Can't Afford an Executive Functioning Coach

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What exactly does an EF coach do? This is what I don’t understand

What does an EF coach do to assist in learning global EF skills not related to school work?

If an EF coach is focused on school work and they see the child 1x per week, how do they know what assignments are due or should be studied for? Does this presume that the student wrote down their assignments/test dates while in school?

My child's EF coach has her own "parent" account for Google classroom and gets alerts when something isn't submitted on time. During sessions, she looks at the student view of Google classroom with my child. It misses assignments not on Google classroom, but they catch 99% of assignments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What exactly does an EF coach do? This is what I don’t understand

What does an EF coach do to assist in learning global EF skills not related to school work?

If an EF coach is focused on school work and they see the child 1x per week, how do they know what assignments are due or should be studied for? Does this presume that the student wrote down their assignments/test dates while in school?

My child's EF coach has her own "parent" account for Google classroom and gets alerts when something isn't submitted on time. During sessions, she looks at the student view of Google classroom with my child. It misses assignments not on Google classroom, but they catch 99% of assignments.

Interesting. That would explain how the EF coaches know what's going on in school. Does your childs coach only focus on school related tasks or do they do other things? For example, thinking through how much time it takes to get from A to B. Or thinking that you should pack a snack if you have an activity from 4-8pm. Maybe realizing that if you don't do laundry tonight, you won't have any clean clothes tomorrow? Or developing the ability to see that they have scheduled too many things back to back or overlapping and they can't possibly be everywhere at once?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are more reasonably priced coaches you can arrange online from less expensive areas of the country

Any suggestions. All ones I have search charge high fees.

[Anonymous]

That would be me. It's time-consuming, but free!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do I find such a person? Is there a National certification org?

Fwiw, I was quoted 150/45 min

We found our son's coach through this organization:
https://www.adhdcoaches.org/find-your-coach

[Anonymous]

ADDitude online magazine has free webinars. These are often taught by people who have companies that do EF coaching. Need to know exactly what you are looking for. Our experience was not great with head strong kids. Had a coach with ADHD that was triggered by kid and couldn’t be the adult in the situation. So would suggest only paying for a few sessions to see if it will work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What exactly does an EF coach do? This is what I don’t understand

What does an EF coach do to assist in learning global EF skills not related to school work?

If an EF coach is focused on school work and they see the child 1x per week, how do they know what assignments are due or should be studied for? Does this presume that the student wrote down their assignments/test dates while in school?

My child's EF coach has her own "parent" account for Google classroom and gets alerts when something isn't submitted on time. During sessions, she looks at the student view of Google classroom with my child. It misses assignments not on Google classroom, but they catch 99% of assignments.

Interesting. That would explain how the EF coaches know what's going on in school. Does your childs coach only focus on school related tasks or do they do other things? For example, thinking through how much time it takes to get from A to B. Or thinking that you should pack a snack if you have an activity from 4-8pm. Maybe realizing that if you don't do laundry tonight, you won't have any clean clothes tomorrow? Or developing the ability to see that they have scheduled too many things back to back or overlapping and they can't possibly be everywhere at once?

Mostly school-related stuff, but that includes time management and balance with other activities. She'd probably work on the other things if I asked, but management of school work is my highest priority.

[Anonymous]

Not the OP but in a similar boat. Does anyone have any good books for this? Other than unstuck and on target?

[Anonymous]

Recommending the podcast from Emily Kircher-Morris called The Neurodiversity Podcast. There’s also a Facebook support group called The Neurodiversity Podcast Advocacy & Support Group.

https://www.emilykirchermorris.com/podcast.html

Lots of discussion about ADHD and ways to support. For example, the most recent episode #211 is specifically on ADHD:

“On episode 211, Emily Kircher-Morris talks with Brooke Schnittman, founder of Coaching with Brooke and author of Activate Your ADHD Potential. They discuss the barriers faced by ADHDers, the strengths of ADHD brains, the influence of the neurodiversity framework, the shift in our understanding of ADHD, the importance of structure and systems, her favorite tool for getting thoughts out of the head, and more. It’s a great conversation with plenty of usable advice and ideas.”
—————

“On episode 210, we dive into a topic that resonates with many of us: the struggle between wanting to achieve our goals, and a lack of motivation. Today, we're exploring all of it with a guest who has transformed this challenge into an art. Emily chats with Dani Donovan, a renowned author, ADHD advocate, and the genius behind those viral illustrations that have likely caught your eye on social media. Dani's groundbreaking book, 'The Anti-Planner: How to Get Stuff Done When You Don’t Feel Like It,' offers a perspective on navigating the complexities of motivation and procrastination. We'll delve into the intricate relationship between our emotions and our drive to initiate tasks, debunk the myth that procrastination is simply laziness, and give you practical tactics for overcoming those daunting challenges.“
—————

For background, from Emily Kircher-Morris’s bio:

“My path to this career has been one that evolved over time. It began when I was growing up as a misunderstood twice-exceptional (2e) gifted/ADHD kid. I knew I wanted to make the world different for kids who were like me, so I entered the field of education. My first year teaching was as a third grade teacher in Liberty School District (outside of Kansas City) in 2001. Soon after that, I began working on my master's degree in education with a certification in gifted education (K-12). Teaching identified gifted students was wonderful, but I knew that the work I wanted to do was even deeper than what I could provide through the schools.

This led me to earn a second master's degree in counseling and family therapy. Currently, I provide mental health counseling for kids, teens, and adults at my private practice, Unlimited Potential Counseling & Education Center, in O'fallon, Missouri. Around the time I began working in private practice, I founded the local nonprofit, Gifted Support Network, for high-ability kids and their families.

My husband and I began The Neurodiversity Podcast in 2018 to bring more awareness to parents, educators, and other professionals supporting neurodivergent kids. Hosting the podcast gives me the chance to get in touch with other amazing researchers and advocates to find the best ways to understand and support people who learn and think differently.

I'd always had a goal of writing a book and these experiences culminated in the publication of my first book, Teaching Twice-Exceptional Learners in Today's Classroom (Free Spirit Publishing, 2021). My second book, Raising Twice-Exceptional Children: A Handbook for Parents of Neurodivergent Gifted Kids (Routledge, 2022) also focuses on supporting twice-exceptional kids, but through a parenting lens.

The neurodiversity movement is changing the way the world views people who think and learn differently. I love being a part of the conversation. I provide trainings for educators and mental health professionals, both virtually and in-person, and speak at conferences as a keynote speaker or for breakout sessions.”

[Anonymous]

Seth Perler recently released a EF coach training.

[Anonymous]

I think EF coaches are just another way to separate SN parents from their money.

[Anonymous]

Look into outschool

[Anonymous]

Yes, we do it. When you see what a mess the system is for posting assignments and they all communicate differently, you will have even more empathy for your child. It took several hours over several days to figure out the system and write down how each teacher does things. Also, some forgot to announce tests and then at 10pm there will be an announcement on schoology for a quiz.

Once you know the system it can be time consuming to get a rhythm going with your kid and a calendar that works either agenda or online and how you do reminders.

Now though it's somewhat easy and my job is more minimal. I just double check and also will occasionally check at 10:30 pm after my kid is asleep for those last minute reminders so he can plan his time, especially if he has a study hall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whether you can do it yourself depends on your relationship with your child. My child's EF coach hasn't said anything I don't know or haven't said a million times before -- my child just isn't able to hear it from me.

This. In our household, we could not afford not to have the EF coach

[Anonymous]

Depends so much on individual kid. Making lists and providing structure. You have to get that poor working memory accounts for a lot of organizational deficits and managing complexity can be a challenge. It's about simplifying things and making it easier to remember to do. It's really not rocket science. Think about ways you multi task efficiently. You have to teach it to someone who can't intuitively figure this out. A planned or something to track activities and assignments is the first step. You're essentially teaching skills to be able to simplify tasks and timelines - think about how your kid responds and work from there. On some level I hate to tell you even having the money isn't as effective as figuring how to 1:1 work with your kid because you know them best. The concepts are same but techniques are different. No 2 people are the same even without learning disabilities it's not like it's magic going from point A to B for anyone whether ADHD or not! Do some work, research with effort and realize that as a parent you can help your kid!!!!