One of the most common questions I hear from clinicians working with students who avoid difficult tasks is:
“How do I make them care?”
You’ve probably worked with students like this.
You offer to give them something most students would enjoy after the work is finished, and they say they don’t care.
You try to make the activity more engaging, and they still refuse.
I once worked with a middle school student who was regularly described as lazy and unmotivated.
When academic work became difficult, he’d act silly, distract the other students, or act like he didn’t care about missing out on something fun later as a result of the choice he was making in the moment.
Trying harder to motivate him with bigger rewards, more engaging activities, or another explanation about why he needed to do the work wasn’t working.
We assume students need to be motivated first in order to engage and follow through.
But with students who struggle with executive functioning, that sequence can be backwards.
In the video below, I share what needs to happen before a student can develop the kind of motivation that helps them initiate and persist without someone constantly prompting or incentivizing them.
You’ll also learn why constantly increasing rewards or making every activity entertaining can backfire and why students sometimes need experience working through a challenge before intrinsic motivation can develop.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
▶️ Free training: How to Be Evidence-Based and Neurodiversity-Affirming by Supporting Executive Functioning: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/efleadership
▶️ This Student Argued Through Every Study Hall to Avoid Writing. Here are Three Things We Changed: https://youtu.be/saLjwFhc8pQ
▶️ Why Demand Avoidance Gets Worse When You Lower School Expectations (And What To Do Instead): https://youtu.be/pdJOnBTxvFQ
▶️ Task Planning & Execution Protocol: https://drkarenspeech.lpages.co/task-planning-execution-protocol-26-yt-1/
