and ultimately this belief ends up leading us astray. Even though it’s a common human experience to want to overco
Ep. 193: Laura Rhinehart, Ph.D. - Building Blocks
Send us Fan MailResearch shows that young children with stronger Executive Function skills present themselves far differently than their peers and their behaviors and actions stand out a bit more. These children are more involved in their preschool classrooms, they interact more freely with their learning environment, and it’s less likely that they get put into “time out”. From there on, these stu
Ep. 192: Arthur L. Robin, Ph.D. - Parent-Teen Communication
Send us Fan MailRaising children, which was always hard, has become harder; not because of the work that goes into changing diapers, preparing meals, taking kids to soccer or piano, or all the laundry that one has to do; but because not everyone is good with children. On top of that, in modern times and in modern living, parents’ abilities to control what children have access to has fundamentally
Ep. 191: Kipling Williams - The Silent Treatment: A Weapon of Mass Destruction
Send us Fan MailThere is no impulse more natural than the desire to protect ourselves and our loved ones from pain. When we experience social-emotional pain, we activate the same instincts as a mama bear who jumps to protect her cub as an effort to dial down emotions of distress. An unhealthy emotional pain management can lead to actively taking steps to inflict pain on others through the acts of
Ep. 190: Dr. Willie F. McBride, Ph.D. - Preparing All Kids for Life
Send us Fan MailStudents with underdeveloped Executive Function skills often present themselves as highly impulsive or distracted, reactive rather than reflective, forgetful of their goals, lacking persistence or as those who dislike effortful tasks. Such behaviors often are alarming as they sabotage personal success and social cooperation. However, a myriad of traumatic exposures in childhood in
Ep. 189: Steven D Kniffley Jr., PsyD ABPP MPA - Challenging the False Narrative
Send us Fan MailIn a society where its members believe that one color or race is superior to another, its members who belong to the racial minority experience poor treatment based on these beliefs causing them social-emotional trauma. These racialized experiences get further accentuated by false narratives perpetuated by the society unbeknownst to its members which leads to an artificial gap that
Ep. 188: Dr. Morcease Beasley - Leading Education with Executive Function
Send us Fan MailThe excitement of a new year also brings new challenges to overcome, especially as we continue to face educational, health, safety and well-being issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. As we gear up, how should we adjust our educational approach so that we can achieve our goals with our schools and communities? How can we keep students motivated and engaged to continue learning,
Ep. 187: Dave Melnick - Leading the Way with Trauma Transformed Education
Send us Fan MailIt is said that a human body that has been traumatized or overwhelmed by stress can feel helpless, reactive, angry, impulsive, raging, numb and leaning towards avoidance. AND the same is true for schools! Institutions, public or private, that serve the needs of children, learners and families from distressed communities can also feel helpless and drained with an ongoing crisis or s
Ep. 186: Dave Melnick - Trauma Transformed Schools
Send us Fan MailThe violence in the United States this past month has brought up raw emotions in all of us. The killing of Asian seniors as they were worshipping in their church, African-American elders as they went about their everyday tasks such as shopping for groceries, and the violent deaths of 19 small children with their two teachers who came to their elementary classrooms for a day of lea
Ep. 185: David Strayer - Conundrum of Multitasking
Send us Fan MailOur commitment to multitasking in everyday life is unwavering and ubiquitous; a strong indicator of how our perceptions deceive us. We are not as smart as we think we are, neither are we as attentive as we think we are because the cluttered and distracted mind fragments our attention disrupting thinking, intentions, and follow through.On this episode, neuroscientist, researcher, Jo
Ep. 184: Professor Terrie E Moffitt - Executive Function, Stressful Lives, and Health Decisions
Send us Fan MailLife without struggles is no life at all and what accompanies these struggles is ambiguity, uncertainty, and disruptions. Coping under these tenuous conditions means deciphering new goals, weighing options, and being future-forward while responding with adaptive mental and emotional flexibility; all made possible by one’s evolving Executive Function. However, individuals who have e
Ep. 183: Stephen Chew - Learning Beyond the Big Choke Point
Send us Fan MailResearcher Diane Halpern says, “When people think critically, they are evaluating the outcomes of their thought processes – how good a decision is or how well a problem is solved.” Metacognition on the other hand is thinking about one’s own thinking and discovering how best to control our thinking to facilitate learning. Both require strong attentional and emotional recourses chann
Ep. 182: John Kounios - Eureka Moments and Executive Function
Send us Fan MailOn October 16, 1843, while on a stroll along the Royal Canal in Dublin, mathematician William Rowan Hamilton had an aha moment which led to his famed discovery of the algebraic equations known as quaternions which is now etched on the bridge. Research shows that although creative insight and analytical thinking are distinct modes of thought, they do complement each other. These aha
Ep. 181: Dr. DeDe Wohlfarth - Brave Spaces, Not Just Safe Spaces
Send us Fan MailAs the United States becomes a land of the diverse, conversations are shifting from "how do we excel in spite of our differences" to "how we come together and thrive because of our differences." The K to 12 educational spaces are also shifting the focus from helping develop skills in academic areas to the best ways to help children develop their sense of agency
Ep. 180: Dr. Monica Marsee - Aggression & Callousness
Send us Fan MailWe are wired to be social and socializing and connecting depends on theory of mind, perspective taking, and being able to sympathize or empathize with others. Empathy, one of the vital ingredients for social and interpersonal success, facilitates prosocial behaviors, promotes social understanding and helps us to regulate ourselves in the complex social world. However, antisocial be
Ep. 179: Eduardo Briceño - Growth Mindset & Continuous Improvement
Send us Fan MailMany preconceived notions and misconceptions often create a barrier to attaining personal success. Here are some frequently unchallenged misconceptions: “Talent is innate and needs to be discovered”, “You either have talent or you don't” and “Just a few lucky ones have it and it only counts if you’re on top!” The growth mindsets captured by popular culture show us that our own
Ep. 178: Dr. Sarah Schnitker - Paragons of Virtue
Send us Fan MailWhether it is enduring the process of untangling yarn, cancelling all your credit cards after losing your wallet, or waiting for months to hear back from a college admissions’ office, patience makes the experience more meaningful and less unbearable. As a quality that is considered morally good and desirable in a person, no wonder patience is a virtue as it offers a much-needed cha
Ep. 177: Janice Kaplan - The Genius of Women
Send us Fan MailAlbert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Alfred Hitchcock, Sherlock Holmes… these are some of the iconic names dominating the cultural narrative that men far supersede women in talent, accomplishment, and genius. The true question is, while the gender ratio in the world is 101.7 men to every 100 women, why is the genius exclusively favoring one gender or it is that the opportunities to
Ep. 176: Taylor Chesney, Psy.D. - Raising Well-Adjusted Children
Send us Fan MailIn 2002, American writer Augusten Burroughs’ memoire, Running with Scissors, was launched and spent eight weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. The memoir is littered with a litany of bizarre childhood encounters experienced by young Burroughs, whose emotionally unstable, aspiring poet of a mother sends him to live with her psychiatrist. The book, while entertaining, capture
Ep. 175: Dr. Milton J. Dehn - Working Memory and Executive Function
Send us Fan MailWorking memory is the most vital component of strong Executive Function as it allows for processing multifaceted information and tracking new systems we deploy to manage change or challenge with adaptive flexibility. For example, greeting people with a handshake or a hug was thrown out the window during the pandemic. In the fall of 2021, when people began to return to business-as-u
Ep. 174: Dr. Julie Exline - Spiritual Struggle & Personal Growth
Send us Fan MailThe human frontal-lobe evolution has made it possible to do the right thing, particularly when that right thing is really hard to do. While faith, religion, and spirituality give individuals the essential inner strength, attachment, and security, it is the mature frontal lobes that turn on moral reasoning - a bridge towards an ultimate sense of hope and meaning.On this episode, lic
Ep. 173: Jonathan Schooler, Ph.D. - From Mind Wandering to Mind Wondering
Send us Fan Mail‘A quick trip to Tahiti’ is what it feels like when our mind wanders. No matter what we do, where we are, or how important or valuable the task in front of us is, our minds wander. Interestingly, the research shows that we are less happy when our mind wanders than when it doesn’t and what we think about during our mind wandering state is a far stronger predictor of our happiness th
Ep. 172: Brandon P. Fleming - Miseducated
Send us Fan MailWhen we think of equitable teaching and learning we must first get our assumptions right. Instead of thinking of teaching as a process of transmitting knowledge, we need to think about teaching as a process of transforming hearts by making a connection through culture and representation. Those of us invested in teaching and reaching children know that the hardest work we will ever
Ep. 171: Jonathan Gottschall - The Storytelling Brain
Send us Fan MailWhat is as ubiquitous as air, water, and earth, but possibly more potent than all three? It’s a story. The human brain, while swept up in the forcefield of stories, is enthralled, molded and shaped by it, but is also readily deceived by the artful embellishments by powerful story-tellers, including an unreliable narrator within. Our daily consumption of narratives presented in the
Ep. 170: Everett L Worthington, Jr - Forgiveness is a Choice!
Send us Fan MailThe highest rent you’ll ever pay is for the hurts, sorrows, and unforgiveness that occupy the space in your heart and mind. While thinking of those hurtful breakups, toxic relationships, unresolved lies, or the unrepairable damaging acts of others, it may be hard to channel the wisdom of poet Edwin Hubbel Chapin, "Never does the human soul appear so strong as when it foregoes
Ep. 169: Susan Engel - Every Child is a Curious Child
Send us Fan MailWhat is an intriguing difference between a four-year-old's versus a forty-year old’s approach to the world? Only one of them is inquisitive and inventive with a rich inner explorer. However, by the time the curious and inventive four-year-old enters their late teens, there is a remarkable depletion in their sense of exploration. There’s something about the way we educate and r
Ep. 168: Dr. Gillian Sandstrom - Strangers Aren't Scary
Send us Fan MailEntering a space full of strangers can be as scary as entering a snake pit. The brain cannot help but think “oh-no” and is likely to look for an exit strategy. Even though humans are social creatures, approaching or engaging with strangers invokes unparalleled fear or social anxiety that keeps us from making connections, sharing, or seeking help. Is this hesitation to talk with str
Ep. 167: William Damon - A Look Back to Look Ahead
Send us Fan MailBritish author Somerset Maugham once wrote, “What makes old age hard to bear is not the failing of one's faculties, mental and physical, but the burden of one's memories.” Writers and poets have a lot to say about reminiscing, contemplation, regret and nostalgia, but it often suggests that one must travel far down the road of life to arrive at that point where suddenly ou
Ep. 166: Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum - Race And the Development of Racial Identity
Send us Fan MailHelping children develop their identity is integral to making them self-sufficient and independent, as well as to master their Executive Function skills. In addition to children’s cognitive, linguistic, and emotional development, parents and educators alike must understand the social science behind the development of racial, ethnic, and cultural identities, which play a major role
Ep. 165: Horacio Sanchez - Poverty on the Brain & Executive Function
Send us Fan MailWhat’s the urgent and yet preventable crisis in America? It’s poverty! The discussion about the maturation of the prefrontal cortex, down-regulation of amygdala as well as the flourishing of Executive Function skills throughout childhood is incomplete when according to the Children’s Defense Fund one in six children in United States live in poverty. The impact of poverty is deep an
Ep. 164: Nathaniel Wade - Pathway to Forgiveness
Send us Fan MailDouglas Horton has said, “While seeking revenge, dig two graves - one for yourself.” Nothing is quite as satisfying as well-executed revenge where by taking justice into one’s own hands feels empowering, quenching the thirst for fairness. However, there’s another option; conventional wisdom often refers to as taking the higher road; letting the better-self win against the catty,
Ep. 163: Gregg Behr & Ryan Rydzewski - When You Wonder, You're Learning
Send us Fan Mail“I like you exactly the way you are.” These are the words brought to life by beloved TV host, Fred Rogers, and seems to be exactly what children need to know and experience that they are valued and loved. As culture has taken the time to pause and reflect on the powerful teachings of Mr. Rogers in the heavily consumed medium of television, the evidence in the neuroscience, learnin
Ep. 162: Dr. Anindya Kundu - Power of Student Agency
Send us Fan MailConventional wisdom propels the notion that children from low-income backgrounds perform poorly because their families are less invested or do not value education as much as those from higher-income backgrounds. However, by applying a sociological framework to education, the evidence shows that schools, instead of contributing to the breaking of economic and social barriers, are ac
Ep. 161: Camille A Farrington - Transforming Children Into Well-Prepared Young Adults
Send us Fan MailWhen the New York Times in a student opinion piece asked “How do you think American education could be improved?”, Skye Williams from Sarasota, Florida wrote, ”I think that the American education system can be improved by allowing students to choose the classes that they wish to take or classes that are beneficial for their future. Students aren’t really learning things that can he
Ep. 160: Dr. Ryan Martin - Anger
Send us Fan MailIn 2015, at the White House Correspondents' Dinner something hilarious transpired. President Obama invited Luther, his anger translator, on the stage with him and the Comedian Keegan-Michael Key obliged. The tongue in cheek display of Obama’s true frustrations expressed through “Luther” was not only ironic but brilliant reminding us how we all need an anger handler.On this epi
Ep. 159: Tony Wagner - An Unconventional Education
Send us Fan MailThe schooling of American children is marred by our notions that hard and long hours of classroom learning is a defining feature of K-12 school success even though such environments lack a playful approach to learning or room for imaginative interactions with the world. In their book Out of My Skull, Neuroscientists James Danckert & John D. Eastwood write, “When we have a sense
Ep. 158: Dr. Gary Lewandowski - Building Strong Relationships
Send us Fan MailPoet and philosopher Rumi once wrote, “Love is the bridge between you and everything.” As much as a loving bond between people may be the starting point for close relationships, the future of it however, is shaped by stress, communication, coping, mental health, and interpersonal support; which are the defining factors that allow those relationships to last or crumble. Bicker, squa
Ep. 157: Roy Richard Grinker - Truly, Nobody’s Normal!
Send us Fan MailOn February 18, 1981, Mr. Rogers asked Jeffrey Erlinger a 10-year old quadriplegic with multiple challenges to show the television viewers how his wheelchair worked and by celebrating Jeffrey with warmth and amazement, Mr. Rogers helped crystalized the modern neurodiversity movement. For a long time, normal and abnormal have been the only two concrete buckets cultures have used to
Ep. 156: Dr. Eve-Marie Blouin-Hudon - Empathic Concern for the Future-Self
Send us Fan MailIn his 1890 seminal book, The Principles of Psychology, William James wrote, “There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision.” One such key form of indecision is procrastination; and research shows that procrastinators act as if there’s no future. There is a way however, to rein in the reckless disregard for the future-self by evoking the
Ep. 155: Sabine Doebel, PhD - Making the Case for Self-Control
Send us Fan MailNot now, later! These are three words we have come to value. The Marshmallow experiment from the 1960s popularized the idea of self-control and brought it into cultural consciousness; however, sometimes it has mislead us to think that kids who don’t wait for two marshmallows at the age of 4 might be destined to lead less fruitful lives. Instead of focusing on self-control through a
Ep. 154: Ethan Kross, PhD - Mental Chatter
Send us Fan MailIn his short story, The Girl Next Door, essayist and comedian, David Sedaris writes, “In the coming days, I ran the conversation over and over in my mind, thinking of all the fierce and sensible things I should have said.” To some extent, each of us are trapped in our own mind’s echo chamber like David Sedaris describes and if kept unchecked, listening to the unfiltered stream of t
Ep. 153: Kristin Neff, PhD - Self-Compassion: The Science of Being Nice to Yourself
Send us Fan Mail“You stupid idiot!” Most of us in the civilized world would refrain from using such hurtful and aggressive language when addressing others. However, if someone were to be a fly on our mind’s wall and hear the things we say to ourselves, they might be horrified. When individuals face challenges, encounter failures, and make fools of themselves, the harsh and judgmental critic within
Ep. 152: Dr. Daren Graves - Transformative Power of Critical Consciousness
Send us Fan MailKofi Annan once said, "Education is a human right with an immense power to transform. On its foundation rests the cornerstones of freedom, democracy and sustainable human development." The question is, how do we help developing minds gain the knowledge of the self-evident or the invisible structural oppression that creates and sustains inequity so that their learning expe
Ep. 151: Sara W. Lazar, PhD - Meditation on the Brain: Neuroscience of Toning Down and Tuning Out
Send us Fan MailWhat is common between a middle school teacher during the pandemic, a three-generation family living together with a terminally-ill child, and an employee who just lost their job? They all are stretched to the max and stressed to the limit. These individuals and the rest of America is stressed! Studies shows that when asked, close to 80% of doctor visits for health problems are ass
Ep. 150: Big Picture 8 – “MacGyvering” Your Way to Human Ingenuity
Send us Fan MailA ticking bomb, an empty room with a hanger from the dry-cleaners, a radiator, two in captivity with their hands tied behind their backs, and that’s it. With less than 60 seconds left on the clock, only MacGyver can stay focused and optimistic, get himself untied, get his companion freed and flip the trick back on the assailant at the speed of lightening. That takes incredible prob
Ep. 149: Elizabeth Green - Care to Teach?
Send us Fan MailIn the 1830s, Rev. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet’s method of teaching reading to deaf children was evolutionary and became inviting enough that the then secretary of education, Horace Munn, adopted to teaching it to neurotypical children; the logic being, if the teaching strategy works for the deaf it must work wonders for all. It wasn’t until much later that that it was discovered how
Ep. 148: Pedro A. Noguera, PhD - Building New Ladders of Opportunity Beyond Chance and Circumstance
Send us Fan MailAmerica’s struggle with equity was unveiled in a 2011 Department of Education study which showed that 45% of high-poverty schools received less state and local funding than what was typical for other schools in their district. The funding disparities were further brought to light through a 2019 Ed Build report that showed that majority-white districts received $23 billion more in
Ep. 147: Phyllis Fagell - No Straight Line from 6th Grade to Success
Send us Fan MailKeeping up with the pace, load, and challenge of learning requires emotional and self-management skills – best described as Executive Function. However, when these skills are either delayed, under-developed, or absent it is easy to question the child’s motivations and intentions. The truth of the matter is that some kids simply need more support, scaffolding, and a greater apprecia
Ep. 146: Leila L. Hartley, PhD, CCC-SLP - Building a Better Brain
Send us Fan MailEven though studies after studies show that more than 75% of job success is determined by soft skills ,which in business refers to effective communication, professionalism and work ethics, critical thinking, teamwork, and leadership, the word soft often undermines its nuanced nature and diminishes it potency. In the neuroscience and science of effective communication however, soft
Ep. 145: Ross W. Greene, Ph.D - Unlocking the Barriers for a Disruptive Child
Send us Fan MailA difficult to teach child slows down the learning for others and accentuates the burden of teaching a group of diverse learners that often looms heavily on the teacher. What if disruptive children are actually facing challenges that result from the lack of critical “to not be challenging” skills such as adaptive flexibility, frustration tolerance, and problem solving?On this epis
Ep. 144: Professor Tony Attwood - The Asperger’s Syndrome
Send us Fan MailWhat do wigs, cookie jars, pizza dough, supermarket flyers, unpaid invoices, airplane menus, and a mummified human foot have in common? Those are some of the Andy Stuff found amongst 641 boxes left behind by the Pop Art legend Andy Warhol, which is now on display at the Andy Warhol museum in Pittsburg. Truman Capote was once said to refer to Warhol as 'a sphinx without a riddl
Ep. 143: Esther Wojcicki - The Secret to Raising Successful People
Send us Fan MailThe true meaning of empowering children is to help them claim the rights to their own life so that they can lead with a sense of confidence, clarity, and courage. The key is to trust children to make their own mistakes while trusting yourself to resist the temptation of wanting to do everything for them. On this episode, leading American educator, author of the book How to Raise S
Ep. 142: Dr. Shimi Kang - The Dolphin Parent
Send us Fan MailIn the increasingly complex world, raising children to become adaptable, communicative, open, creative, and self-reliant thinkers is a tall order. As the raging pandemic is taking its toll on the American psyche, some groups are proving to be more vulnerable than others. The American Psychological Association’s 2021 survey reports that the parents of children under 18 years of age
Ep. 141: Maggie Jackson - The Attention Renaissance
Send us Fan MailWhat is limited, valuable, and scarce? Attention. As society as a whole tries to navigate the new terrain where attention is the commodity supporting a large part of the economy, it is imperative that humans understand that attention is the gateway to information processing and “knowing what to pay attention to” is probably far more important than simply paying attention.Since the
Ep. 140: Lynn Miner-Rosen, M.Ed, ACC - College: A Job Before the Job
Send us Fan MailIts no joke, adulting is hard. To adult is to do all the things that grown-ups regularly do because they have to including finding a job, keeping it, living independently, paying bills, keeping a thriving social circle and handle the unexpected curve balls that life throws. High school to college and then college to life are transitions marked by the need for a substantial upgrade
Ep. 139: Elizabeth Sautter MA, CCC-SLP - Know Thy ‘Emotional’ Self
Send us Fan MailThe most basic human experience is to be able to communicate; express thoughts and ideas clearly and meaningfully while being fully understood. Most of us are unaware of the nature of these true gifts that allows humans to construct and build relationships from the ground up by launching nuanced skills such as reading faces, reading the room, and reading between the lines. Hence, t
Ep. 138: Tal Ben-Shahar - How to Not Be So Perfect
Send us Fan MailYogi Berra once said, “If the world was perfect, it wouldn’t be.” High achievers often bring perfection in their work; however, perfectionism can impede ongoing high achievement. The diligence in being perfect is time-consuming and exhausting and since humans can’t give up on the ideas of perfection, it’s prudent to remember that if left unchecked, perfectionistic tendencies can cr
Ep. 137: David Yeager - The Growth Mindset
Send us Fan Mail“The only thing that could impede me was me“ are the words spoken by Amada Gorman, the first ever Youth Poet Laureate. Amanda for many years suffered from a speech impediment and an auditory processing disorder that made it difficult to communicate intelligibly what her beautiful mind was so eloquently able to construct. Amanda’s personal discovery that I am more than my garbled s
Ep. 136: Holiday Rewind 2: 10 Takeaways from 100 Conversations on the Science of Learning
Send us Fan MailRandomly scattered stars light up the night sky, but it is human inventiveness and imagination that has connected these cosmic dots into the constellations we know so well. As the podcast Full PreFrontal: Exposing the Mysteries of Executive Function celebrates its 100th episode, we have the same pleasure of connecting the scattered ideas that experts have shared with us over the pa
Ep. 135: Holiday Rewind 1: Suvrat Bhargave, MD – You’re More Than What You Feel
Send us Fan MailThis is a repeat of episode 101 brought back as one of my favorite episode.Uncertainly, unceasing demands, and all around unrest can provoke the feelings of restlessness, a state of irritability, and intense worrying and general dissatisfaction. But clinically speaking, these feelings of being on the edge are the signs of anxiety and often when they exceed the threshold of bearabil
Ep. 134: Edward "Ned" Hallowell, M.D. - ADHD: Marvelous, Magical, and Manageable
Send us Fan MailIf you come across a Wall Street trader, an ER physician, a trial lawyer, a sky-diving instructor, a trapeze artist, or a stand-up comedian, more than likely there is a race-car brain that has been well channelled in spite of its high propensity for intense stimulation and a desire to live on the edge. Experts say that a perennially super-charged and “always on the go” ADHD mode ma
Ep. 133: Dr. Kelly Mahler - Interoception & Executive Function
Send us Fan MailOur body is a screen onto which our inner experiences are frequently projected. Authors, through their writings, vividly illustrate the imprint of the mind onto the body; for example, Caroline Hanson says “Nervousness made her feel nauseous, almost like she had two hearts frantically beating in her chest, instead of one.” The human interoception system processes the internal sensat
Ep. 132: George McCloskey, Ph.D. - Evolution of System 2
Send us Fan MailNobel prize winner behavioral economist, Daniel Kahneman's remarkable work brought the concepts of System 1 and System 2 into the mainstream. Contrary to the conventional wisdom which associates human capacity with rational thought and logical thinking (features of system 2), our system 1 (the autopilot) has a much stronger hold on our psyche. It is only the slower and deliber
Ep. 131: George McCloskey, Ph.D. - Self-Regulate to Self-Realize
Send us Fan MailIn her book Mirror: The History, author Sabine Melchoir-Bonnet tracks the curious journey of a tiny reflective glass once thought to be the most fascinating invention which over time eventually has gotten demoted to the status of an ordinary gimmick. The mirror that captures the presentation of self in everyday life comes through with its promise of unveiling fascinating yet terrif
