Strengthening Executive Functions through Play: Insights from Carol Brown of Equipping Minds

Curious if OT could help your child's struggles?  Download Why Choose OT to find out!  -- I am welcoming Carol Brown, an expert in neuroscience and the founder of Equipping Minds. This episode dives into Carol's inspiring journey, motivated by her experiences and research, to better understand and enhance executive functioning. Carol shares how her personal experiences as a mother led to the development of the Equipping Minds cognitive development curriculum, which is being used globally to support individuals from children to seniors facing various cognitive challenges. The conversation explores the vital differences between academic and cognitive skills, emphasizing the importance of strengthening core executive functions such as inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. In this episode you'll hear about: Carol's motivation: educating herself and her children Working with children and families with struggles Son's traumatic birth and need for intervention Recognition of unmet needs in cognitive development Carol's background in neuroscience Transition from strategies to direct strengthening of executive functions Foundation of Equipping Minds in 2009 Use and reach of Equipping Minds curriculum Identification of cognitive skills as foundational Overview of executive functioning Inhibitory control, attention, self-control Working memory and cognitive flexibility Handling the question of "fixing" a child Emphasis on whole-brain development Aligning training with the child's goals and aspirations Explanation of Equipping Minds cards and games How activities help with processing speed and cognitive training Encouragement to start using the materials and accessing resources Links and Resources From Today's Show Why Should I Seek Occupational Therapy? Equipping Minds Website NCBI- WWW Error Blocked Diagnostic ESQ-R Self Report Assessment Tool- Smart but Scattered Kids The Brown Model of ADD/ADHD Connect with Sarah on Instagram Episode 9: The Impact of Music on Executive Functioning: A Homeschooling Perspective Episode 12: Executive Functioning in Homeschooling: A Teenager's Experience with Organization and Planning Episode 25: Understanding Hippotherapy: Therapeutic Equestrian Activities for Children's Development Episode 42: Executive Functioning Skills for Families: Holiday Edition What Are Executive Functioning Skills? Is My Child Ready To Handle Current Events? Field Trips Can Build Executive Function Skills Connect with our Guest, Carol Brown Dr. Carol Brown has over 40 years of experience as a principal, teacher, cognitive-developmental therapist, social worker, reading and learning specialist, speaker, special needs consultant, and mother. She is a contributing author in the book Neuroscience and Christian Formation and Human Development: Equipping Minds with Cognitive Development, Equipping Minds Cognitive Development Curriculum, and School Violence and Primary Prevention. She has served as a learning specialist, teacher, principal, and head of school in classical Christian schools in North Carolina, Georgia, Northern Virginia, and Lyon, France. Carol trains public, private, and homeschool educators in the Equipping Minds Cognitive Development Curriculum she created.