ADHD Coaching for Upper Elementary and Middle School Students

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Upper elementary and middle school students can benefit greatly from learning how to break semester long-term goals (e.g., get a B in English or be eligible to play football) into SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-limited) goals. The coaching process helps students link their daily short-term goals to their long-term goal. Because coaching is an active learning process, students develop much needed executive functioning skills in a real life hands on way, that is both personally meaningful to them (they chose their own goal) and autonomy building. As students begin to have successful goal setting and achieving experiences, they begin to see themselves as perhaps more capable than they previously thought. The goal is for the student to internalize and become their own coach as they develop their own problem solving and goal directed strategies and behaviors.