The Execs: Job Descriptions.
Self-Regulation
Meet Self-Regulation, she is the CEO of Cammy’s brain house. Her job is to ensure that the brain house is a calm and safe place for the execs to live and work. Her responsibilities include setting realistic goals for the execs, ensuring that they know exactly what their role is as individuals as well as supporting them to work effectively and efficiently as a team. She is constantly monitoring Cammy’s stress levels to ensure that they have a positive working environment so that they can all do their jobs. She is a bit like the captain of the ship, trying to sail through choppy waters while keeping her vessel on track and her crew on task. Self-Regulation, like her fellow execs, isn’t fully qualified yet, she’s still in training. That together with their brain house still being under construction and Cammy’s unique ‘wiring’, Self-Regulation quite often doesn’t manage to see the challenges coming until they are upon her. This sets off the panic button and the execs are evacuated from their brain house, yet again!
Organisation
Meet Organisation. When she in on top form, Cammy’s room is tidy, his school bag is packed, Cammy knows where to find things, in general everything runs smoothly and there is no nagging from the adults. Unfortunately, Cammy’s day can feel so overwhelming sometimes, that Organisation becomes completely disorganised! This has a knock-on effect with the other execs leaving Organisation with the tricky task of trying to keep track of commitments and responsibilities when the brain house is in chaos.
Task Initiation
Meet Task Initiation. His job is to make sure that Cammy focuses on what needs to be done and then gets started. No procrastination, no distractions, no day dreaming! Task Initiation quite often works alongside Working Memory, Organisation and Prioritisation’s team. If Task Initiation isn’t completely focused on his work, Cammy ends up finding all sorts of other things to do rather than getting started, and then he can’t even remember what the job was in the first place. Sometimes when the panic button is activated, and Task Initiation must evacuate the brain house, Cammy can get really frustrated or becomes overwhelmed and withdrawn.
Flexible Thinking
Meet Flexible Thinking. She would love to introduce different shades into Cammy’s black and white world but unfortunately her colour palate is very limited at the moment. Change, unpredictability, beginnings, endings, surprises and other people’s opinions all come under Flexible Thinking’s remit. She is working tirelessly with the other execs to explore different outcomes that don’t activate the panic button. It’s not easy as the wiring in Cammy’s brain house is quite unique and it can be difficult to install new connections.
Working Memory
Meet Working Memory. His job is to hold onto information in real time, keeping Cammy engaged to ensure that instructions are followed, and routines are carried out. His job is super important, especially when Cammy is at school. He must help Cammy remember what his teacher has said during lessons, what is happening now and next and even keeping the thread of conversations and discussions. Working Memory can sometimes struggle with this in Cammy’s brain house and needs lots of reminders, repetition and visual supports to help.
Prioritisation
Meet Prioritisation. Her role is to ensure that there is a clear plan in place so that Cammy can figure out what has to be done and the best order to do it in. Sometimes Cammy has trouble getting started or figuring out what to do first, Prioritisation helps with this. She helps Cammy see the bigger picture, let go of the little deal stuff and concentrate on what needs to be done to get the job finished.
Time Management
Meet Time Management. He is like a walking, talking clock. His job is to think ahead about what needs to be done to ensure that Cammy spends just the right amount of time on each job to make sure that they are all finished on time. He needs to help Cammy predict how long a task might take and plan accordingly. Sometimes Cammy completely loses track of time and is often running late, which is a problem for Self-Regulation. Time Management is working hard trying to ensure that Cammy completes his tasks on time, but it’s not always easy.
Impulse Control
Meet Impulse Control. She works closely with Self-Regulation. When Self-Regulation is on top of the stress responses, Impulse Control is, well, in control! She is dampening those subconscious impulses, allowing the other execs to predict, plan, respond intentionally and make decisions that will work in Cammy’s favour. The problem is, when Self-Regulation is awash with stress responses and the panic button has been activated, Impulse Control is no longer in charge. Fight, Flight and Freeze take over the control panel which sometimes causes Cammy to shout, hit, kick or push.
Self-Monitoring
Meet Self-Monitoring. Cammy tends to speed through tasks which means he doesn’t pick up on mistakes or bother about the detail. Self-Monitoring is working really hard to help him with this. Self-Monitoring is also teaching Cammy to ‘read the room’ better to avoid him saying or doing things that might offend others. The problem is that Cammy isn’t aware of how his behaviour impacts on other people and this can sometimes get him into all sorts of trouble. Self-Monitoring knows that this will all take time and accepts Cammy for what he can do rather than focusing on the mistakes he has made.
Attention and Focus
Meet Attention and Focus. His job is to get Cammy on task help him stay on task. This can be tricky as sometimes there are so many connections ‘firing’ at the one time in Cammy’s brain house, that it impossible for Attention and Focus to know where to start and what to prioritise, this results in Cammy getting easily distracted, fidgeting and moving around a lot and not starting or finishing tasks. This can be an issue, especially at school. Just when Attention and Focus thinks he is on top of the job, and only one connection is firing, a different problem arises. He then can’t seem to activate any other connections, which means that Cammy is ‘stuck’ focusing on one thing which then becomes all consuming.