‘Understanding and Supporting Executive Function in Classrooms’

Christie Meiklejohn is a neurodivergent (AuDHD) educator with over 20 years of experience. In those 20+ years she has performed a range of roles, including classroom teaching, school leadership, pedagogical coaching, and policy development at both regional and central levels in Education Queensland. She has been a project manager at Queensland University of Technology for three federally funded research projects, has completed post-graduate study in disability support, and is currently completing a HDR (higher degree – research) at Griffith University. Christie is the Head of Department – Curriculum and Gifted Education at a Brisbane state primary school and is a passionate advocate for under-served populations within schools. She is a leader and mentor for many within gifted education circles and has a wealth of knowledge and experience on providing curriculum adjustments and differentiated support for students with visible and invisible disabilities. 

Executive functioning is a term that can be often heard or used in education and health fields. Many practitioners have heard of it, or are aware of it, but are not sure what it means or the implications for classrooms if a child has under-developed executive function and/or executive dysfunction. This presentation will clarify what executive functions are and why it is important for parents, teachers and support staff to understand and support students’s executive functioning. It will provide examples of simple yet highly effective strategies that teachers and support staff can use to support students and that parents can use when they advocate for their children.