Core Skills Analysis
Therapy
Will met with his therapist and worked on goals related to executive functioning and social skills. At age 14, he explored ways to strengthen skills that support organizing, planning, managing tasks, and interacting with others, as addressed in his session. The activity provided a structured opportunity to build self-awareness and practice skills relevant to everyday situations. His participation showed engagement with personal growth and learning.
Tips
Tips Extend Will’s goals through a weekly planner activity: have him choose a task, break it into steps, and reflect on what helped him stay organized. Try a low-pressure role-play of everyday social situations, such as joining a group conversation, and discuss respectful ways to listen and respond. A cooperative cooking, building, or game activity can combine planning with turn-taking and communication. Invite Will to choose one strategy to practice between sessions and note how it worked for him.
Book Recommendations
- The Executive Functioning Workbook for Teens by Sharon A. Hansen: A practical workbook with activities that help teens develop organization, time management, and other executive-function skills.
- The Social Skills Guidebook: Manage Shyness, Improve Your Conversations, and Make Friends, Without Giving Up Who You Are by Chris MacLeod: An accessible guide to conversation, social confidence, and building connections while staying authentic.
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey: A teen-focused guide to goal setting, personal responsibility, communication, and working effectively with others.
Learning Standards
- English Language Arts — 9.C.1 and 9.C.1.A: Will’s social-skills goals connect broadly to participating in collaborative discussions and building a learning community; the activity itself involved a therapy session focused on those goals, rather than a reported classroom discussion.
- English Language Arts — 9.C.1.B: The social-skills focus is relevant to listening and responding appropriately, although specific practice was not described.
- Alignment note: These are conceptual connections to the supplied Grade 9 Virginia SOL. The description does not establish that Will completed a specific standards-based lesson or demonstrate mastery.
Try This Next
- Executive-function planner: break one chosen task into steps, estimate time, and check off progress.
- Social-situation role-play cards: practice listening, joining a conversation, and responding kindly.
- Reflection prompt: “Which strategy helped me organize or connect with someone today?”