Functional Individualized Therapy for Teenagers with Executive Deficits (FITTED)

The FITTED is a personalized intervention for the adolescent’s needs that provides tools for thinking and performing independently and effectively in daily functional goals.

The target population for the intervention is adolescents with challenges in daily functioning in each occupation area (daily functions, learning, play, leisure, and social participation) linked to possible deficiencies in the adolescent’s executive functioning.

Executive functioning deficits (EFDs) characterize populations with neurodevelopmental deficits that are not always detected on time and constitute a hidden disability, such as specific learning disabilities, attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder, developmental coordination disorder, and specific language difficulties disorder.

The conditions for participation in the intervention are a basic ability to read and write, average or higher cognitive ability, and the parents’ cooperation.

• To provide the adolescent with tools for thinking about the performance of daily functions and the ability to set goals and implement them through personalized strategies.
• To help raise the adolescent’s level of awareness of their strengths and their ability to use them to participate better in the various areas of occupation and in various settings.
• To create a process in which the adolescent independently chooses the goals and the strategies they prefers to use.
• To identify and analyze the various factors that characterize the adolescent and their environment and which can help them achieve the goals they have chosen, create personalized strategies and examine the way to their implementation.

• The intervention process includes eight sessions. The day and time of the meetings are determined in coordination with the adolescent, their parents and the occupational therapist (they can be held once every two weeks, according to the therapeutic need and the adolescent’s preference).
• One of the parents will be present in at least four intervention sessions, since the parents are the supportive and enabling environment for the adolescent regarding the implementation of the strategies and the achievement of the goals the adolescent has chosen.
• The adolescent is a full and active partner in the treatment process – both in choosing the treatment goals and in creating the strategies for their implementation.

Adolescents say

“I understood that I need to plan and read the instructions”

“I learned to think before I do things . . . ”

“If I work slowly and with a strategy, then good things happen”

“I learned to handle tasks independently”

Parents say

“I learned to help my daughter analyze processes and use the strategies she chose”

“I learned that my son is highly aware of his difficulties”

“I saw how my daughter’s ability was manifested”

“I understand better today the gap between the good ability and the low level of performance”

Any occupational therapist who knows the principles of the approach.

In the past there were several training courses. Another training course will take place in the coming year.

You can contact  yaelfo@ariel.ac.il

The approach has a manual and an appendix with a detailed case study.