STOP-A-TRON: RESPONSE INHIBITION
Examples of Response Inhibition Challenges
In the classroom, students with challenges with this executive skill are often interrupting, calling out without raising hands, exiting their seat and wandering around, making off-topic statements or comments, and distracting others.
During more unstructured times (e.g. recess, lunch, a free gym period), students may engage in rough play, blurt out inappropriate language, act out physically if upset, or appear to be unable to curb impulsive behaviours despite being cognizant of safety regulations.
About the Character
Stop-A-Tron is an amazing Inhibition Robot, and his best power is that he stops before he gets his best ideas. We often joked that in our classrooms Stop-A-Tron was the most overworked of all the executive function characters. We’d tell our students that he often got tired and had to step out for a coffee break or to take a nap. It was in these moments that students were more likely to forget about him and all of the strategies he had helped them learn. The most important feature of Stop-A-Tron is the giant stop sign on his chest. If students can remember to stop, no matter what the situation, then they are on the right track. Ideally, they will independently choose a strategy at this point. If students still require teacher coaching in order to try strategies, stopping gives them the opportunity to ask for help before a situation gets too difficult for them to manage on their own.