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ADHD glossary · Family perspectives

Cognitive flexibility examples: a family Plan A / Plan B guide

Read an attributed cognitive-flexibility definition, then explore a completed family backup plan and simple scripts for a sudden change or an interrupted task.

Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child describes cognitive flexibility as adapting one's thinking when demands, priorities, or viewpoints change. [1] We use that definition as the context for an everyday planning question: when a plan changes, what is the new plan, what stays the same, and whose view has not been heard?

By RDY Editorial · Prepared

General education and practical perspectives. Editorial standards.

At a glance

What it is
Harvard's guide describes adapting your mental approach when a situation or viewpoint changes. [1]
What it is not
A requirement to like every change, a measure of someone's worth, or a way for this page to assess a person.
Try next
Choose one shared plan and write a possible alternative beside it. Ask each person what they would need to know if the plan changed.

Keep the definition separate from the example

The Harvard guide discusses executive-function activities from infancy through adolescence; we cite its definition of cognitive flexibility. [1] Our Plan A / Plan B note is RDY's organization idea. It is not a test, an exercise validated by that guide, or a claim about improving an ADHD-related skill.

Name the change in concrete terms

Imagine that a family planned a trip to the park, but the park is closed. Instead of 'You need to be flexible,' our suggested wording is, 'The park is closed. We can choose the library or go home.' That is an illustrative script, not a promise about how someone will respond. Leave room for the person to dislike the change while you discuss what happens next.

Separate the fixed detail from your preference

On a shared plan, write which detail you believe is fixed and check that assumption together. An appointment time may be set while the person has a preference about which bag to bring. A parent's preferred order of getting ready might be open to discussion. Say which is which, and do not describe a choice as open if you have already ruled every alternative out.

Give Plan B enough detail to discuss

A backup can be one sentence: 'If the park is closed, we will ask whether everyone wants the library or home.' Add the information your group asks for, such as who will send an update or where to meet. There is no need to write a backup for the whole day. This is an optional note for one shared decision.

A completed Plan A / Plan B example

In this invented family, Plan A is to leave home at 3:30 for the park and meet a grandparent there. They discuss a backup before leaving: if the park is closed, one adult will contact the grandparent while the child and adult choose between the library and home. The sibling has a separate commitment, so their ride is confirmed separately. The note records a shared decision; it does not predict how anyone will feel about it.

  • Plan A: meet at the park after leaving home at 3:30.
  • Change to check: is the park open?
  • Plan B choices: library or home, if both are available.
  • Update owner: the adult who agreed to contact the grandparent.
  • Separate arrangement: confirm the sibling's ride directly.
  • Afterward: ask whether anyone received the update too late.

Words for a sudden change or an interrupted task

For a sudden change, you could try, 'The plan has changed: ___. We know ___. We still need to decide ___. What information are you missing?' For returning to an interrupted task, try, 'We left off at ___. Do you want to return to that step or first check the plan?' These are wording options. They leave room for a person to disagree, ask a question, or need a different arrangement without scoring their response.

Ask what was unclear after the change

A later check-in could ask, 'When did you hear the plan had changed?' and 'Was there a choice you wanted us to consider?' Keep answers distinct. A sibling may have missed a message; a teen may have had another commitment; a grandparent may have been waiting at the original pickup point. We use these scenes to show different coordination questions, not to infer anyone's mental process.

RDY action

Write one Plan A / Plan B note

Our optional template is a way to record a shared plan, not a cognitive test.

  1. Write the current plan in one sentence.
  2. Name the detail you believe cannot change and check it with the people involved.
  3. Write one alternative you are willing to discuss.
  4. Agree who will communicate a change and where the update will appear.
  5. Afterward, ask whether anyone was missing information or wanted a different option.

Check in: Could each person tell which plan was current and what had actually been agreed?

Decide what fits

Do you know in advance that the plan might change?
Ask whether the people involved want a backup note, then choose where they will find an update.
Has a plan already changed?
State the new information and ask which remaining choices need a decision. Avoid treating a person's reaction as agreement.
Do two people prefer different alternatives?
Write both preferences before discussing the shared decision. Name which details belong to each person to choose.
Are you looking for an explanation of someone's behavior?
This page does not assess a person's cognitive flexibility or explain why a transition was difficult. Use the note only for the planning conversation it describes.

Leave room for a real choice

  • Do not call a person inflexible just because they dislike the proposed plan.
  • Do not offer alternatives you will not actually consider.
  • Do not use the template as a score for a child or partner.
  • Do not infer ADHD or any other diagnosis from the way someone responds to a change.

Different perspectives

The same situation can feel different depending on your place in the family. Start with the perspective that fits, and make room for the other person’s account.

person navigating the change

Ask for the information you need before agreeing to the new plan.

Try: Try: 'What changed, and which part can I still choose?'

child

You can point to the current plan and ask what happens next.

Try: Choose a picture or a few words for each of the real options.

teen

Make room for your other commitments and preferences in the updated plan.

Try: Ask when a decision becomes final and tell the group which detail affects your own schedule.

parent or caregiver

Name the changed fact without using it as a judgment of the child's reaction.

Try: Say what is different, then ask which part they want clarified.

sibling

Check that your own plan has been included when the family's arrangement changes.

Try: Ask where updates will be shared so you do not have to relay them for everyone.

partner

Separate a genuine time constraint from your preferred way to do the task.

Try: Ask which parts of the new plan you each want to choose.

grandparent

Confirm the current version of a pickup or visit plan.

Try: Agree who will contact you if the time or location changes.

educator

Give the changed activity and its first step clear names.

Try: Show which part of the day's plan has changed and ask what information students are missing.

Questions you may have

What does cognitive flexibility mean on this page?

We use Harvard's description of adapting your mental approach to a changed situation or perspective. [1] We do not assess an individual through the examples.

Is the Plan A / Plan B note meant to improve a cognitive skill?

We make no such claim. It is an optional way to write down a plan, an alternative, and who will communicate an update.

Does everyone have to like the new plan?

Our template asks what is understood and agreed, not whether everyone likes the change. Leave preferences and disagreements visible.

Evidence and limitations

Harvard's Center on the Developing Child is credited for the neutral definition. The planning note and household scenes are RDY's own proposed examples, separate from the activities in the cited guide.

Limits: The guide's scope runs from infancy through adolescence. We do not present the adult examples as findings from that source or claim that the note improves cognitive flexibility, ADHD symptoms, or any health outcome.

Sources and what they support

These sources support the specific statements identified below. Our practical exercises are suggestions to consider, not evidence of a treatment effect.

  1. Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University.

    Activities Guide: Enhancing and Practicing Executive Function Skills with Children from Infancy to Adolescence — Harvard University

    Source type: academic educational guide.

    Published May 6, 2014. The definition is in the guide's introduction, printed page 1 (PDF page 2). Accessed .

    Source check, September 5, 2026: The publisher's page and original linked PDF were opened on September 5, 2026. The definition was checked in the introduction. Only that definition is used; the guide does not evaluate RDY's Plan A / Plan B note.

    Supports: The neutral definition of cognitive flexibility. Not evidence that RDY's planning note changes cognitive skills or ADHD symptoms.

    Correction check: No correction or retraction notice found in the accessed publisher material or focused publisher-site search. This is not exhaustive retraction-database clearance.

    Open the cited passage in the original document

Disclosures

  • Attributed terminology and optional organization ideas. No assessment or promised cognitive benefit.

Updates and corrections

Published .

Found a factual error or something unclear? Use the contact route on our Trust page. Read our research method for the evidence approach.