Executive Functioning

It might be. And if it is, treating it like a motivation problem could make it worse.

The reason these conditions are so hard to tell apart is that they share a lot of the same surface-level behaviors.

Because homework makes demands on several different brain systems at once, and when any one of them is struggling, the whole process can slows down or break down entirely. Most parents assume homework takes a long time because their child is distracted or not trying…

It depends. Are you scaffolding or are you enabling? Scaffolding Versus Enabling The most useful distinction when thinking about homework help is the difference between scaffolding and enabling. Scaffolding is temporary support that makes it possible for a child to do something they could not…

Time blindness is usually what’s going on. Most kids with executive functioning challenges or ADHD do not experience time the way their parents do. For a neurotypical person, time feels like it moves. Thirty minutes approaching a deadline produces a felt sense of urgency that…

Everything was fine. And then, seemingly overnight, it wasn’t. Your child made it through elementary school. Maybe they were a strong student. Maybe they needed some extra support here and there, but nothing that felt alarming. Teachers liked them. Smooth sailing. And then middle school…