Refusals, disruptive behaviors, and self-regulation

The skills needed to enhance cognitive flexibility are amongst the most challenging skills for children to master. They are also the most challenging skill for adults to teach. The main reason why it’s so hard for children to master flexibility is because emotions and language skills are also implicated. shifting cognitive set is not just one unitary skill. It’s a skill that also requires regulation of emotions, having the language needed to self-regulate, and having the cognitive flexibility to know when self-regulation is needed. It’s a triad of skills, not just one skill.

the other reason why shifting cognitive set is so hard to teach is because the emotionality of the is because teh adults who are supposed to do the teaching so often struggle with the same skill set. just as it’s not possible to teach a child how to read if you have not also mastered reading, it’s very challenging to teach a child the skill of cognitive flexibility and self-regulation if you have also not mastered that skill set. Don’t be disappointed if you are not a good teacher yet. You might not have had good coaching in self-regulation when you were a child. So, why should you be good as a teacher?