For students who struggle with executive functioning, writing can be difficult and overwhelming. Skills like organization, planning, attention, and self-regulation are critical to writing success. Without these, producing quality written work can feel impossible.
Fortunately, WritingKey™ transforms the writing process by breaking it into short, manageable tasks. This unique writing program helps students overcome the barriers that typically block their progress.
Overcoming the Overwhelm: Breaking Down Assignments
More often than not, students with executive functioning difficulties feel like they don't know where to start when it comes to longer, multi-step assignments and projects. As a result, they can end up sitting in front of an assignment for extended periods of time without moving forward at all. Parents may come into the room only to find their student has not made any progress at all. This is in large part due to the feeling of being overwhelmed with the project as a whole. Students have trouble seeing how they can break the overall assignment down into simpler tasks that can be much simpler and far more manageable. WritingKey™ has been shown to help students who fit this profile by giving them a method that they can use no matter the type of writing required of them. They can go into assignments feeling confident they will be able to apply the process they have learned and find success like they never have before.
Short, Targeted Lessons That Boost Engagement
The format of the WritingKey™ videos also lends itself to promoting retention in students who struggle with executive functioning. Because they are short and to the point, students who might otherwise procrastinate sitting down and learning something new that will ultimately improve their writing can motivate themselves to do just that. Each lesson was specifically designed to be long enough to convey the information needed, but not so long as to lose the attention of students and cause them to dread each time they go on to a new lesson.
Addressing Working Memory Challenges
Many students with executive functioning challenges also struggle with working memory. They may find it difficult to hold and manipulate multiple ideas at once—a critical skill for writing. WritingKey™ offers visual aids and a clear process that allows students to focus on one idea at a time. This compartmentalization improves focus, reduces mental overload, and helps students develop richer, more thoughtful writing.
WritingKey™ does exactly that. Students learn a process that allows them to compartmentalize the various ideas they have, allowing them to focus on only one idea at a time. With this increased focus on just one idea, they can dig deeper into the topic and develop richer, more mature analyses of topics.
Building Confidence and Success with WritingKey™
By giving students a clear, repeatable process, WritingKey™ empowers them to tackle any type of writing with greater organization and clarity. This structured approach reduces the feeling of overwhelm, boosts confidence, and ultimately leads to higher-quality writing. Students who once struggled to get started can now approach assignments knowing exactly how to break them down and progress step by step, fostering academic success and a stronger sense of self-efficacy.
How WritingKey™ Helps Students with Executive Functioning
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Breaks Down Complex Tasks
Turns the writing process into short, achievable steps so students never feel overwhelmed. -
Offers Structured Visual Aids
Provides clear, repeatable frameworks that free up working memory and help students organize their thoughts. -
Encourages Focus and Motivation
Short, targeted lessons are more engaging for students who struggle with sustaining attention, reducing procrastination. -
Builds Self-Confidence
Gives students a clear path to follow, reducing anxiety and boosting their belief in their own abilities. -
Promotes Better Organization
Teaches practical methods for brainstorming, structuring paragraphs, and refining ideas so students can tackle writing systematically. -
Enhances Editing Skills
Guides students through a streamlined process to check their work for errors, reducing frustration and improving final results. -
Allows for Consistent Progress
By applying the same core strategies to various types of writing, students see ongoing, measurable improvement over time.
Executive Functioning FAQs
What is executive functioning, and how does it affect writing?
Executive functioning includes organization, planning, attention, and self-regulation. Struggles in these areas can make writing assignments feel overwhelming. WritingKey™ provides a step-by-step structure to simplify the process.
My child often feels overwhelmed and stuck at the start of writing assignments. How can WritingKey™ help?
WritingKey™ eliminates the overwhelm by providing students with clear, structured steps they can easily follow. By breaking down larger assignments into shorter tasks, students know exactly where to begin, helping them overcome initial anxiety and start writing confidently.