Monthly Tips

Each month, a Thinking Organized tip is emailed to our growing list of educators, parents and students who want to improve their executive functioning skills.

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Understanding Your PSAT/NMSQT Score

October 20, 2022

This month, thousands of students across the country registered to take the PSAT/NMSQT. This exam provides students and their parents with insight into their strengths and weaknesses so that they can prepare for the SAT or ACT by targeting specific areas that need improvement. However, understanding PSAT scores can be challenging; there are so many numbers and types of scores provided that it can be overwhelming to determine what exactly a student should focus on when they begin studying for the SAT or ACT. If you are unsure as to how to read your child’s PSAT test scores, Thinking Organized is here to help!

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Erica MechlinskiUnderstanding Your PSAT/NMSQT Score

New School Year, New Me: How to Effectively Stay Organized and Focused

September 13, 2022

Welcome back to school! Summer has truly flown by, and students are slowly transitioning back into school mode. To start the academic year off on the right foot, it is important for students to be organized and demonstrate strong time management skills. Yet as we know, that is sometimes easier said than done. Many students often struggle to adjust back to school, where they find it challenging to submit work on time, to feel motivated, and to stay focused. Anxiety levels tend to run high, which can lead to a difficult school year. However, there are several steps that your children can take in order to avoid this stress and have a successful school year.

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Erica MechlinskiNew School Year, New Me: How to Effectively Stay Organized and Focused

Effectively Preparing for a New School Year

August 16, 2022
We’re in the midst of the dog days of summer, but this hot month means only one thing: that the new school year is almost upon us. Many students will likely tell you that they are still on vacation and do not need to think about school yet. This is understandable; after the first full year of in-person learning since the COVID-19 pandemic started, students deserve a break from the rigors of academia. However, waiting until the night before school begins to start thinking about academics can be detrimental to students’ success. To prepare effectively for the new school year, there are several steps that your children can take.

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Erica MechlinskiEffectively Preparing for a New School Year

Preparing for Standardized Tests

July 21, 2022
With schools wrapped up for the academic year, summer is often a time when parents can finally sit back and plan ahead. One of the most frequent questions that parents have during this time of year is how they can be proactive in helping their children prepare for the SAT/ACT. If an actual prep course is still a few years in the future, there are still plenty of ways for parents to get their children ready not only for the SAT or ACT, but for other exams, such as the SSAT and the HSPT.

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Erica MechlinskiPreparing for Standardized Tests

A Time to Look Back and Plan Ahead

June 14, 2022
Summer break is days away, and many students are ready to close their laptops, toss their backpacks into the closet, and not think about school for eight weeks. While we certainly advocate for breaks and vacation, it is also important for students to engage in self-reflection so that they can make adjustments for a successful return to school. This exercise can help your children identify strengths and weaknesses while also helping them think through the best approaches to tackle both easy and difficult tasks.

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Erica MechlinskiA Time to Look Back and Plan Ahead

Preventing the Summer Slide

May 16, 2022

The end of the school year is almost upon us, and many students are daydreaming of weeks spent relaxing and sleeping over the summer. While taking a break from the stresses of academia is certainly needed, completely distancing oneself from school can be counterproductive. The dreaded “summer slide” tells us that students who do not work on core skills, such as reading and writing, over the summer, will be at a disadvantage when the new academic year begins. They will have to make up for those months of lost learning and might constantly feel as though they are playing catch-up. To help combat the summer slide. Thinking Organized is offering fun, individual-based programs designed by your very own children!

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Erica MechlinskiPreventing the Summer Slide

Music & Executive Functioning

April 22, 2022
When you think about music and executive functioning skills, you may see them as two topics with little possibilities of intersection. After all, the excitement level for both is radically different and the willingness to engage with one is probably higher. I will be honest: until about a year ago, I counted myself as those who thought this way. However, since learning how to play the drums, I have come to understand that, as many reputable scholars have stated, “Learning music involves all the aspects that account for an effective training of executive functions.”[1] Music and executive functioning skills overlap in fascinating ways and reinforce the importance of building necessary life skills in fun ways.
[1] Diamond, Adele, and Kathleen Lee. “Interventions shown to aid executive function development in children 4 to 12 years old.” Science (New York, N.Y.) vol. 333,6045 (2011): 959-64. doi:10.1126/science.1204529

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Erica MechlinskiMusic & Executive Functioning

COVID-19 and Cognition: Executive Function Struggles Following COVID

March 21, 2022
We are two years into a pandemic, and by now most of us have either contracted COVID-19 or know somebody who has. The serious effects of COVID, especially among those hospitalized or severely ill with the virus, are becoming more and more known. Less widely known are the potentially lasting effects that the coronavirus can have on those with only mild or moderate cases. There is evidence to suggest that cognition can be impacted in healthy individuals with a prior case of COVID. Many people may be unaware that COVID can impact their cognitive skills, and therefore feel confused or upset when changes in their memory or attention occur. These new difficulties have been described as having “COVID fog” or “COVID brain.” Awareness of the impacts of COVID on cognition can be an important step in helping people to overcome any new challenges that they may face post-COVID.

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Erica MechlinskiCOVID-19 and Cognition: Executive Function Struggles Following COVID

Motivation in the Age of COVID-19

February 15, 2022
We all struggle with motivation sometimes. With many schools and workplaces moving back and forth from in-person to virtual, it can feel like we have lost progress in getting back to “normal.” The next few months will be cold, and the days will still be short, but we need to use this time wisely to complete our work and keep moving forward. However, what if we find ourselves playing videogames or sitting on the couch avoiding our work instead? When we perceive a task as too challenging or tedious, we tend to lose motivation and seek every opportunity to avoid it. In the age of COVID-19, where our schedules are still a bit erratic and life is anything but “normal,” it can be hard to maintain motivation to complete tasks that we just do not view as important. Here are some ideas to help you regain that momentum and productivity to make it to spring break and beyond.

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Erica MechlinskiMotivation in the Age of COVID-19

Concussions: How Speech-Language Pathologists Can Help

January 18, 2022
Concussions are a common injury, especially in children and adolescents. They can result from many different situations, including sports injuries, car accidents, and falls. Although many concussion symptoms resolve without intervention, some children may experience persisting challenges. These challenges often become apparent when students return to school and increasing academic demands place stress on their cognitive load. In fact, it is estimated that 145,000 children and adolescents in the United States are living with lasting cognitive, physical, or behavioral effects that can impact them at school and into adulthood.

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Erica MechlinskiConcussions: How Speech-Language Pathologists Can Help