The BestEFC Blog
Welcome to my blog. In my coaching practice, from middle school through college, I see the same struggles again and again: missing work, homework that never gets started, no idea how long an assignment will take or what to work on first, and grades that keep slipping while no one is sure how to turn them around. I write about what actually helps, so you get the benefit of coaching from home. Pick a topic below, read what fits your student, and bookmark this page. I add new posts regularly. — Natalie
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Twice-Exceptional Testing: What the Results Mean for School
Your kid is bright, and school is still hard. Twice-exceptional testing can explain why. Here’s what the results mean and what comes next.
After the Neuropsychological Evaluation: Who Teaches the EF Skills?
The neuropsych report recommends explicit executive function instruction. Here’s what that means, who does it, and what to ask at the feedback meeting.
Executive Function App or Coach? What Each One Changes at Home
An executive function app teaches strategies. A coach helps your student use them on real homework. Here’s how to tell which one your kid needs.
Hands-Off, Not Hands-Tied: When to Step In With Your Teen, and How
Knowing when to step in with your teen is hard. Here's how to tell what needs you, what's theirs to handle, and how to help without taking over.
Time Management for Student-Athletes: Bus Rides and Away Games
Practice until six, a two-hour bus ride, a test Friday. Time management for student-athletes who play where every away game is a long drive.
Farm and Ranch Families: Keeping Schoolwork on Track in Busy Season
Calving doesn’t wait for test week. How farm and ranch families keep schoolwork on track when the busy season and the school calendar collide.
Executive Functioning Activities for Teens: Simple Ideas for Home
Executive functioning activities for teens don’t have to look like homework. Here are low-key ways to practice planning, getting started, managing time and finishing what they start, right at home.
Your Child Gets A's. Why Are You Still Managing Every Assignment?
Your teen’s grades are great, but you’re the one checking the portal. Here’s how to hand over one job at a time without letting the grades slip.
How I Help Students Use AI Without Handing Over Their Thinking
AI can make homework look great while test scores slip. Here's a simple three-step routine to help your student study with AI without skipping the thinking.
The 20-Minute Start: How a Visual Timer Ends the After-School Homework Standoff
When “I’ll start later” turns into 9 p.m., a visual timer gives homework a clear starting line. Here’s a simple 20-minute routine for teens and student-athletes.
Your Kid Doesn’t Have a Diagnosis. That Doesn’t Mean Nothing’s Going On.
Your kid doesn’t check the box for any label — no IEP, no 504, no diagnosis on paper. That doesn’t mean nothing’s going on. Here’s what an EF gap actually looks like at home, with or without a diagnosis.
The Only Homework Plan You Need Until High School
This routine isn’t about fixing what’s broken. It’s about giving your child a system built for success — one that aligns with what research actually says about attention, motivation, and developing brains.
Set the stage. Run the focused 35 with a visual timer ticking. Stop hard and celebrate.
Try it tonight, and you’ll see the shift start on night one.
Executive Function & ADHD: Why Movement‑Based Activities Build Executive Function Skills (And Why Parents Should Act Now)
If your child is bright, capable, and full of potential—but still missing assignments, forgetting instructions, losing track of time, or underperforming in school—you’re seeing a real and significant executive function (EF) gap. This gap is not laziness or immaturity. It is a developmental delay in the mental skills that support planning, organization, working memory, task initiation, and follow‑through.