How can coaching support executive function skills development?

Because of the malleable nature of the brain’s neural pathways, techniques to overcome executive function challenges can be taught; one of the most effective and proven methods is coaching conducted by a well-trained practitioner. The coaching model we use was originally developed by educational psychologists in the US and is based on two assumptions:

  • Most children and adolescents have an array of executive skills strengths and weaknesses.
  • The primary purpose of identifying areas of weakness is to be able to design and implement interventions to address those weaknesses.

An overview of the coaching process

The coaching process begins by collecting information from the adults who support the young person and the young person themselves (this will be carried out through a mixture of informal conversations and questionnaires) to understand the young person’s readiness for change.

In coaching, it is important that the young person is on board and motivated for change because we require them to lead the process with the support of the coach.

If this commitment is not assured we might instead suggest one of the following coaching approaches depending on the young person’s unique needs and challenges:

1. Preparation for Coaching Programme (PFC): This is a foundational and learning-based course carried over 6 sessions. This is a metacognition-building course which attempts to help the young person to better understand their executive function challenges, the impact these executive functions are having on their academics, life and relationships, see the value of coaching, as well as help assist them to shift towards a growth mindset. This will motivate the young person to recognise a need for change and get them engaged in the process.

Towards the end of the six sessions, we will ascertain if they are ready to engage with coaching and if they are, we will then set goals and create a bespoke coaching plan for them based on an intensity they are happy with.  

2. Bridging Sessions: Bridging sessions provide a holding space and a very gentle exploratory approach to help the young person build the self-awareness and confidence they need to manage their executive function challenges, and reflect on their emotions, thinking and actions they take. This approach is student-led and less about achieving a defined goal or target behaviour, but learning to understand and see oneself more clearly and assimilating what they are learning; whilst slowly building in strategies, to get them ready for a more active goal-oriented approach in a time frame that suits them without pressure.

Once they are ready and feeling a lot more motivated to start making active changes towards their behaviours and start applying strategies at a higher intensity, we will then shift them onto our goal-oriented programme called our Coaching for Independent Learning (CfIL) programme.

If, from the onset, the young person is fully committed to the coaching process they will immediately start with our tailored and goal-oriented Coaching for Independent Learning Programme.

This programme will kick off with a 90-minute evaluation session between the coach and young person. The session involves the coach gathering background information from the young person about their executive skills strengths and weaknesses, interests and motivations, their long-term goals and medium-term goals and then identifying the obstacles to achieving them. Together the coach and the young person devise a realistic plan with strategies to reach their goals using SMART objectives. For example, a young person’s goal could be to reduce disciplinary interventions (detentions) for failure to hand in homework within the next half term or to improve their revision strategies before their mock exams. The coach then produces a comprehensive report detailing the young person’s executive function skills strengths and weaknesses and a bespoke plan for tackling these challenges, starting with the most pressing. This report is submitted to the parents for review.

The coach will also take into account any reports that have already been produced (for example an educational assessment by a Psychologist) and tailor the coaching according to the needs that have already been identified.

Our Preparation for Coaching (PFC) Course is conducted over six weeks where the young person and coach will meet up for an hour once a week.

Our Bridging Sessions are flexible and can be either 1 hour / 45 min / 30 min per week, depending on the amount of bridging support that the young person needs.

Our Coaching for Independent Learning Programme is tailored with the aim of forming good habits in terms of executive function skills. The exact content and format of the coaching depend on the bespoke plan and agreed-on objectives. Once a week the coach and the young person have a longer skills session, which involves going over a specific skill to support the young person to reach their goals. For example, a session could be based on writing an essay or revising for a test. we also suggest that they incorporate 15 – 20 min check-in sessions during the week to support the young person with real-time execution of strategies and also look at amending these strategies if necessary. These check-in sessions encourage accountability, which supports habit formation.

Each young person has different needs and will progress at different speeds, and we will adjust the plan to suit their needs and commitment to the process. Levels of the intensity of coaching will vary according to the goals being worked on, what is happening in the student’s life (i.e. preparation for exams) and their schedule.  Changes in intensity will be agreed upon with the parents beforehand.

Case Study

Cameron was 17 years old when we met him. His mother was desperate for help, she felt he was on a downward trajectory in terms of mood and could see that his chronic procrastination was the root cause. During our evaluation process, we learned that he struggled with planning and prioritising, task initiation, metacognition, organization and sustained attention. In addition, he experienced low mood and social anxiety and this was exacerbated by the high expectations held by his very academic school environment.

 

Cameron’s goals for coaching focused on working towards completing and submitting homework as well as developing a balanced routine, this included study time, establishing regular sleeping patterns, exercise and social activities. Practical strategies aimed at enhancing his executive skills included the organisation of schoolwork, time management and record keeping. We also integrated mindfulness as a strategy to help focus attention and emotional control. It was important to develop a supportive and trusting relationship with the student and meeting on a weekly basis was important. These meetings also provided an opportunity to observe how he struggled when completing his work, which enabled our coach to tailor the interventions to his needs. Our coach worked closely with the parents, which allowed a fuller insight into the impact of his difficulties as well as provided him with a supportive collaborative network.

 

Over the Autumn term, the student successfully submitted homework on time, received positive school reports, increased A Level predictions, and was more able to manage his own deadlines. He used social incentives, such as meeting up with friends on the weekends as a motivation to achieve his academic goals. Through this, he became more socially active, increased in hobbies and interests and his mood improved considerably.

Please contact us for more information about how we can help.