This is an important time for students aged ages 14 to 18. and expanding the foundational Executive Function skills that began in middle school and elementary grades. These include:
Parents often see signs of Executive Function challenges in their child in high school, when students face increased demands for self-management.
Parents and teachers may notice:
Parents of high school children who are struggling may wonder:
Executive Function plays a central role in shaping student achievement. In high school, students must adapt to the expectations of many different teachers at once, who may schedule project due dates and tests on the same day. Moreover, teens have to be productive amidst the distractions of phones and computers, which is challenging even for many adults. Adding to the stress, parents see that their high school students may insist on managing their academics independently when they are unequipped to do so, given underdeveloped Executive Function skills. Finally, parents know that the clock is ticking, as, by 12th grade, these self-management skills are needed for a smooth transition to college, where heightened school demands compete with new freedoms and extracurriculars. Unaddressed, a deficit in the critical foundational area of Executive Function skills can have long-term effects on a student’s success and, consequently, their self-confidence as a learner.
High school can be a challenging time for even the ablest students. But for adolescents with Executive Function challenges, daily life in high school can feel downright unmanageable without the proper supports. Consider below some common scenarios that high schoolers face.
Olivia has to catch the bus at 7:30, and she likes to sleep in until 6:45 … and maybe hit the snooze button one or two times after that. That leaves her about half an hour to madly dash about the house eating breakfast, choosing an outfit, brushing her teeth, packing her lunch, changing after reconsidering her outfit, texting her friends, returning to the original outfit, and – if time allows – packing her homework from the night before. With this routine, Olivia has felt frustrated a few times when – despite assuring her teachers that she really, totally did the homework the night before – she hasn’t been able to actually turn it in and get credit.
Olivia doesn’t entirely mind school. She’s got friends she can chat with, and most of her classes are at least kind of interesting. But there’s one exception — chemistry, where Ms. Glurtman has a tendency to drone on for the full hour in a voice that’s somehow a combination of white noise and nails on a chalkboard. As much as Olivia would love to just tune her out completely, she has a chemistry quiz every week and tests twice a month, and she really needs to be able to hear and process what Ms. Glurtman is saying.
After Olivia has stepped off the bus and enjoyed an afternoon snack, she is confronted with the routine reminder that the school day isn’t quite over yet. Now, it’s homework time. Since Olivia used up so much mental energy trying to focus during Chemistry class, she’s feeling wiped out. Even though Mr. Calgary went light on the math problem set – Olivia’s favorite subject – the thought of getting started overwhelms her. She tells you she’ll start at 4pm, but when you ever-so-casually stroll by her room at 4:30, you see that she’s texting with a friend. She tells you she’s just about to start, but then your stealthy walk-by at 5:00 reveals a daughter mindlessly scrolling her Facebook page. At dinner, you ask again, and she assures you she’s totally ready to get started, but you hear YouTube videos when you walk past her room at 8:30pm. By now, you’re frustrated with Olivia, and she’s getting sick of seeing you walk by her door.
Although Olivia faces Executive Function challenges throughout the day, she has many options for how to address each one. Once she understands that these tough moments can be managed with the right strategies, it’s easier for Olivia to imagine the benefits of using better ways to plan her time, manage her attention, and resist distractions when she needs to get work done. A day in the life of a high school student doesn’t have to be so bad after all.
If you are concerned about your high school-aged child’s Executive Function skills, a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation can help shed light into what is going on and how to help. The purpose of the evaluation is to identify your child’s unique pattern of strengths and weaknesses in the areas of cognitive functioning, information processing, memory, learning, executive functioning, academic achievement, and social-emotional functioning. When specifically evaluating Executive Function, it is best practice to have a psychologist conduct parent and teacher interviews, behavior observations, behavior rating scales, along with formal standardized assessment. This combination of information will illuminate specific Executive Function weaknesses (i.e., task initiation, sustained attention, cognitive flexibility) and real-life challenges likely affected by the deficits (i.e., problems with following directions, organizational skills, handling long-term assignments, homework completion). The collective goal of gathering all of this information is to determine how it manifests in real life in both the home and school environments, and then, most importantly, where and how we can intervene. Of note, the evaluation should not only highlight specific Executive Function weaknesses but also report on cognitive strengths that can be used to help compensate for the weaknesses. For example, if a child has strong visual-spatial abilities, then it will be critical to employ an intervention with a lot of visual aids and supports.
Another way to have your high school child evaluated is through your public school system. School-aged children can be referred for a special education evaluation for many reasons, either by a parent or by a staff member. Referred students are typically struggling for a period of time, despite receiving intervention in many forms, such as small group or one-to-one help, and may not be making consistent or adequate progress. Concerns may be related to the student’s academics, behavior or social-emotional adjustment or functioning, communication abilities, motor skills, or a combination of these areas. Depending on your state, and whether your school district is using Response to Intervention (RTI), which is a tiered system of support, students may go through a series of interventions before being referred for a special education evaluation.
One example of a special education referral may be for a high school child who has been struggling with writing and is not making progress on writing assessments given by his teacher, despite participation in a small intensive writing group and one to one time with the teacher or a written language specialist.
The evaluation, either parent requested or staff referred, must be completed within the federal or state established timeline. According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) federal law states a 60-day timeline for the completion of initial evaluations, but states may determine their own timeline. The federal or state law also dictates the timeline in which the Team must come together to review the evaluations. In Massachusetts, for example, the Team must meet within 45 days of that signature date to determine eligibility, based on formal assessments, observations, review of school records and educational history, as well as data and information brought to the team by the classroom teacher, parents, and any other individual who may work with the student (e.g. a reading specialist, counselor, etc).
While an evaluation can often uncover useful information that aids in proper educational decision making, some states may require medical documentation or diagnosis by your child’s physician in order to receive individualized and unique instructional supports and accommodations within the classroom. The sharing of testing results with your child’s doctor may be beneficial in order to gain the most appropriate supports when your child is struggling in school. For information related to Federal Guidelines, visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website. Your state’s specific regulations for special education eligibility are typically easy to locate via a google search.
Executive Function coaches work with high school students to:
Nate* was a bright and disorganized boy who never had to work hard in school until freshman year. Because middle school had been easy for him, he never learned how to study effectively and stay organized. Now that he was taking honors-level classes as a freshman, he was unprepared to manage the demands of high school expectations.
Nate was a disorganized and easy-going student who did his work at the last minute – or sometimes not at all. He never had to study in elementary or middle school and did not develop good work habits as a result. He was enrolled in challenging courses, but his parents were concerned that he was unprepared for the work involved. His older sister had required very little support or monitoring in high school – and his parents knew Nate would not respond well to them overseeing his schoolwork. Nate’s parents also worried that he could be vulnerable to risky behaviors, given that he was depressed because of a physical condition prevented him from playing sports and was unwilling to talk about his emotions.
Nate’s parents are both busy professionals who were very eager to engage the support that was necessary for him to keep pace at school. Up to this point, Nate had never needed any academic support. His parents had a largely hands-off approach to Nate’s school life. His mother identified herself as having similar organizational difficulties as Nate, but had learned to compensate over time and hoped he could find methods that would work for him.
An Intake Meeting Provides a Roadmap: The intake specialist met with Nate and his parents, identified Nate’s Executive Function challenges, and made a plan for his coaching support.
Agreed on Goals and Priorities: Nate’s initial goals included better organization of his space and belongings, strategies for planning and prioritizing his homework, and learning how to better manage his time.
Coaching Approach: The coach’s approach changed as Nate matured over the four years he received coaching. Humor was important in making a connection with him. Nate needed limits and directions presented in a friendly and positive way. As he got older, he was less receptive to direction regarding his schoolwork, but very receptive to the support in the college application process.
Established means of support: The coach, after noting Nate’s behaviors and habits, recommended that Nate receive a full neuropsychological evaluation. As a result, Nate was diagnosed with ADHD-inattentive type. Nate’s district put him on a 504 plan at school. His parents were relieved to have a name for his challenges. Nate chose not to consider any medication for his ADHD. This choice made coaching particularly important for Nate, as developing good habits became central to managing his ADHD. During Nate’s freshman year, Nate met with his coach two times a week for an hour and a half each session. By junior year, the coach saw him once a week for one-hour sessions.
Six-Month Progress Update: After six months, Nate was using and maintaining consistent organization strategies such as color-coded notebooks and folders for his classes. He sometimes used a written planner to write down his assignments, although at first he had been insistent that he did not need to. When he couldn’t remember assignment details, he contacted friends in his classes to find out what was required. When Nate missed an assignment, it wasn’t because he wasn’t aware of it; it was a result of making choices with how he used his time. His coach continued to help Nate understand the repercussions of those choices through reflection exercises aimed at building his self-awareness.
Long-Term Outcome: Nate stayed with his coach until he graduated from high school. During his junior and senior years of high school, Nate was successful in resisting a number of temptations that could hinder his progress. Senior year was devoted to organizing Nate for the college application process. During his last year in high school, Nate started a job that consumed a great deal of his time but through discussions with his coach, understood it was best to to scale back his hours so that he could better manage his schoolwork. Through his job, Nate and his coach noted that he gained confidence and maturity. While Nate was not accepted to his first choice college , he was accepted to a small, competitive college in South Carolina and was very pleased with the outcome. As a college student, Nate is able to successfully find and use resources as needed to be independent and successful.
*Name and photo changed to protect confidentiality
Photo by JodyHongFilms on Unsplash
Anna* had attention challenges that interfered with her work habits and led to late nights and poor sleep.
Anna was very engaged with her schoolwork but had difficulty sustaining her attention for lengthy tasks. It was also hard for her to get started with her work, manage her time effectively, and advocate for her needs with teachers. Additionally, Anna struggled to get sufficient sleep each night, which caused tension with her parents and diminished her ability to focus on her work. She worked hard to balance her social and academic responsibilities but found that her grades were not reflective of her capabilities. Her brother excelled in school, and she was frustrated at being unable to achieve a similar level of success.
Anna’s parents both worked full time, so their involvement was infrequent, but they prioritized making time to focus on and support her success in school. Their expectations for Anna were high, and they remained engaged in her academic and social life, but were often not home during the afternoons or early evenings to provide direct support for her.
An Intake Meeting Provides a Roadmap: Anna’s parents were present and involved at the intake. They highlighted Anna’s terrific personality, creativity and love for life. They also explained that she has excellent friendships and enjoys her teachers. Despite these wonderful attributes, her parents expressed concerns about her inability to complete homework assignments and the fact that her grades were not what they felt they could be. During the meeting, the intake specialist helped Anna and her parents to understand these struggles through the framework of Executive Functioning. Together Anna, her parents, and the intake specialist agreed on the following coaching priorities: time management, task initiation, sustained attention, goal-directed persistence, organization, study skills/test preparation, and planning and prioritizing. Anna’s parents also expressed their desire for her coach to assist her in advocating for her needs, such as when she might not understand something in class.
Established Means of Support: Anna’s coach was able to work with Anna at her home after school for 1.5 – 2 hour each week. Given both Anna’s personality and areas of difficulty, she was matched with an energetic and enthusiastic coach who had experience assisting students with planning, time management, organization, and test-preparation skills.
Coaching Approach: During initial meetings, Anna’s coach worked on normalizing her experience, helping Anna to see that her areas of difficulty were a challenge for many students. In doing so, the coach often shared her own anecdotes and how she had to work on developing her own skill set. This personal sharing established a positive rapport, and it shifted the attention away from the comparison Anna was making between herself and her brother. The coach then worked on identifying the issues that were most important to Anna to help her make progress that she would value, and thus get her some small wins at the start. Anna’s most significant issue was lack of sleep resulting from not planning enough time for her homework. Using Anna’s love of her iPhone as an advantage, the coach helped Anna explore and test out a few apps which would help her create a nightly plan for work and reminder her to return to her work if she was distracted. In order to encourage Anna to utilize these apps as part of her new daily routine, the coach checked in via text messages to gently remind and support her through this process of acquiring a new way of managing her time and work. Once Anna consistently used – and benefitted from – the phone apps, she became engaged in the process of researching other ways she could support areas of difficulty. She found an online studying tool and a sleep tracking tool on her own. Anna’s coach helped her to see that identifying her own areas of difficulty and seeking out apps to help her out was a form of self-advocacy, and that inspired Anna to eventually try asking her teachers for help, which had always felt very uncomfortable for her.
Six-Month Progress Update: After a half-year of coaching, Anna consistently scheduled her homework in the afternoon, included time-bound breaks (such as watching a single TV episode) and was getting sufficient sleep on four out of five school nights. She was consistently using her test preparation app, though she was inconsistent with meeting with her teachers for assistance with challenging material. Anna was continuing to manage her attention through both strategies and medication. Her developing mindfulness of when she was engaged (and what helped that) and when she was disengaged (and what distracted her) allowed her to make better choices about when, where, and with which materials she completed her homework.
Long-Term Outcome: When Anna graduated from coaching, her coach wrote the following note to her parents: “As we wrap up our coaching work together, Olivia notes that that one of her remaining weaknesses is feeling overwhelmed about getting her work done, but that she feels confident about her series of go-to approaches to managing that.” One important element in the student/coach reflection was Olivia’s acknowledgment that she’s made a significant amount of progress and yet realizes she’s not “perfect” at sustaining her attention or getting started on her homework. Perfection, the coach told her, was never the goal; rather, they discussed how critical it is to think of this as a lifelong, mindful practice of checking in with her attention, selecting the tools and techniques that she finds the most helpful, and then encouraging herself to use them. She did such a fantastic job of developing this awareness and self-management that this mindful practice is a habit for her now. In addition, Anna has also learned to seek out tools independently to support herself in areas that were not discussed during coaching. The ability for Anna to locate a tool or change her approach will serve her well as she takes on new challenges in the future.
A student’s tendency to use the snooze button isn’t the main issue; there’s a lack of planning on their part that makes the morning routine more frantic than it needs to be. If it’s wardrobe indecision that’s driving the morning crush, we might even suggest enlisting the help of Snapchat for this (bear with us, here). Each night, the student could pick out three potential outfits and Snap them to friends. Whichever gets the votes goes right to the on-deck area for the morning. Students can also set up daily alerts for 8:30pm the night before that walk them through a check-list of items they need to pack up: lunch, homework folder, planner, textbooks, and gym clothes. This way, they can get to school with homework in hand and a lot less stress.
Although it’s tough to maintain your attention when a subject that you find uninteresting is presented in a dull manner, learning to do so is part of developing Executive Function skills. Students can’t change a teacher’s voice or teaching style or the subject, but they can change what they do when they listen to it. That might start with posture. Sitting upright rather than slouched over can help students get more oxygen into their lungs to feel more alert. So might the way they take notes — by finding a method that works for them (jotting down key words, diagramming concepts, connecting chemistry to other aspects of her life). Other students have success by challenging themselves to participate in class a given number of times or by popping a strong tasting mint to boost alertness.
Students’ tendency to put off their homework until the last possible minute is understandable. The amount of energy and attention students need to focus on classes all day leaves them with little gas in the tank to begin a homework session. Add in distractions from friends texting and a younger brother watching cartoons in the next room and students’ task initiation skills are put to the ultimate test. A student could start by setting up a to-do list for the evening. If the distractions are the real barrier to getting started, they can try reducing their effect. They might try the Forest app on their phone to “plant” a tree on their phone so that while they works, it grows. If they touch their phone, the tree dies. If the distractions come through on the computer, installing Freedom might do the trick as this widget can block the user’s access to tempting websites for a set amount of time. And, of course, they need to be mindful to relocate away from sources of distraction like siblings watching TV or overexcited pets who want attention.
Students who are organized are equipped to perform better in school. And just as you need to maintain your house (or your health) with regular attention, students also need to maintain their organizational systems on a regular basis.
High school students are building greater self-awareness as they gain an understanding of who they are as learners. This ability, known as metacognition, is an important Executive Function skill for lifelong success. Parents can encourage self-awareness by helping their students consider carefully about what they’d like to accomplish for any given time period. Goal-setting does not need to be only for January 1st or the start of a new school year! Here are 6 steps to effective goal-setting with your high school student.
1) Take Ownership: Offer to brainstorm with your high schooler some of the challenges they face. Remember, to see results, your child’s goal needs to emerge from them truly wanting to improve something about their life. (In other words, just because you may want them to finish their homework by 8:00pm doesn’t necessarily mean they want that as their goal.)
2) Keep It Simple: Focus on one goal area at a time. Even though we may have several things we want to improve, if we get overwhelmed by trying to accomplish too much, we will be right back where we started. So what is it that your child believes they could benefit from most?
3) Make It SMART: When we think of SMART goals, we think of goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound. SMART goals provide the roadmap to how you’ll work toward your objectives. SMART goals can often start with a fuzzier big-picture goal. Below, you’ll see some examples of how to turn “fuzzy” goals into something sharp that invites real action.
4) Track your progress: SMART goals are measurable, so each week encourage your student reflect on their progress. Ask your high schooler:
5) Celebrate your accomplishments: Each week as you and your child reflect on progress, be proud of the small things they are accomplishing. They may not have all the pieces in place yet, but take the time to recognize those attempts forward.
6) Continue owning that new habit: This is not just a goal; this is your child’s new self! They have accomplished what they thought they couldn’t! Encourage your child to keep it up, create new goals, and continue to improve their life.
Students in high school need to be able to advocate for themselves. Though these skills tend to be more difficult for students with ADHD and Executive Function challenges, fortunately, all of them are teachable. Particularly for tests, papers and projects, the following self-monitoring and self-advocacy skills are critical:
While no single tactic guarantees success, these approaches give students the best chance possible to build a relationship with the teacher, understand the assignment, and to stay ahead of deadlines. These steps will also help them advocate for themselves for years to come, so they can manage themselves effectively in high school and, beyond that, in college.
Unlock your child’s full potential with life-changing Education Therapy.
