How do I build an external brain for my child at home?

The short answer

An 'external brain' is informal shorthand for putting information and support into the environment. Start with one recurring task, not the whole household. Map what the child currently has to remember, notice, decide, find and check. Then move one or two of those jobs outside their head: keep materials at the point of use, use one trusted place for plans, pair a cue with the next action, and make finished visible. The child should be able to find and understand the system without an adult translating it each time. Test it on ordinary difficult days, remove duplicate reminders and change the part that fails. Independence can include using tools, automation and another person's agreed support; the goal is reliable participation and growing control, not unsupported performance.

• “External brain” is shorthand for an environmental support system, not a clinical treatment or diagnosis.
• Begin with one high-impact recurring task and map the hidden demands.
• Give each item, instruction and future action one trusted home where possible.
• A cue should lead directly to a retrievable next action.
• Build the child into the system as a user and designer, not the subject of adult monitoring.
• Judge the system by task access, prompts, conflict and sustainability on ordinary hard days.