
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
Given the function $f(x) = 4\sin^2 x + \sin\left(2x + \frac{\pi}{6}\right) - 2$,
$(1)$ Determine the interval over which $f(x)$ is strictly decreasing;
$(2)$ Find the maximum value of $f(x)$ on the interval $[0, \frac{\pi}{2}]$ and determine the value(s) of $x$ at which the maximum value occurs.

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
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