What is EF coaching?

At its core, EF coaching is the science and art of guiding learners to strengthen their own capacity to get things done.

What makes this process unique is that it focuses on empowering children and parents to do the heavy lifting through the repetition of habits like:

·       Plotting out deadlines

·       Organizing assignments into manageable chunks

·       Setting timers to task initiate

·       Updating teachers on progress or asking for extensions and feedback

·       And so much more...

When those habits are the center of the interaction with the child (rather than content), they blossom into essential skills that research tells us enhance the quality of life for students for decades to come.

For the informed educator, mental health professional or parent, it is quite obvious when a child is struggling with this skill set and common indicators may include:

·       Poor time management or time blindness

·       Emotional dysregulation

·       Chronic disorganization both of physical and digital items

·       Apprehension or avoidance of communicating with teachers

·       Decreased motivation due to constant overwhelm

·       Addiction to "unproductive" behaviors such as YouTubing or video gaming

·       Reduced problem-solving abilities

Oftentimes, due to the lack of abilities in the above areas, students have additional executive function challenges such as:

·       Diminished sense of self-worth

·       Low-grades

·       Decreased desire to continue with schooling past the required thresholds

·       Declining grades

·       Loneliness and feelings of isolation

·       Fragmented relationships with parents

Oftentimes, EF challenges will be connected to a more formal diagnosis of a learning disability or mental health challenge. These include:

·   ADHD

·       Traumatic brain injury

·       Anxiety

·       Depression

·       Dyslexia

·       Dyscalculia

·       Non-verbal learning disorder (NVLD)

·       Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

·       Tourette's syndrome

EF coaching is a designed alliance that empowers a person to improve their ability to experience successful outcomes in school and life. The alliance begins with an assessment of EF skills done by a coach or completed beforehand by an assessment professional. Once there is baseline data on the strengths, struggles and goals of the client, a support plan to enhance the essential abilities is developed with input from parents, teachers and other allied professionals. One key element in this alliance is that the child or young adult MUST be involved in the development of goals and the plan of service. When adults reasonably center the student's voice throughout this cycle, the child begins to take executive ownership of both the procedures and the outcomes. This plan should include ways to improve study skills, and self-management skills, as well as strategies to compensate for working memory challenges that are often associated with ADHD, anxiety, traumatic brain injury, and other disabling conditions that impact the executive functions.