The document provides a comprehensive overview of executive function coaching, which aims to empower learners, particularly students, to enhance their abilities in planning, organizing, and completing tasks. It emphasizes the importance of executive functions in academic and life outcomes, outlines assessment methods for executive function skills, and discusses how coaching can support individuals with these challenges. The guide also offers practical advice on finding and selecting an executive function coach.

1. Executive function coaching:
The definitive guide (2023)
In this post I am going to tell you everything you need to know about executive
function coaching.
You might be here because you've noticed a pattern of missing assignments, low test
grades and avoidance of communication with teachers from your child for some time.
Or perhaps, you are a savvy educator who has realized that a portion of your kids
NEED assignments broken into manageable chunks with clear deadlines, otherwise
things will not get completed.
You've heard the words "executive functioning" mentioned, but you're not clear on what
it means or encompasses and you want to learn more.

2. Executive Function Coaching: The Ultimate Guide

3. What is EF coaching in a nutshell? 🌰
At its core, EF coaching is the science and art 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.
Who is it for?
While this approach can apply to anyone to some degree, it is most essential for middle
school, high school and university students, who are in the midst of trying to keep up
with the demands placed upon them by society, all while experiencing massive
psychological and physiological growth.

4. Table of Contents
Chapter 1: What are executive functions?
Chapter 2: What is executive function coaching?
Chapter 3: Why is executive function coaching important?
Chapter 4: How do I find a coach?
What are executive functions?
The executive functions are the brain processes that allow people to plan, initiate and
complete goals. They are also the source of our ability to reflect on and evaluate the
approaches we take to problem solve, and refine our process to improve our
productivity and efficiency.

5. The executive functions primarily stem from the frontal lobe, which is directly behind the
forehead, and is the largest of the brain's four paired lobes in the cerebral cortex. This
was the last area of the brain to develop and accounts for about 40% of the human
brain in most adults.
What is the frontal lobe responsible for?
The frontal lobe is a beautifully complex section of the brain and is responsible for many
basic abilities (and complex ones) that make us uniquely human including:
● Language production
● Social interaction
● Problem solving or "playing with information"
● Reward-seeking behaviors, also known as motivation
● Inhibition or impulse control
● Maintain focus
● And more!
Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child, defines executive functions as:
...the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember
instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully.
Just as an air traffic control system at a busy airport safely manages the
arrivals and departures of many aircraft on multiple runways, the brain needs
this skill set to filter distractions, prioritize tasks, set and achieve goals, and
control impulses.
Caregivers and educators who are looking for an easy way to explain this complex
concept to others, can use the acronym P.O.S.I.T.I.V.E. to describe EF skills which
stands for:

6. What are executive function skills?

7. Regardless of which definition you subscribe to, this is certain -- children with better EF
abilities have better academic, social and vocational outcomes when observed over the
span of their lives.
Knowing this, it is vital to teach students, families and educators these essential abilities
to increase the probability of enhanced quality of life for students worldwide.
How are executive function skills assessed?
EF skills can be assessed both formally or informally.
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
Often times, due to the lack of abilities in the above areas, students have additional
executive function challenges such as:
● Lowered 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

8. To be certain that the issues are related to executive functioning, licensed professionals
will use a range of tools to evaluate the abilities of a client. The licensed professionals
who conduct testing for EF issues include:
● Neuropsychologists
● School psychologists
● Speech language pathologists (SLPs)
● Physicians
● Therapists
What diagnoses are related to executive dysfunction?
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
Less formal assessment approaches are also completed by unlicensed professional
which include:
● Educational therapists
● Executive function coaches
● Academic coaches

9. When EF challenges are diagnosed, it is also the role of the assessor to make
recommendations around next steps for parents and students.
In addition to medication, coaching to support students struggling to manage the
demands of school and life has been shown to be an effective and trustworthy
approach.
What is executive function coaching?
EF coaching is a designed alliance that empowers a client to improve their ability to
experience successful outcomes in school and life.
The alliance begins with an assessment of EF skills that is either done by a coach or is
completed beforehand by an assessment professional.

10. Once there is baseline data on the strengths, struggles and goals of the client, a support
plan to enhance the essential abilities that are weakened 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, 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.
Executive functioning coaching is NOT:
● Traditional tutoring which focuses on improving one specific content
● Enforcing the completion of homework
● Serving as a proxy to persuade students to meet unreasonable
expectations
EF coaching develops expertise that can be applied across ALL curricular areas. When
competencies like task initiation, self monitoring, extended focus and prioritization are
the focus of the work (rather than the content itself), students are more likely to develop
a growth mindset that improves their confidence and ability to generalize those skills to
any area of focus.

11. Ultimately, the goal is to support a client in strengthening their self management skills to
such as point that the frequency of coaching interactions is decreased or removed
entirely.
How does executive function coaching work?
If you've decided you're ready to utilize an EF coach, answer the following questions to
establish clarity on what would be a good match for your needs:
● Does the location of the coach matter to you? For example, will you need
this coach to be available to transition with your learner to college and
thus online options may be better?
● Do you want your coach to help your child or client develop competencies
within the home (where they do their homework) or would you prefer they
work outside of the house?
● Does the gender of the coach matter? If so, does your child prefer male,
female or non-binary?
● What type of personality are you seeking in a coach? Someone who is
more outgoing or energetic or calm and laid back?
● Are there other factors that the coach must account for such as knowledge
of special education, dyslexia or traumatic brain injury?
● Am you looking for a coach with specific expertise in areas such as
transitioning to high school or college?
● Are you looking for group coaching or individual coaching?
● What is your budget for coaching?
Remember, while you may know EXACTLY what you want in a coach, keep yourself
open to the options that you identify.

12. Sometimes the best coaches don't look, sound or feel like you would expect, but are just
what your family needs to get to where you want to go.
How do you teach executive functioning skills?
Some of the most common strategies are the following:
● Using motivational interviewing, also known as solution-focused
questioning and an inquiry based approach. For a step by step guide to
using motivational interviews, check out the article, "5 Ways To Motivate
Your Students."
● Teaching the externalization of reminders, To Do's and goals through tools
such as calendars, planners, post it notes, and whiteboards.
● Guiding students through explicit self-advocacy communication
approaches such as how to follow up with their teachers via email about
missing assignments, low test grades and other areas of academics that
need attention
● Reverse engineering or backward planning by starting with the end goal in
mind
● Framing things in the context of client preferences and interests
● Facilitating family team meetings so students can hear feedback in a safe
setting
● Instructing clients on how to self monitor their goals through data
collection and review
● Celebrate the micro-wins. Clients need to hear praise so they feel
motivated and eager to continue working on their challenges.
This alliance has the effect of not only improving the organization competencies of a
person who is struggling, but also helping them to improve their ability to stay
emotionally regulated when inevitable frustration arises.

13. When the strategies above are judiciously applied over an extended period of time,
clients learn how to manage school with increasing independence and the need for a
coach is gradually reduced.
How long should executive function coaching last for?
For the coaching alliance to take root and yield results, a minimum of one semester
working with a coach is necessary.
This gives the learner and the coach an opportunity to experiment with strategies and
fine tune an approach that can be replicated in following semesters.
When the coaching alliance is cut off too soon, students may experience distressing
setbacks that make revisiting coaching more difficult.
Remember, coaching is relationship-based, not a "transaction".
When a coach can establish a safe, secure attachment with your learner and provide
them with tuned and attentive guidance in their areas of development, these abilities
can lead to a richer life and more harmonious family dynamic.
Conversely, the coaching relationship should also be revisited each subsequent
semester so the student, parents, and coach can evaluate whether new goals can be
developed as the rigors of education increase or if it is time to gradually phase out
support.

14. Why is executive function coaching important?
Multiple peer-reviewed studies have found that EF skills impact almost every facet of
life, from the start of education, all the way through adulthood.
For example, in Dr. Adele Diamond's systematic review of 179 studies on executive
functions she found the following conclusions:
"EFs are more important for school readiness than are IQ or entry-level reading
or math." (Blair & Razza 2007, Morrison et al. 2010)
"EFs predict both math and reading competence throughout the school years."
(Borella et al. 2010, Duncan et al. 2007, Gathercole et al. 2004)
Furthermore, Dr. Adele Diamond went out to describe the impact that EFs have on job
outcomes, marriage, and mental health, which can all be read in the original study.

15. Hattie's Research
Another study by Australian professor and researcher, John Hattie, sought to
understand which variables were the most important to improve learning.
In this 25 year study, Hattie reviewed more than 108,000 studies involving 300 million
students around the world and was able to rank the 256 influences that are related to
academic success.
Each influence was given a score or “effect size”, according to the impact it has on
learning. "The average effect size was 0.4, a marker that represented a year’s growth
per year of schooling for a student. Anything above 0.4 would have a greater positive
effect on learning."
At the top of Hattie's list is the strategy, "Teacher estimates of achievement," which is
the sensitivity that a teacher or coach exercises in gauging and adjusting learning in
order to support a student in reaching their goals.
But at the VERY bottom of the study, below all the factors that have positive impacts on
student achievement, are factors that actually have negative impacts.
And can you guess what the most negatively impactful factor was (an effect size of
more than two full school years of learning loss)...
ADHD.
What this tells us is that learning critical EF skills are essential in reducing the harmful
impact of ADHD on students.
In summary, when students focus on organization and goal oriented skills, they are
enhancing their chances to succeed in not only their school or career, but also at an
overall improved quality of life.

16. How do I find an executive function coach?
Most established educational institutions have not yet pivoted to address the growing
need for executive function support in the "age of attention".
At this time, EF coaching is an unregulated industry meaning anyone can call
themselves an EF coach.
So who can be an executive function coach?
In order to find a skilled and experienced coach, look for following criteria:
● 3+ years providing some form of executive function coaching which could include
working as a:
● Special education teacher
● Social worker or mental health professional
● International Certified Coach (ICF)

17. ● Educational therapist
● They have a Masters Degree in Education or a related area which might include
● References and testimonials from credible sources you can contact
● Are aligned with associations that support individuals with executive dysfunction
such as:
● Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
● National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO)
● Association of Educational Therapists (AET)
● American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
Where can I find an executive function coach?
The best EF coaches are found through referrals from trusted sources. Talk to your
physician, therapist, or other mental health professional for recommendations.
Additionally, use the directories below to find prospective coaches to interview:
When searching nationally you can use:
● The Association of Educational Therapy's search directory. Filter results
by "study skills."
● ADDitude's Directory and filter by the categories: "ADHD Academic
Support" and "ADHD Coaches"
● If you are seeking a Speech-Language Pathologist, use ASHA's search
directory with the keyword, "executive function"
When searching locally, you can use:
● Google and search "Executive function coach near me"
● ADDitude's Directory and "browse by location"

18. How do I choose the right executive function coach for my child?
I recommend interviewing at least three coaches or programs before deciding to move
forward.
When speaking with prospective coaches or programs, use the the following questions
to guide your inquiry:
● What is the process of your coaching program?
● What strategies and approaches do you use to improve EF skills?
● What do you do when the student continues to struggle even after
implementing coaching?
● How are your coaches trained? What are their minimum qualifications?
● If it is a group practice, ask "What is your process for matching my child
with a coach?"
● How will I know if my child's executive function skills have improved?
● How do you keep parents updated about what you are working on in your
coaching sessions?
● Is your coaching service available online or in-person?
● What is your cancellation policy?
● What is the cost of your services? Are there any additional costs besides
the coaching fees?
● What forms of payment are expected? When are we expected to pay for
service?
● What is your refund policy or guarantee for clients should things not work
out?
By taking the time to educate yourself on the various approaches and methodologies
that are available, you will surely find the right match for your family.

19. Is executive function coaching covered by insurance?
No, it is very uncommon for an insurance plan to provide EF coaching. If you figure out
how to do that, leave a comment below and share your success story!
Some insurance plans provide support classes for ADHD which can address some
aspects of EF coaching, although these tend to be group classes for adults and not for
an individual client.
Conclusion
So yeah, that’s everything you need to know about executive function coaching.
Now I’d like to hear from you.
Have you worked with an executive functioning tutor?
If so, how did it go?
Let me know in the comments section below.
About the author
Sean G. McCormick is a parent, husband and international executive function coach.
He is the founder of Executive Function Specialists, an online coaching business which
guides middle, high school, and college students in overcoming procrastination,
disorganization and anxiety by teaching time management, prioritization and
communication skills so they feel motivated, prepared, and empowered.

20. He has also spoken about executive function at prominent venues including the
Association of Educational Therapists' National Conference (2021), The Executive
Function Online Summit (TEFOS 2022) and at Marin County Psychological Association.
​
And last but not least, Sean has hosted over 50 episodes of the Earn More Tutoring
Podcast with a mission to eradicate educator poverty. The show recently surpassed
8,000 downloads.
Sean is regularly featured across media channels for his expertise on executive
function, ADHD and special education.