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NESCA Notes 2025

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1:1 EF coaching image with quote from Jasmine Badamo, EF coach

What Sets Executive Function Coaching Apart from Other Study Skill Supports?

By | NESCA Notes 2025

1:1 EF coaching image with quote from Jasmine Badamo, EF coachBy Jasmine Badamo, MA
Educational Counselor; Executive Function Coach

As families and schools are putting more focus on the importance of study skills for their child’s academic success, the idea of executive function coaching has become more mainstream. There are now more apps, online courses, school curriculum, and private companies offering this kind of support.  When I give families examples of executive functioning skills – organization, planning, time management, focus, prioritization – they immediately recognize them and see how their child could benefit from strengthening these skills. However, it can be difficult to understand exactly how (and why) hiring a 1-on-1 executive function coach is such an effective way to support a child’s executive function development.

While executive function skills overlap with study skills, they go beyond that. They are foundational higher-order cognitive skills that are required for every individual to engage in goal-directed behavior, which is, well…almost everything! Yes, executive function skills are necessary when your child wants to create and execute a study plan for their upcoming math exam, but they are also necessary in order for your child to wake up each morning and complete their morning routine in time to get to school at 8:00am.

A properly trained executive function coach has training and expertise in these cognitive skills and their development, and are equipped with strategies for strengthening these skills across multiple contexts. These strategies may include some of the “tips & tricks” you’ve read about online (e.g. Set a 5-min timer and see how much cleaning you can get done!), but they also include the use of coaching methodologies to guide an individual in recognizing patterns in their past experiences, identifying core barriers, and establishing meaningful goals in their life. Every day in my coaching, I make use of the training I received in my post-graduate coursework, and being a part of a group practice affords me the added benefit of pulling from the knowledge and perspectives of several masters- and doctorate-level occupational therapists, transition specialists, special educators, and neuropsychologists. 

A partnership with a trained coach offers structured, consistent, and personalized instruction that builds executive function skills in a clear progression towards a student’s goals and greater independence. Unlike using online focus apps or joining a group study-skills class, a 1-on-1 coach, especially one that has been thoughtfully matched with your child based on specialty area and personality, is able to facilitate a real connection and trust with a student. This relational approach is essential for sustainable student engagement and effective individualized support.

My colleague Sara LaFerriere perfectly described this when she said, “It’s hard for students to understand their full potential if the providers they work with can’t make a connection with them.” Aside from the increased effectiveness of a 1-on-1 coach, it’s just plain nice for a student to have another trusted adult in their corner, especially when they are struggling and feeling vulnerable (and especially when their parents or caregivers are at the end of their ropes from repeated attempts to improve their child’s executive function challenges).

On the family side, hiring an executive function coach beefs up your child’s support team. At NESCA, we put a lot of weight on collaboration, not just within our practice, but with other professionals. Whenever possible, I like to initiate communication across my students’ different service providers. For me, it provides a more robust understanding of my students and helps me ensure my coaching is aligned with the work they’re doing in other areas of their life. For families, it can provide relief to know that everyone on their child’s team is on the same page and working towards the same big-picture goals. A coach can even serve as another line of communication between a child and their family, sharing feedback with parents about the interventions and strategies that work best for their child, and giving parents ideas for successfully implementing strategies at home.

NESCA offers executive function coaching for students from elementary school through adulthood who are looking to bolster their organization, scheduling, time management, goal setting, and routine building skills. Students work 1-on-1 with occupational therapists and education specialists to identify specific skills that will help them be more organized and in control of their academic and general life tasks. If you have concerns about your child or student’s executive function challenges and want to try our 1-on-1 coaching, please complete our online Intake Form. 

 

About the Author

Jasmine Badamo, MA, is an educational counselor and executive function coach who works full-time at NESCA supporting students ranging from elementary school through young adulthood. In addition to direct client work, Ms. Badamo provides consultation and support to parents and families in order to help change dynamics within the household and/or support the special education processes for students struggling with executive dysfunction. She also provides expert consultation to educators, special educators and related professionals.

Ms. Badamo is a New York State Certified ENL and Special Education teacher. She has more than 10 years of teaching experience across three countries and has worked with students and clients ranging in age from 7 to adulthood. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from Cornell University and her master’s degree in TESOL from CUNY Hunter College. She has also participated in graduate coursework focusing on academic strategies and executive function supports for students with LD, ADHD, and autism as part of the Learning Differences and Neurodiversity (LDN) certification at Landmark College’s Institute for Research and Training. In addition to being a native English speaker, Ms. Badamo is also conversationally fluent in verbal and written Spanish.

Having worked in three different New York City public schools, Ms. Badamo has seen firsthand the importance of executive function skills in facilitating student confidence and success. Her coaching and consultation work focuses on creating individualized supports based on the specific needs and strengths of each client and supporting the development of metacognition (thinking about one’s own thought processes and patterns), executive function skills, and independence. She will guide clients to generate their own goals, identify the barriers to their goals, brainstorm potential strategies, advocate for support when needed, and reflect on the effectiveness of their applied strategies.

Ms. Badamo is a highly relational coach. Building an authentic connection with each client is a top priority and allows her to provide the best support possible. Additionally, as a teacher and coach, Ms. Badamo believes in fostering strong collaborations with anyone who supports her clients including service providers, classroom teachers, parents, administrators, and community providers.

To book executive function coaching with Jasmine Badamo or another EF or Real-life Skills Coach at NESCA, complete NESCA’s online intake form. 

NESCA is a pediatric neuropsychology practice and integrative treatment center with offices in Newton, Plainville, and Hingham, Massachusetts; Londonderry, New Hampshire; the greater Burlington, Vermont region; and Brooklyn, New York (coaching services only) serving clients from infancy through young adulthood and their families. For more information, please email info@nesca-newton.com or call 617-658-9800.

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Image of a child refusing to go to school and quote by Rebecca Dautoff, Psy.D., NESCA

Helping Your Child Overcome School Refusal: A Place for Parents to Start

By | NESCA Notes 2025

Image of a child refusing to go to school and quote by Rebecca Dautoff, Psy.D., NESCABy: Rebecca Dautoff, Psy.D.
Pediatric Neuropsychologist, NESCA

As a parent, it is excruciatingly difficult and painful to watch your child struggle with school refusal. School refusal often doesn’t involve a simple dislike of school; it can be a complex emotional challenge that affects your child’s mental health and academic progress, as well as the day to day logistics of parents and families. It can feel overwhelming to know where to begin and how to help.

Understanding the root causes of school refusal and applying a well-structured, therapeutic approach is key to helping your child reintegrate into the school environment and regain their confidence. While it is different for every child, a stepwise, therapeutic re-entry approach, such as the example below, can help provide practical ways to support your child.

Why a Gradual Return to School Matters

For children who have a long-standing pattern of school refusal, a sudden return to a typical school day may feel daunting and unmanageable. It’s essential to remember that the emotional and psychological barriers that prevent your child from attending school take time to address. As hard as it is to have a child out of school, rushing the process can lead to increased anxiety and reinforcement of avoidance behaviors.

Research shows that a gradual re-introduction to the school environment is the most effective approach. This method helps reduce the anxiety that comes with school refusal while promoting the confidence necessary for longer school days. Best practices suggest starting with just one hour of school attendance per day, then increasing the duration by one hour each week.

This “stepwise” method—beginning slowly and building gradually—has been shown to be successful and should be applied whenever your child transitions back into a school setting, whether at their current school or a new placement. The gradual re-entry helps to normalize the school experience, minimizing feelings of overwhelm.

A Collaborative Approach

School refusal places stressors on all parents and siblings alike, causing the anxiety and frustration emanating from the child to radiate throughout the family system. As a parent, it can be traumatizing to see your child struggle, but the trauma can be compounded by the adverse impact your child’s needs have on other facets of your life. Like the safety guidance offered before taking off in a plane, you must first put on your own oxygen mask before helping others. Parents who are able to be aware of these impacts, or better, seek help and support themselves, are often far more effective at addressing school refusal. Just as children sense the struggles of their parents, they can also draw strength from parents who model constructive behaviors.

Effectively addressing school refusal also calls for close collaboration between parents, teachers, and administrators. Developing a cohesive plan, tactics, contingencies, and even language, can help create consistency from which the child can draw a sense of safety and security. No one can plan for every contingency, and sometimes the best laid plans fall victim to an intransigent overwhelmed child, but consistency and coordination has been shown to dramatically increase the success of treating school refusal.

Key Components of a Successful Reintegration Plan

A successful reintegration plan for school refusal should involve more than just a slow return to the classroom. It’s important to address both the emotional and cognitive aspects of school refusal, as well as provide consistent, structured support. Below are the key components of a comprehensive plan to support reintegration and ensure that they are able to make a successful transition back to school:

1. Gradual Re-entry to Academic Demands: A plan should include a gradual re-entry to academic tasks, starting with smaller, manageable increments of time and progressively increasing in duration. This approach reduces the pressure of immediate academic demands, helping to prevent feelings of overwhelm. Begin by introducing your child to their preferred subjects—those they feel more comfortable with or enjoy the most. This positive reinforcement can help build confidence and reduce resistance to returning to school.

2. Addressing Distorted Thinking: Children with school refusal often experience distorted thinking about school. These cognitive distortions may include beliefs such as, “I’m not good enough,” “teachers and peers will judge me,” or “I won’t be able to keep up with my classmates.” Your child requires specific support in restructuring these distorted thoughts. It’s crucial that they work with a therapist or counselor to challenge these negative beliefs and replace them with more accurate and adaptive thoughts.

Role-playing and practice routines throughout the day can also help your child develop healthier perspectives on school and school-related social interactions. These exercises can prepare your child to cope with real-life situations and increase their readiness to face challenging scenarios in the classroom.

3. Prompt Response to School Refusal: One of the most important factors in overcoming school refusal is acting quickly when a refusal occurs. Research shows that the longer a child stays away from school, the harder it becomes to break the cycle of avoidance. Therefore, it’s critical that your child’s team (including you, their school staff, and any therapists involved) respond immediately when a refusal occurs. Ideally, you want to limit the number of school refusal days to one or two at most before implementing a formalized plan to address attendance.

If your child does refuse school, the plan should prioritize early intervention. This may include additional support, communication with the school to reduce missed work, and mental health check-ins to ensure your child feels supported emotionally. By acting swiftly, you reduce the risk of a prolonged period of school avoidance, which can become harder to reverse over time.

4. Managing Homework and Academic Workload: One of the most common sources of stress for children with school refusal is the idea of falling behind in schoolwork. Your child may feel overwhelmed by the accumulation of missed assignments, which can further fuel avoidance behaviors. To prevent this, it’s essential that a plan be put in place to manage missed work. This could include prioritizing essential assignments or offering extensions on deadlines to help your child feel less pressured.

By reducing the academic burden during the reintegration process, your child can focus on gradually adjusting to the school environment without being overwhelmed by the expectations of their coursework.

Concluding Thoughts

School refusal is not a simple issue to resolve, but with a thoughtful, stepwise approach, your child can successfully transition back into school. A gradual reintegration into the academic environment, support for restructuring negative thoughts, and quick intervention at the first sign of refusal are key to helping your child overcome this challenge.

Parents and caregivers play a vital role in this process. Your understanding, patience, and advocacy are essential to your child’s success. With the right support, your child—and other children facing school refusal—can regain confidence, rebuild their academic skills, and develop the resilience needed to thrive in school and beyond.

If your child is experiencing school refusal, don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s school or a mental health professional to create a tailored plan that best meets their needs. Neuropsychological testing can also be useful in determining underlying causes of the school refusal and planning a re-entry to their current school or another program that sets your child up for a positive educational experience.

If you would like to learn more about NESCA’s neuropsychological evaluation services, please complete our online Intake Form.

 

About the Author

Dr. Rebecca Dautoff provides comprehensive neuropsychological and psychological (projective) evaluation services for children, adolescents,Headshot of Rebecca Dautoff, Psy.D. and young adults who have complex presentations with a wide range of concerns, including attention deficit disorders, psychiatric disorders, intellectual disabilities, and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). She also values collaboration with families and outside providers to facilitate supports and services that are tailored to each child’s specific needs.

 

If you are interested in booking an appointment for an evaluation with Dr. Dautoff or another NESCA neuropsychologist/clinician, please fill out and submit our online intake form. 

 

NESCA is a pediatric neuropsychology practice and integrative treatment center with offices in Newton, Plainville, and Hingham, Massachusetts; Londonderry, New Hampshire; the greater Burlington, Vermont region; and Brooklyn, New York (coaching services only) serving clients from infancy through young adulthood and their families. For more information, please email info@nesca-newton.com or call 617-658-9800.

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Choosing a College – Key Considerations for Students with Disabilities

By | NESCA Notes 2025

By: Kelley Challen, Ed.M., CAS
Director of Transition Services; Assistant Director, NESCA

May 1st, often known as “College Decision Day,” marks the traditional deadline for students to submit their deposit and commit to colleges. With students applying to more colleges than ever—including multiple “safety schools”—many will spend the winter and spring months of their senior year carefully weighing their options.

This year in particular, students may be inclined to wait until the last minute to commit to a college as funding, staffing, and programming are a bit more uncertain.

There are some common variables that students learn to compare when researching and visiting colleges:

  • Location
  • Cost
  • Scholarships and Financial Aid
  • Size (campus size, number of undergraduate students, class sizes, etc.)
  • Strength and Availability of Majors
  • Retention and Graduation Rates
  • Internships
  • Gut feelings

But, for students with disabilities, there is often additional information that can be useful in making a decision to commit to a particular college. Below are five important factors that can be helpful to explore when researching, visiting, and communicating with colleges in order to make a final selection, if not earlier in the college application process:

  • Explore student clubs and organizations. Student participation in clubs and campus activities is known to contribute to the student’s retention, persistence, and success in college. Therefore, researching student groups should be an important aspect of the college selection process for every college student. However, for students with social, emotional, or other disabilities that impact communication and connection with others, participation in student clubs and organizations can also provide exactly the structure needed to assist the student in forging both initial and lasting relationships in college. Therefore, it’s important to research ahead of time and ensure that there are structured groups on campus you can see yourself being part of including hobby-based clubs, athletics, interest-based student organizations, and even disability advocacy groups.
  • Research foreign language and math requirements. If you received a foreign language waiver in high school or took alternative math courses, don’t assume the same will apply in college. College accommodations operate under different laws and policies, so it’s essential to verify foreign language and math requirements and whether course substitutions or other accommodations (e.g., pass/fail grading, adjustments to the class participation requirement, etc.) are permitted. It is important to realize that even colleges that allow substitutions may not be able to do so if the language is central to the student’s chosen major/course of study. If substitutions are not allowed, it is useful to ask about foreign language faculty on campus and to look for foreign languages that may be easier to learn, such as Latin or Greek, which are not spoken. If math is required, make sure you have a plan for tackling that requirement such as summer courses or tutoring assistance.
  • Meet with Disability Support Services (often called Student Accessibility Services or Student Success Services). Beyond inquiring about available accommodations and assistive technology, pay attention to how accessible the office is. Is it easy to locate on campus? Do staff members seem welcoming and knowledgeable? Scheduling an appointment can also give insight into how efficiently the office responds to student needs and how comfortable you will feel working with the staff. Navigating support services efficiently can make a significant difference in your college experience.
  • Understand the reduced course load policy. For students who struggle with processing speed, writing efficiency, anxiety, or other challenges that may impact workload management, it’s important to understand the college’s reduced course load policies. Sometimes, beginning college with a “reduced course load” or “underload” is exactly the ramp that students need to managing college routines. Other students may need this accommodation at more than one point in college. Students should therefore ask about the minimum credits required to maintain full-time status and financial aid eligibility, as well as whether freshmen can start with a reduced load or take summer courses to balance their schedule. Knowing whether there are limits on the number of semesters that a student is able to take a reduced course load is also important for many students. Clarifying these policies in advance can help ensure a manageable and successful transition to college-level coursework.
  • Contact the Office of Residential Life. Not all dorm life is created equal, especially for students with disabilities who require accommodations in college. Ask questions about the leadership structure within the dorms, the training/qualifications for residential directors and residential assistants in the freshman housing, how social relationships are fostered and facilitated within the dorm environment, and how dorm conflicts are resolved. For students who require a medical single (e.g., a single dorm room on the basis of documented social or emotional difficulties, allergies, etc.), elevator access, or a service/support animal, make sure that you confirm not only that these accommodations are available, but also where that housing is available on campus. For instance, single dorm rooms are sometimes only available within dorms or housing complexes that are traditionally reserved for upperclass students, reducing the opportunity for first-year bonding. Confirming housing details in advance can help you make an informed housing decision and ensure both your comfort and success in college.

Certainly, the college search and selection processes are different for each student, both with and without disabilities. But my hope is that this list of considerations helps students to make a more informed and confident decision about where they will thrive academically, socially, and personally. At the end of the day, it is important to remember that there is not just one perfect school for a student. There are lots of places where you can be successful and happy, and your job is just to make the best decision you can.

 

About the Author:

Kelley Challen, Ed.M., CAS, is NESCA’s Director of Transition Services, overseeing planning, consultation, evaluation, coaching, case management, training and program development services. She is also the Assistant Director of NESCA, working under Dr. Ann Helmus to support day-to-day operations of the practice. Ms. Challen began facilitating programs for children and adolescents with special needs in 2004. After receiving her Master’s Degree and Certificate of Advanced Study in Risk and Prevention Counseling from Harvard Graduate School of Education, Ms. Challen spent several years at the MGH Aspire Program where she founded an array of social, life and career skill development programs for teens and young adults with Asperger’s Syndrome and related profiles. She additionally worked at the Northeast Arc as Program Director for the Spotlight Program, a drama-based social pragmatics program, serving youth with a wide range of diagnoses and collaborating with several school districts to design in-house social skills and transition programs. Ms. Challen is co-author of the chapter “Technologies to Support Interventions for Social- Emotional Intelligence, Self-Awareness, Personality Style, and Self-Regulation” for the book Technology Tools for Students with Autism. She is also a proud mother of two energetic boys, ages six and three. While Ms. Challen has special expertise in supporting students with Autism Spectrum Disorders, she provides support to individuals with a wide range of developmental and learning abilities, including students with complex medical needs.

Neuropsychology & Education Services for Children & Adolescents (NESCA) is a pediatric neuropsychology practice and integrative treatment center with offices in Newton, Massachusetts, Plainville, Massachusetts, and Londonderry, New Hampshire, serving clients from preschool through young adulthood and their families. For more information, please email info@nesca-newton.com or call 617-658-9800.

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