Executive Function Rehab and Indexing

So, much of Maddi’s recovery now seems invisible and to the outsider it is hard to track. I thought that I would share with you the most effective rehab tool I have found for Executive Function.

Just a quick review, Executive Function is the ability to make decisions, analyze information, utilize that information in a reasonable way and come up with a plan and follow it through to completion. This is my layman’s definition. This is where the bulk our work is being done.

These decision skills are gradually developed through day by day trial and error but they are the basis for independent life and good decision making. Good decision lead to a happy life and I don’t want to think about the alternative.

Any parent who has watched the “brain fairy” come and take their teenager’s brain for any length of time can attest to the necessity of those skills and the anxiety that is created when they don’t have them.

Knowing what the needs were I went looking for a way to provide lots of practice. Games are great but the motivation to play is built into the activity. Often we are expected to utilized our Executive Function abilities even when the motivation or desire is missing. Sometimes the decisions also are difficult and in real life there aren’t any game cheats.

As I was pondering the need and how to approach it, I went to do some indexing as I often do when something is bothering me. Some of you might know what I am talking about but some may have no idea. The small of it is that indexing is taking hand written historical documents and putting them into a digital format. It is a huge project that is worldwide in its efforts

I happen to love doing Census documents. You look at the document and type in the names, relationships, ages, birth places and immigration dates. I love doing this mostly because it quiets my brain and I feel like I am giving service but I can do it in my “jammies” if I want.

Anyway, I was engaged in this work not really thinking about anything in particular., I can usually do a “batch” of 50 names is less than 30 minutes, I started to feel a swelling, an odd sense of A-ha and a deep understanding for a new application of indexing.

Now I have been dedicated to indexing for more than two years I have completed more than 25,000 names. That may not seem like many compared to the obsessed indexer but for me with a full time job and a house full of teenagers I am amazed I could do even that many. A new perspective was opening up for me. I began to see how indexing was my answer for Maddi’s Executive Function needs.

My passion for indexing has always been huge but now my love has gone from just service oriented to personally driven. My desire to serve has always been present but I never expected this particular service to bless me in such a personal and important way.

It was impressed on my mind that if Maddi would get involved in this activity she would be exercising her Executive Function skills and those skills would improve. She would have to:

• set goals


• look carefully at the information


• make decisions based on what she sees


• decipher some pretty bad handwriting at times stretching her reasoning skills


• follow through and track across the lines of the documents


• And in indexing proofreading isn’t optional but mandatory.


• Pay careful attention to details


• Stay committed to finishing the task

So, armed with a very real testimony that my prayers had been answered and that doing the indexing would help Maddi, I had to convince her to try it. Indexing is really not that hard but it can be complicated but most teens see it as cumbersome and tedious or they would just rather do something else.

Well, to make a long story short, Maddi agreed to do one batch every day. I think she has completed almost 1000 names. Her first batch of 50 names took more than 2 hours to complete she now can complete a batch in less than 1 hour.

In the beginning I sat right with her to check her work to be sure she was accurate, now I sit next to her with my own batches going and just review when she has a question. She is doing awesome!

What started out as a non-negotiable part of our day has now become something I find her doing when she is bored with nothing to do. I think she actually likes it! I love that she will dedicate that time to service and that it is helping her improve her abilities to make decision and reason things out in her mind.

If you want to join the worldwide effort go to this website, http://indexing.familysearch.org/

Everything you need to know is there to be a part of this great work! It is free and all you have to do is sign up.

These documents are used in genealogical research and for those looking for their long lost ancestors for whatever reason.

I am grateful for the valuable bit of inspiration I received that day. I am thrilled that she was willing to try it. I am glad that God was willing to answer my prayer and provide me with a tool to help her.