Executive Function Coaching: A Parent's Guide
What it is, who it helps, how it works, what it costs, and how to know if it's right for your student.
By Natalie Micheel, Certified Executive Function Coach, MBA · Sioux Falls, SD and online
The short answer: Executive function coaching is one-on-one support that teaches a student the planning, focus and follow-through skills school assumes they already have. A coach works with the student on their real schoolwork, week after week, until they can plan, start and finish on their own. It isn't tutoring or therapy. It builds the skills behind getting the work done.
- What is executive function coaching?
- What does an executive function coach do?
- Who is it for?
- How do I know if my teen needs an EF coach?
- How does coaching work?
- Does it help students with ADHD?
- How much does it cost?
- How do I choose a coach?
- Frequently asked questions
What is executive function coaching?
Executive function is the set of skills your brain uses to manage the work: deciding what to do, getting started, keeping track and finishing. Executive function coaching is a structured way to teach and practice those skills until they become habits.
For students, the work is school. Coaching focuses on the everyday tasks that trip smart kids up:
- Planning big projects instead of starting the night before
- Organizing the backpack, the locker and the online classes
- Getting started on homework without a daily battle
- Time management, so evenings don't run late
- Setting goals and evaluating priorities
- Following through and turning the work in
- Asking for help and speaking up with teachers
- Recovering grades when they've slipped
Your student isn't broken. They need a system built for how their brain works.
What does an executive function coach do?
An executive function coach teaches skills, builds a system with the student, and stays in their corner while they practice it. The coach works on whatever is actually due this week, so every skill gets used right away.
| Tutor | Executive function coach | Therapist | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focus | One subject: math, reading, chemistry | How the student plans, starts and finishes all their work | Emotions, mental health and behavior |
| Best when | The student doesn't understand the material | The student understands it but can't get the work done | Anxiety, mood or other mental health concerns lead |
| Goal | Know the content | Run their own system, on their own | Feel and function better |
Many families use more than one. A coach doesn't replace a doctor or therapist, and never diagnoses.
Who is executive function coaching for?
It's for students who are trying and still struggling with the work around school. That includes:
- Middle schoolers facing more classes, more teachers and their first real deadlines. See how coaching works for teens and tweens.
- High schoolers juggling harder classes, sports, music or a job.
- College students living on their own schedule for the first time. See executive function coaching for college students.
- Students with ADHD or other executive function challenges, and students with no label at all.
- Bright kids who coasted until the workload caught up with them.
How do I know if my teen needs an EF coach?
Most parents don't come in saying "executive function." They come in saying something like this:
- "How is my kid ever going to do this without me?"
- "I'm the one running the whole week, and I'm tired."
- "Everything at our house has become about school."
- "We've tried everything, and nothing sticks."
- "My kid is starting to believe they're bad at school."
If one of those sounds like your house, it's worth a closer look. The free executive function test for parents takes about two minutes and shows which skills are getting in the way.
When a smart kid is still struggling, it's rarely about effort. Somewhere in the skills, the system or the support, something isn't working yet. We figure it out together, and we build what's missing.
How does executive function coaching work?
Coaching is a process, not a pep talk. Three trips to the gym won't change your body, and one great conversation won't change how a student manages school. At BestEFC, it looks like this:
- Weekly one-on-one sessions with the student, in Sioux Falls or online.
- Real schoolwork. Every session uses what's due now, so the skills stick.
- A system outside their head: one place for what's due, and a plan for the week.
- Practice week after week, including the hard weeks, until the new way becomes their way.
- Family team meetings, so parents know the plan without having to run it.
The goal is independence. They learn to do it on their own, and you're no longer the homework manager.
Sound like your house?
Tell me what school nights look like, and I'll show you what would change for your student.
Does executive function coaching help students with ADHD?
Many students who work with an executive function coach have ADHD, because ADHD often affects the same skills: planning, starting, time and follow-through. Coaching doesn't treat ADHD. It teaches skills and builds systems, and it works alongside whatever care a family has with their doctor. For an overview of ADHD itself, see the CDC's ADHD pages.
A diagnosis isn't required. Plenty of students with no label need the same skills.
How much does executive function coaching cost?
Prices vary by coach, format and length. At BestEFC, private executive function coaching for teens and tweens is a 12-week package of weekly 45-minute sessions for $2,397, or three monthly payments of $799. Twelve weeks, because real habits take time to stick.
Some families use FSA or HSA funds; coaching may be eligible with a letter from your child's doctor, so check with your plan. Read more about using an FSA or HSA for coaching.
How do I choose an executive function coach?
Ask these questions before you hire anyone:
- Who do you coach? Look for someone who works with your student's age and school level.
- Do you work on real schoolwork? Skills practiced on actual assignments stick better than worksheets.
- How long is the program, and why? Habits take weeks of practice, not one or two sessions.
- How are parents involved? You should know the plan without having to run it.
- What training do you have? Ask about certification and teaching experience.
- Online or in person? Both work. Pick what your student will actually show up for.
Almost every parent who calls me asks some version of the same question: "How is my kid ever going to do this without me?" After years of teaching and tutoring, I've learned the answer is rarely more effort or more reminders. It's the skills, systems and support no one has built with them yet, practiced on real schoolwork until they can do it on their own.
Frequently asked questions
Is executive function coaching the same as tutoring?
No. A tutor teaches a subject. An executive function coach teaches the skills behind doing the work in every subject: planning, starting, organizing and following through.
What age is executive function coaching for?
BestEFC coaches middle school, high school and college students.
How long does executive function coaching take?
Most students need about 12 weeks to turn new skills into habits. Some families keep going or come back in seasons when the workload changes.
Does my child need an ADHD diagnosis?
No. Coaching is about skills, and many students without a diagnosis need the same ones.
Is executive function coaching worth it?
For a student who understands the material but can't get the work done, coaching targets the real problem. Families usually notice it at home first: fewer battles, and a student who starts on their own.
Can executive function coaching be done online?
Yes. BestEFC coaches in person in Sioux Falls, SD and online anywhere. See online executive function coaching for Midwest and rural families.
Let's talk about your student.
If this sounds like your student, I'd love to talk. The door is open.
Connect With Natalie Free call. No pressure. Not sure yet? Take the free executive function test →