What is executive function coaching?
Executive function coaching provides targeted support to help strengthen skills such as planning, organization, time management, and prioritization. It is especially helpful for children, teens, and young adults with ADHD or who experience academic challenges related to executive functioning.
Learn more about executive function deficits.
Goals of executive function coaching
Executive function coaching builds skills through practical, structured support to help kids, teens and young adults develop lifelong habits for success. Key goals include:
- Increasing independence and accountability as responsibilities grow
- Strengthening academic skills and study habits
- Builds, habits, systems and strategies that support success at school and in daily life
- Providing psychoeducation to build insight into strengths and challenges
“My child is bright, but school is a daily struggle—it’s affecting more than just their grades. Their confidence is starting to slip, and I don’t know what to do.”
Get executive function coaching supportExecutive function coaching at Red Oak
At Red Oak, we help kids, teens, and young adults build strong executive function skills—essential for effective, efficient, and independent learning. We teach skills and systems for managing daily tasks, schoolwork, writing assignments, and test preparation and help your child build lasting habits for working effectively and efficiently—habits that support success in school and beyond.
Coaching is personalized to each child’s age and learning profile, with a focus on building independence, confidence, and academic habits. When appropriate, parents are part of the process through ongoing communication, ensuring strategies are reinforced at home for lasting impact.
Do I need ADHD or another diagnosis to access executive function coaching services?
No, you do not need a diagnosis (or a referral) to access services at Red Oak. Our approach is centred around meeting you and your family where you are at. We provide support that’s truly aligned with your needs, regardless of whether or not you have a formal diagnosis.
Our coaching process
1. Getting Started
Our coaches start with an intake session with either you and/or your child to understand your child’s current routines, learning style, strengths, and challenges.
2. Goal Setting
We help students identify and set manageable, measurable goals and continue to reassess these goals throughout the coaching process.
3. Skill Building
We support the development of systems, habits, and routines that make daily tasks and schoolwork more manageable, effective and efficient.
4. Supporting Real-World Use of Strategies
Our coaching uses your child’s current schoolwork, assessments, and study tasks to build and practice strategies.
We focus on building sustainable routines and systems that support learning, organization, and follow-through, setting students up for long-term academic success.
5. Developing Self-Awareness
We help students reflect on their academic performance to understand what’s working, what’s not, and why, so they can learn from challenges and make meaningful change.
6. Building Independence and Accountability
We gradually shift responsibility to your child as their skills develop—helping them take increased ownership of their goals, strategies, and follow-through.
7. Collaborating
When appropriate, we meet with parents and teachers to share updates and practical suggestions to support skill-building at home and at school.
Benefits of executive function coaching
If your child struggles with organization, time management, motivation, or follow-through, executive function coaching can help. Coaching supports students in developing systems, habits, and routines that make daily tasks and schoolwork more manageable.
Executive function coaching can help students with or without an identified deficit in executive functions learn how to develop systems and build habits and routines to better plan, initiate, and prioritize tasks, as well as self-monitor and manage time.
- Stronger time management
- Improved organization and planning
- Effective study and work habits
- Better focus and reduced distractions
- Less procrastination and greater follow-through
- Easier decision-making and problem-solving
- Clearer academic goal-setting
- Increased resilience when facing challenges
We can help your child build the skills and confidence they need to be successful at school.
Get Executive Function CoachingExecutive function coaching for children
For younger students, executive function coaching builds essential academic habits like following multi-step instructions, organizing materials, completing homework, and developing routines to support learning at school and at home.
Executive function coaching for teens
For high school students, executive function coaching supports teens in managing increasingly complex academic workloads, targeting skills like planning, time management, studying effectively, prioritizing tasks, and meeting deadlines.
Executive function coaching for young adults
Executive function coaching for university and college students focuses on navigating independent academic demands, including organizing coursework, managing deadlines, breaking down assignments, and balancing a full course load. Support is often virtual to accommodate students wherever they’re located.
Our Executive Function Coaching Team
Our team of executive function coaches — all current or former educators — work collaboratively with students and their families to meet your goals, offering personalized, empathetic support.
