IEP accommodations are supposed to help students access learning, but some supports can unintentionally make students more dependent on adult prompting.
Accommodations like extended time, preferential seating, break cards, reduced assignments, and frequent comprehension checks can absolutely be appropriate for students with disabilities. The problem is what happens when adults start doing the executive functioning for students instead of helping them build the skills to manage those supports more independently.
In this video, I break down how well-intentioned accommodations can contribute to prompt dependence, why more support isn’t always better support, and how to think about accommodations based on a student’s long-term goals. You’ll learn how to use IEP accommodations while still building executive functioning and independence.
You’ll also see how executive dysfunction changes the way we should think about prompting, time management, breaks, task completion, and independence—and why the goal isn’t simply removing accommodations. It’s using appropriate supports alongside a plan for developing the underlying skills students need.
CHAPTERS
[0:00] Are your student’s IEP accommodations helping?
[0:44] What “appropriate” IEP accommodations mean [1:30] Case study: When too much help hinders cognitive growth
[2:43] What needs to be paired with accommodations to reduce prompt dependence [3:08] The problem with shortened assignments
[4:01] When preferential seating and comprehension checks impact executive functioning
[5:31] How to implement accommodations that are actually useful
[6:00] Break cards: How to use them effectively [7:05] Extended time, seating, and reminders as adult strategies
[7:45] Setting accommodations based on the student’s future goals
[8:10] Why grades aren’t the only way to measure progress
[9:12] How do you fade prompting?
WATCH NEXT
▶️ ADHD Students Still Prompt Dependent Despite Timers and Visuals? Here’s What’s Missing https://youtu.be/6HoqE5PuT1M
▶️ Why Verbal Reminders & Timers Don’t Reduce Prompt Dependence in Students with Executive Dysfunction: https://youtu.be/NfLDhg6Bbu0
▶️ Task Planning & Execution Protocol: https://drkarenspeech.lpages.co/task-planning-execution-protocol-26-yt-1/
RESOURCES / LINKS
👉 Free training: How to Be Evidence-Based and Neurodiversity-Affirming by Supporting Executive Functioning: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/efleadership
Executive Functioning Implementation Guide for Schools: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/efguide
Learn how hundreds of clinicians are building scalable executive functioning interventions in the School of Clinical Leadership: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership
