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“This manual is a current, valuable guide to skill development in executive thinking….This manual stands out, as it stresses voluntary participation and provides best practices with evidence-based tools and progress monitoring that enable paraprofessionals, peers, or laypeople to be coaches.”

—Doody's Review Service


“Professionals will find a diverse toolbox of strategies designed to promote self-regulated learning. As readers try out these strategies, Dawson and Guare also provide tools to measure progress and tailor approaches to the unique needs and contexts of younger and older students. Critical updates in the second edition include an increased emphasis on collaboration and shared decision making, as well as current information on applications of digital technology.”

—Margaret H. Sibley, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine


“The second edition is comprehensive and pragmatic. It provides detailed insights on everything from identifying good candidates for coaching to conducting sessions and monitoring progress. The discussions of school-based and peer coaching programs are instrumental, as they broaden the scope of intervention to the institutional level. As a clinical psychologist working in a school setting for over 20 years, I can attest that executive skills coaching can be life changing for many students.”

—Isabel de Puigdorfila, PsyD, school psychologist, Baldwin School of Puerto Rico


“Dawson and Guare have done it again with the second edition of this masterpiece, providing an excellent framework for coaching students of all ages to manage their executive skills challenges. It’s not hyperbole to say that the appendices alone provide more pragmatic support than most books on the topic do in their entirety. Whether discussing the language that builds agency in clients or the use of specific tools, the book is both comprehensive and clear. I highly recommend this guide for anyone who wishes to make a difference with K–12 students.”

—Michael Delman, MEd, Founder and CEO, Beyond BookSmart


“This book should be on the shelf of every professional working with neurodivergent young people. It is a practical, easy-to-follow guide that equips professionals with all the tools they need to get started doing executive skills coaching with children and teens. The new chapter on foundational strategies, as well as other updates in the second edition, are very welcome.”

—Victoria A. Bagnall, MA, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Connections in Mind


“As director of a company that assists many individuals with learning difficulties and disabilities, I have found this book a 'must have.' It guides educators in a step-by-step coaching process using evidence-based strategies. This a very practical, informative resource for anyone who works with students with executive skills challenges.”

—Natalie Williamson, Director, LAB Learning Clinic, Australia

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Table of Contents

I. Theoretical and Research Background

1. The Development of Executive Skills in the Brain: Biology and Experience

2. Theoretical Underpinnings for Coaching

II. Our Coaching Model

3. Introduction

4. Coaching Secondary Students

5. Coaching Elementary Students

6. Case Examples

III. Coaching Techniques

7. Motivational Interviewing

8. Communication Techniques for Elementary Coaches

9. Self-Assessment as a Tool for Honing Coaching Skills

10. Goal Setting and Action Planning

11. Progress Monitoring

IV. Strategies and Special Applications

12. Strategies to Support Executive Skills Coaching

13. Adaptations for Coaching Students with Disabilities

14. Other Forms of Coaching

15. Parting Thoughts

Appendix 1. Getting to Know You Survey

Appendix 2. Executive Skills Questionnaire

Appendix 3. Executive Skills Questionnaire—Adult Version

Appendix 4. Executive Skills Problem Checklist

Appendix 5. Executive Skills Semistructured Interview—Student Version

Appendix 6. Parent Handout

Appendix 7. Consent for Services: Executive Functioning Coaching

Appendix 8. Model of an Independent Coaching Contract

Appendix 9. Goal-Planning Template

Appendix 10. Daily Coaching Form

Appendix 11. Coach Feedback Form—Student Version

Appendix 12. Coach Feedback Form—Coach Version

Appendix 13. Executive Skills Questionnaire for Children—Preschool/Kindergarten Version

Appendix 14. Executive Skills Questionnaire for Children—Lower Elementary Version

Appendix 15. Executive Skills Questionnaire for Children/Adolescents

Appendix 16. Executive Skills Problem Checklist—Elementary Version for Teachers

Appendix 17. Executive Skills Problem Checklist—Elementary Version for Parents

Appendix 18. Basic Self-Assessment

Appendix 19. Advanced Self-Assessment Score Sheet

Appendix 20. Motivational Interviewing Resources

Appendix 21. Environmental Modifications Menu

Appendix 22. Example of Elaborate Incentive System

Appendix 23. Strategies for Specific Executive Skills

Appendix 24. How to Write an Essay

Appendix 25. How to Plan and Complete Long-Term Projects

Appendix 26. Studying for Tests

Appendix 27. How to Organize Notebooks/Homework

Appendix 28. How to Take Notes

Appendix 29. Learning to Solve Problems

References

Index

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About the Authors

Peg Dawson, EdD, is a psychologist who provides professional development training on executive skills for schools and organizations nationally and internationally. She was previously on the staff of the Center for Learning and Attention Disorders at Seacoast Mental Health Center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Dr. Dawson is a past president of the New Hampshire Association of School Psychologists, the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), and the International School Psychology Association, and a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from NASP. She is coauthor of bestselling books for general readers, including Smart but Scattered, Smart but Scattered Teens, Smart but Scattered—and Stalled (with a focus on emerging adults), and The Smart but Scattered Guide to Success (with a focus on adults). Dr. Dawson is also coauthor of The Work-Smart Academic Planner, Revised Edition, and books for professionals including Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents, Third Edition.

• Author's website
• All titles by Peg Dawson
• Sign up for emails on upcoming titles by Peg Dawson (with special discounts)!

Richard Guare, PhD, BCBA-D, is a neuropsychologist and board-certified behavior analyst who frequently consults to schools and agencies on attention and executive skills difficulties. He is former Director of the Center for Learning and Attention Disorders at Seacoast Mental Health Center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Dr. Guare is coauthor of bestselling books for general readers, including Smart but Scattered, Smart but Scattered Teens, Smart but Scattered—and Stalled (with a focus on emerging adults), and The Smart but Scattered Guide to Success (with a focus on adults). He is also coauthor of The Work-Smart Academic Planner, Revised Edition, and books for professionals including Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents, Third Edition.

• Author's website
• All titles by Richard Guare
• Sign up for emails on upcoming titles by Richard Guare (with special discounts)!

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Audience

School psychologists, counselors, and social workers; special educators; classroom teachers; administrators; speech–language pathologists; and ADHD coaches working with children ages 5–17 (grades K–12).

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Course Use

May serve as a supplemental text in graduate-level courses.

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Previous editions published by Guilford:

First Edition, © 2012
ISBN: 9781462503759

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New to this edition:

• Two new chapters on coaching 5- to 8-year-olds (K–3), and more material on younger students throughout.
• Shows how to enhance coaching by incorporating motivational interviewing and cognitive rehearsal strategies.
• Chapter of case examples, plus chapters on self-assessment for coaches and the building blocks of executive skills coaching.
• Expanded content on goal setting, action planning, and progress monitoring.
• Updated research and revised reproducible tools.