NYC Special Education Attorney Adam Dayan explores the critical role of Executive Functioning along with Social and Emotional Learning in a conversation with Randall Klein, education strategist and Director of Educational Services at Pediatric Assessment and Learning Support (PALS), on The Curious Incident Podcast. Randall shares her belief that every student can thrive when provided with the right tools, time, and trust, advocating for a whole-child approach that integrates social, emotional, and academic development. She explains how executive functioning—the brain’s self-management system—shapes organization, time management, planning, and emotional regulation, and how challenges in these areas often appear as misunderstood behaviors rather than willful defiance. Offering practical strategies such as using checklists, breaking tasks into smaller steps, practicing time estimation, and asking curiosity-driven questions, Randall encourages parents and educators to help students understand how they learn best, embrace mistakes, and develop resilience. She also describes the benefits of creative, low-pressure activities like Lego projects and improv to build problem-solving, flexibility, and collaboration, emphasizing that these “soft” skills—often the most challenging to master—are vital for lifelong success.