Every few years, conversations about education in the U.S. circle back to the same refrain: Why can’t we be more like Finland? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Chrishawn Finister from Your Joy Psychological, PLLC to unpack this comparison. We dig into the nuanced relationship between educational eligibility and clinical diagnosis, which often…
Category: ADHD
EP 216: The School Leader’s Guide to Executive Functioning Support
In this episode, I’m excited to announce the release of my new compression course, “The School Leader’s Guide to Executive Functioning Support.” You can learn more about the course here. In this session, I’ll be sharing why I created this program, what parents and professionals have shared with me when I talk about executive functioning,…
EP 215: Executive Functioninng Summer Camp (with Eric Smith)
In this episode, I sit down with Eric Smith from GrowNOW ADHD, to explore innovative approaches to social skills and executive functioning through the lens of a community-based program: Executive Functioning Summer Camp. Eric shares his insights on challenging existing service delivery models and discusses the importance of practical, real-world applications for clients. Eric is…
EP 212: Re-Release: ADHD and the Appeal to Nature Fallacy
In light of the mass amount of misinformation about ADHD, particularly regarding medication, I thought it was time to do a re-release of this past episode. *Disclaimer, although I have “Dr.” in front of my name, I’m not an MD and do not have the credentials to prescribe medication. This episode is meant for general…
EP 210: Goals and Accommodations for Executive Functioning
In this episode, we dive into the often-overlooked art of writing clear, measurable goals for executive functioning. Unlike other academic or functional goals, executive functioning focuses on internal processes—making it harder to quantify and observe. Whether you’re a teacher, therapist, or part of a school team, this episode will give you actionable tools to create…
EP 207: Failure to launch, screen addiction, and preparing kids for life after high school (with Michael McLeod)
Many young adults enter their post-high school years without the executive functioning skills needed to thrive. This is often because the people supporting them underestimate the amount of support they’re getting, and there’s no plan in place to fade that prompting. When young adults enter college, they have to manage sleep hygiene, long-term projects, and…
EP 203: Frontloading, explicit instruction, and providing the “right” amount of support
In this episode, I’m answering FAQs from the School of Clinical Leadership members about supporting students’ executive functioning. I answer the following questions: What is frontloading, and why is it useful for students experiencing executive dysfunction and anxiety? When is it best to use structured, explicit instruction, and when is it best to let students…
EP 197: Scaffolding, fading prompts, and the importance of parent and teacher coaching (with Rebecca Robbins)
“Scaffolding” has become a buzzword when it comes to helping kids become more independent with academic and functional tasks, but it’s only useful if people know what it means. Watching students or your own children struggle to transition or complete daily tasks can be uncomfortable for both the adults and children. As a result, it…
EP 192: Building confidence, positive self-talk, and strategic planning skills for writing (with Dr. Nelly Kaakaty)
The writing process comes with internal resistance, even for strong writers. Most people who say they enjoy writing don’t enjoy the entire process; particularly the “getting started” part. This is why writing is a common challenge when executive functioning is impacted. Layer on issues with background knowledge, language, and decoding, and it becomes even more…
EP 189: Reframing the purpose of social narratives, video modeling, and social skills lesson plans
Many people treat social skills groups as if they’re the complete package, when in fact they’re just one part of a bigger service plan. When we “lesson plan” we can’t think of our intervention as something that starts and ends with a 20-minute therapy session. Instead, we should think of it as a “planning” or…