Blog

Imagine Tom Brady’s first day of practice as a quarterback: perhaps he misses a snap and gets sacked. He probably throws a few interceptions and fumbles once. Most likely, he forgot two of the play calls and tossed the football to an empty spot on the field. So how does this awkward start eventually transform so that Brady becomes one of the most successful quarterbac...

We’ve all been there. It’s a Monday morning and you’re feeling pretty good about the week. You are rested from the weekend, the fridge is stocked, everyone has clean clothes for the week, kids’ lunches are packed, you are headed out the door on time, and hey - you even remembered your phone, keys, and wallet. Smooth sailing. Ah, glorious Monday! Fast forward to Wednes...

One of the latest buzzwords in education these days is “grit”. Educators are shifting from the idea that the student with inherent talent or the greatest intelligence will be the most successful, and instead, considering other factors as predictors of success in school and in life. Doing well in life depends on much more than learning quickly and easily.

Here’s the thing: as parents we all want to make our kids’ lives easier and not have to see them struggle. At some point we do have to take a step back and let them try. They may not succeed the first time or even the second or thirteenth time, but I think what is important is to help children develop Executive Function skills such as problem solving strategies and to...

Editor's note: This week, our guest blogger is Dr. Timothy Davis, a psychologist and a child and family psychotherapist in Newton, Massachusetts. Here, he provides a therapist's perspective on how to address power struggles over homework. School doors are open again and, for many families, it means the resumption of homework battles. You might have noticed that school...

Editor's note: Guest blogger Beth Walsh, MS, OTR/L is an educational advocate and consultant from Massachusetts. Here, she provides a professional educational advocate's perspective on how parents can make the Special Education system work for their children. Congratulations! If you’re reading this article, you are likely feeling worried, frustrated, maybe angry, and ...

As Executive Function Coaches, we sometimes view this 5-minute Charlie Brown video as a fun way to start the year off with our students. It depicts various beloved characters attempting (in song, occasionally on key) to write a book report. Each character uses a very different strategy for approaching the work, and there are strengths and weaknesses to each. Here, we’...

Did you know that nationwide, more students are held back in 9th grade than in any other grade in school? (Source: betterhighschools.org) Even when your child is not at risk of being held back, this statistic serves to highlight the need to approach this transition mindfully. After all, your child’s performance “counts” in high school more than ever before. Competitio...

Recently, we posted a blog article about Emotional Regulation, a foundational Executive Function skill. At times, families may need to reach out for emotional regulation support that extends beyond what an Executive Function coach provides. We asked Dr. James Barrett to offer some guidelines for families who are seeking therapeutic support for their children.

Summer vacation: that time of year when students spend long days at the pool, longer weeks at camp, and even longer weeks trying to delay required summer reading. For most kids, August is the start of summer reading, which also means the start of panic. I have how much to read? And I have how much time to read it? If your child would rather be the catcher on the ball ...

If you are the parent or guardian of a rising high school senior, then you know that this time of year has guidance counselors gearing up for their busy season (kind of like tax preparers in April). With the college application process close at your heels, your Executive Function skills are put to the ultimate test: Can I stay cool, calm, and collected throughout this...

Are you “cut out” or “counted in?” As parents we want to be a positive influence when we help our children with homework or a daily life task. We want to know that we have not simply helped our child push through and get the assignment done, but more importantly, that our child has discovered something key about their strengths and challenges and that our child looks ...

Raising a child is the most important investment you’ll ever make. You research the best pediatrician, the safest car seat, the most durable stroller, the most qualified caregivers. You choose educational toys, minimize TV time, surreptitiously insert vegetables into baked goods. You cultivate a network of like-minded parents to share playdates and tips on getting a f...

So, the kids are done with school and are intent on swimming, hanging out with friends, playing video games, and delaying their summer reading until the last possible moment in August. As a parent, you know that they need this time to recharge after a hectic school year. Yet something keeps nagging at you. That little voice in your head rudely interrupts as you apply ...

Few phrases are more fraught for families than “now that you’re in high school...” As if middle school wasn’t challenging enough, with bad hair days, projects, hormones, and science labs that actually expect students to construct a device to prevent a raw egg from breaking from a drop of 20 feet...with JUST STRAWS AND RUBBER BANDS! Well, you get the picture (probably ...

Children who struggle with executive functioning skills such as organization, planning, time management, and working memory perform much better when they have the assistance of a parent, teacher, or coach to help them apply these skills. This can be problematic when a child has five homework assignments due within two days and can’t even figure out how to get started....

As both an executive function coach and a teacher, I’ve seen students stress over tests again and again. Over the past few months, for example, I’ve been coaching a student whose emotional regulation around test preparation and peformance is nearly debilitating. She experiences acute anxiety when a test is coming up and that anxiety carries through until the moment th...

Projects and essays and tests, oh my! Previously we looked at 5 red flag statements that could signal difficulties with your child's Executive Functions, or self-management skills. Maybe they sounded familiar to you. Having coached hundreds of students with Executive Functioning challenges, we've heard a wide variety of statements that set off our coaching alarms. Som...

Standardized testing is one of those buzz phrases that elicit immediate reactions and responses from parents and students alike. By now, the SAT is one of the most well-known and widely-used standardized tests currently geared toward high school students. However, that test is about to get a makeover. Are you prepared for the new SAT in 2016?

Editor's note: We heard about Dawn Levy's important work with struggling readers recently, and asked her to write a guest blog post about her innovations in reading support. Students who struggle in the area of reading at an early age will often feel discouraged and frustrated. The feelings they encounter will affect their motivation to be successful, peer relationshi...

Attention parents of high school seniors: Do you know where your senior’s backpack is? If it has been staying in the car overnight, you may need to be concerned. March is Senioritis Awareness Month (not officially, but to this executive function coach it is!) and I’m starting awareness with you. Thankfully, the disease is easy to identify when you know what to look fo...

Teachers often have outsized egos (I know, I was one). When you’re consistently the “smartest person in the room”—and by definition, we’re all hoping that’s the teacher, at least in terms of knowledge base—you can become subject to thinking errors. You might assume that because you said something, other people (the kids) understood it.

Editor's note: We asked Michele Hearn, Director of Adult, College and Distance Coaching, what advice she has been giving to college students heading toward final exams. Below, she offers her top five strategies to get through those last weeks of the semester with less stress. Share with your favorite college (or high school) student!

Editor's note: From time to time, we will be asking guest bloggers to contribute to our blog. Mark Skoskiewicz, founder of MyGuru tutoring services, offers his perspective on how to discern a need for tutoring versus Executive Function coaching in students. Almost everyone I’ve ever met knows what a tutor is – someone with deep expertise in an academic subject or stan...

We recently had a chance to chat with Dean M. Hebert, an applied sports psychology coaching professional and owner of Mindset for Performance LLC, an individual coaching and consulting company. He works with teams, athletes, parents, and coaches teaching the mental game of peak performance.

According to the urban dictionary, “mommy brain” is “the phenomenon known to mothers where their brains become useless piles of goo after being around their children for too long.” In my world, the useless pile of goo is what remains of my once perfect ability to plan and prioritize, manage my time, sustain attention, and regulate my emotions. In short, my children ha...

"If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it." - Michael Jordan

I recently had the thrill of a lifetime. By something of a fluke, I had a chance to play in the Grandmasters’ National Ultimate Tournament in Denver. (“Grandmasters” is a euphemism for “over 40.”) Discs floated and curved through the thin Colorado air along the sixteen perfect fields, and our humble team fought hard to try to “exceed the seed” of 16th place – another ...

My oldest and best friend was turning a milestone age (use your imagination), and we headed to NYC for a quick overnight visit to celebrate her birthday. She knew I was terrified of driving in the city, so she happily took over for me somewhere in Connecticut. A crazy stroke of luck found us free parking yards away from our hotel. She expertly manuevered my car into t...

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" So asks poet Mary Oliver in The Summer Day, a perfectly named piece for this college counselor, advisor, administrator, and coach. Having spent nearly twenty years asking this same question to students arriving on my campus like clockwork every August, I am always prepared for the confusion tha...

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” - Thomas Edison

Academy MetroWest is a children's group therapy program in Natick, MA. They conduct small groups that meet weekly in a gymnasium setting. Groups center on cooperative physical play aimed at helping children and adolescents enhance self-image and social skills. The director of that program, Bruce Sabian, M.A., LMHC, is the author of the Academy MetroWest Blog - Thinkin...

Is our ability to plan ahead becoming a vestigial organ?

When I arrived at John’s house on a sunny May morning for our coaching session, he was feeling depressed, especially because he had to reread parts of Lord of the Flies and find details for an English assignment. He protested, insisting that the book was too bleak to read the first time. John had been sad for much of 9th grade and was on the edge of a complete shutdow...

"There are three ways to win the young. You can preach at them; that is the hook without the worm; you can say, ‘You must volunteer,’ and that is the work of the devil; and you can tell them, ‘You are needed,’ and that appeal hardly ever fails." - Kurt Hahn, Founder of Outward Bound.