Executive function is a set of mental processes that help us perform everyday tasks. These are skills involved in remembering the tasks and deadlines, making plans, starting a task and seeing a task to its end, being flexible enough to adapt plans to new information, keeping materials organized, focusing attention for a period of time, and controlling impulses. Executive function skills impact not just children's academic progress, but also their social interactions and emotions regulation.
When children's executive function skills do not match the task demands, parents may notice their children
Losing books, papers, materials; messy notes, backpacks, or room
Forgetting directions or assignments or details of a task
Procrastinating (i.e., underestimating amount of time needed for a task)
Becoming easily overwhelmed by work (i.e., overestimating amount of time needed for a task)
Completing work but not turning them in
Acting without thinking; blurting or interrupting others
Relying on inefficient strategies (e.g., I don't have to write my homework down in the planner, it's all in my brain ...) or not having any ideas on how to breakdown a task or solve a problem
Making choices based on short-term gains
Children are not born with reading or writing skills, they need to be taught, and the same can be said about developing executive function skills. Some children may learn through observing adults modeling executive function skills and others may require more environmental supports or explicit teaching. Therefore, our executive function coaching does not follow a set curriculum. We work with your family to identify your child's areas of improvement, then drawing upon our training and experience, we design activities, resources, and strategies specific to your child's needs. Our goal is to empower your child by increasing their sense of self-efficacy and decreasing their stress and anxiety.
Process of Executive Function Coaching
Contact us for a complimentary 30-minute consultation. This will help us understand your concerns and discuss how executive function coaching can best address the present needs.
Executive function coaching includes:
Meeting with you and your child to identify areas of improvement
Setting realistic goals to be achieved within a specific time frame
One to two individual coaching sessions a week (30- or 45-minute session)
Parents consultation is recommended to improve the implementation fidelity of strategies and plan
Coaching may also include in-depth interviews with parents/teachers/child, home/school observations, executive function assessment, etc.
Parents will be provided with a summary on progress after every 4 sessions. A progress report on goals will also be provided at the end of the predesignated time frame.
"Thanks for all the strategies. I couldn't have made it without you." -- Charles L., 6th Grader
"Ms. Ling, you were probably the best psychologist I have had because you actually acted like a human and was nice when I needed some help." -- Samuel C., 8th Grader
"Thank you for doing such an excellent and thorough job, most importantly, having a big heart. My child is lucky to have you in her life." -- Christian S., Parent