You've tried everything. You've set up a homework routine. You've talked to teachers. You've tried rewards and consequences. You've helped with organization. You've been patient and supportive. And your child is still struggling. Here's what's probably happening: you're addressing the wrong problem. Not because you're doing anything wrong, but because it's really hard to see what's actually getting in the way. When a child struggles academically, we tend to jump straight to s

Picture this: Two kids take the same test. Both get a C. One child looks at the grade, feels disappointed for a minute, and moves on. They ask the teacher what they got wrong and make a plan to study differently next time. The other child sees that C and falls apart. They cry. They shut down. They declare they're stupid and school is pointless. They refuse to even look at what they got wrong because it feels too overwhelming. Same test. Same grade. Completely different reacti

The Problem with Prioritizing Compliance Let's be honest. Most of us were trained to value compliance in the classroom. The "good student" sits quietly, raises their hand, follows directions the first time, and doesn't disrupt the lesson. The challenging student questions rules, has big emotional reactions, or can't seem to "just do what they're told." We've built entire classroom management systems around compliance. Behavior charts. Clip systems. Reward programs for followi

What Are Executive Functions? Executive functions (commonly shortened to EF) are a set of cognitive processes that play a crucial role in...