Coaching Students with Executive Skills Challenges

With 55% new material, the significantly revised second edition of this influential resource presents a refined coaching model and an expanded set of tools for helping K–12 students live up to their potential in school and beyond. The book describes how to provide evidence-based, individualised instruction and support for kids and teens with executive skills challenges. Guidelines are provided for partnering with students and improving their performance in such areas as time and task management, planning, organisation, and impulse control. Adaptations for coaching students with disabilities are discussed. In a convenient large-size format, the book features over two dozen reproducible forms and handouts; coaches can download and print additional copies as needed.

New to This Edition

• Two new chapters on coaching 5- to 8-year-olds (K–3), and more material on younger students throughout.
• Shows how to enhance coaching by incorporating motivational interviewing and cognitive rehearsal strategies.
• Chapter of case examples, plus chapters on self-assessment for coaches and the building blocks of executive skills coaching.
• Expanded content on goal setting, action planning, and progress monitoring.
• Updated research and revised reproducible tools.

A great resource for school psychologists, counsellors, and social workers; special educators; classroom teachers; administrators; speech–language pathologists; and ADHD coaches working with children ages 5–17 (grades K–12).

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Table of Contents

I. Theoretical and Research Background

1. The Development of Executive Skills in the Brain: Biology and Experience
2. Theoretical Underpinnings for Coaching

II. Our Coaching Model

3. Introduction

4. Coaching Secondary Students

5. Coaching Elementary Students

6. Case Examples sample

III. Coaching Techniques

7. Motivational Interviewing

8. Communication Techniques for Elementary Coaches

9. Self-Assessment as a Tool for Honing Coaching Skills

10. Goal Setting and Action Planning

11. Progress Monitoring

IV. Strategies and Special Applications

12. Strategies to Support Executive Skills Coaching

13. Adaptations for Coaching Students with Disabilities

14. Other Forms of Coaching

15. Parting Thoughts

Appendices

1. Getting to Know You Survey
2. Executive Skills Questionnaire
3. Executive Skills Questionnaire—Adult Version
4. Executive Skills Problem Checklist
5. Executive Skills Semistructured Interview—Student Version
6. Parent Handout
7. Consent for Services: Executive Functioning Coaching
8. Model of an Independent Coaching Contract
9. Goal-Planning Template
10. Daily Coaching Form
11. Coach Feedback Form—Student Version
12. Coach Feedback Form—Coach Version
13. Executive Skills Questionnaire for Children—Preschool/Kindergarten Version
14. Executive Skills Questionnaire for Children—Lower Elementary Version
15. Executive Skills Questionnaire for Children/Adolescents
16. Executive Skills Problem Checklist—Elementary Version for Teachers
17. Executive Skills Problem Checklist—Elementary Version for Parents
18. Basic Self-Assessment
19. Advanced Self-Assessment Score Sheet
20. Motivational Interviewing Resources
21. Environmental Modifications Menu
22. Example of Elaborate Incentive System
23. Strategies for Specific Executive Skills
24. How to Write an Essay
25. How to Plan and Complete Long-Term Projects
26. Studying for Tests
27. How to Organize Notebooks/Homework
28. How to Take Notes
29. Learning to Solve Problems

References

Index

"Professionals will find a diverse toolbox of strategies designed to promote self-regulated learning. As readers try out these strategies, Dawson and Guare also provide tools to measure progress and tailor approaches to the unique needs and contexts of younger and older students. Critical updates in the second edition include an increased emphasis on collaboration and shared decision making, as well as current information on applications of digital technology."
- Margaret H. Sibley, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine

"The second edition is comprehensive and pragmatic. It provides detailed insights on everything from identifying good candidates for coaching to conducting sessions and monitoring progress. The discussions of school-based and peer coaching programs are instrumental, as they broaden the scope of intervention to the institutional level. As a clinical psychologist working in a school setting for over 20 years, I can attest that executive skills coaching can be life changing for many students."
- Isabel de Puigdorfila, PsyD, school psychologist, Baldwin School of Puerto Rico

"Dawson and Guare have done it again with the second edition of this masterpiece, providing an excellent framework for coaching students of all ages to manage their executive skills challenges. It’s not hyperbole to say that the appendices alone provide more pragmatic support than most books on the topic do in their entirety. Whether discussing the language that builds agency in clients or the use of specific tools, the book is both comprehensive and clear. I highly recommend this guide for anyone who wishes to make a difference with K–12 students."
- Michael Delman, MEd, Founder and CEO, Beyond BookSmart

"This book should be on the shelf of every professional working with neurodivergent young people. It is a practical, easy-to-follow guide that equips professionals with all the tools they need to get started doing executive skills coaching with children and teens. The new chapter on foundational strategies, as well as other updates in the second edition, are very welcome."
- Victoria A. Bagnall, MA, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Connections in Mind

"As director of a company that assists many individuals with learning difficulties and disabilities, I have found this book a 'must have.' It guides educators in a step-by-step coaching process using evidence-based strategies. This a very practical, informative resource for anyone who works with students with executive skills challenges."
- Natalie Williamson, Director, LAB Learning Clinic, Australia