ADHD Training Center: Comprehensive Executive Function Coaching for Enhanced Functionality
We live in a society that often overlooks the specific needs of individuals with ADHD, leaving them without the necessary resources to thrive. At the ADHD Training Center, we specialize in providing comprehensive executive function coaching tailored to address the unique challenges faced by individuals with executive function disorder and ADHD. Our experienced therapists offer a range of services that cater to children, adults, and families seeking guidance and support.
If you or a loved one could benefit from our executive function coaching, contact the ADHD Training Center today. As an online service, we provide coaching sessions remotely, ensuring accessibility to individuals throughout the entire state of New York.
What is Executive Function Coaching?
Executive function disorder is not something that can be cured, but those that struggle with it can learn skills and abilities to help them not only manage it, but thrive. Executive function coaching is a process designed instill tools and techniques to set children adult young adults with executive function disorder up for success. Some of the components of coaching include:
- Self-Regulation Skills – Supporting ourselves can often mean leveraging outside resources. By utilizing scheduling software or different self-regulation techniques, those with executive function disorder are able to better keep ourselves on track emotionally, physically, academically, and professionally.
- Understanding Cognition – Coaches can also assist in a form of metacognition. This is a process where coaches help children learn to understand your own brain, how it works, and how they can guide through a given project path or introspective struggle.
- Problem Solving and Adaptation – Creating backup plans and developing tools for adaptation can allow help those with executive function disorder cope with weight of unexpected problems. Learning these techniques helps children learn better problem solving abilities.
- Goal Prioritization and Follow Thru – Manageable goals and expectations are the tools needed when tackling your executive functions. By creating processes for prioritization and setting clear standards for the individual to follow, our coaches are able to better prepare each child for long term success.
The underlying value of coaching is also the accountability you have when working with a coach. While it can be hard to have someone else along for our journey, having a professional to watch our well-being and acknowledge our progress can help us stick with these changes until they become habits.
About Executive Functions and Executive Function Disorder
Society expects us to be able to manage our time, adapt to any issues we face, remain focused on achieving our goals and create plans for success. But there are many who have to work much harder to achieve these goals – individuals not born with or who did not develop the ability to do these tasks successfully.
We often refer to these coping, focus, and time management abilities as “Executive Functions.” Think of them like a good delegator or officer manager. While our brain power is dedicated to the task at hand, our executive functions act as task manager in the background, maintaining our organization and processes while our primary focus is on the task at hand.
If someone is struggling with their executive functions, handling day-to-day activities and accomplishing necessary goals can become much harder. When children struggle with executive functions, an already constantly changing schedule can become complicated to the point in which it is overwhelming.
What Are Executive Functions (and Why Are They Important)?
Also referred to as self-regulation skills, executive functions take on many different forms. While it is easy enough to assume they cover mainly managerial tasks, executive functions actually make up a great deal of our daily thought processes.
When these skills do not fully develop, you are often left in a position detrimental not only to your current projects or assignments but also to your own emotional or physical well-being. Some of the skills that fall under the header of “Executive Functioning” include:
- Time Management – People with executive function disorder often struggle with time management. They struggle with things like sticking to a consistent schedule, completing things in a timely manner, estimating the time needed for tasks, and managing the time they do spend effectively.
- Multitasking – Often, without realizing it, many of us are juggling multiple goals at once that we’re trying to reach. Those with executive function disorder can struggle with this, finding it difficult to manage multiple goals or tasks at once.
- Emotional Regulation – Emotional regulation refers to the ability to manage and modulate one’s emotions effectively during tasks, projects, or daily activities. For individuals with executive function disorder, this skill becomes particularly challenging, as the cognitive processes responsible for regulating emotions may not function optimally. They may experience difficulty in controlling emotional responses, leading to heightened emotional reactivity or difficulty coping with frustration and stress while engaging in various tasks.
- Consistent Focus – Although executive function disorder can occur independently, many of those with the neurodevelopmental disorder also have ADHD. Those with ADHD struggle with maintaining a consistent focus, find it hard to concentrate on a specific thought or task.
- Adaptation – Adaptation and response to change is an important skill for almost any kind of work. If you are struggling to find solutions to new problems, you can often be overwhelmed when an initial plan goes slightly awry, as most plans unfortunately tend to do. Those with executive function disorder often experience this struggle.
- Memory and Recall – We often think of memory and recall on a larger scale, like the ability or inability to remember a specific event. But all throughout the day, we need to remember and recall often minute details or necessary parts of a project in order to complete it. Those that struggle with executive function disorder may struggle with this type of recall.
- Initiation – Last, but also first, Individuals with executive function disorder may struggle to initiate tasks or activities independently. This can manifest as difficulty beginning assignments, projects, or even everyday activities like getting dressed or starting a household chore. The process of initiating a task requires several executive functions working together, such as goal-setting, planning, organization, and self-regulation.
These are not all executive functions, and people that have executive function disorder tend to experience or struggle in one or many. They also all tend to work together and be interrelated, which means that while they may be considered separate executive functions, they all affect each other.
Ready To Begin Classes With An Executive Function Coach?
ADHD Training Center offers executive function coaching and support for children, young adults, and adults with executive function challenges. Together, we will develop plans based on your unique situation with classes and sessions matched to your specific needs.
We provide classes and sessions at a variety of times to best fit your life. After reviewing our ADHD Training Center website, select a class schedule that fits your schedule. They are often offered between 1 to 2 times each week for ages 15 and up. Should your child be struggling with executive functions, we also offer classes for you, the parent, as a way to better support your child and understand just what they are struggling with.