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Academic Coaching for Students with Executive Function Challenges

Executive Function Skills for School and Life

Parents have trusted Academic Coaching Associates since 2008 to help their neurodiverse students improve their academic performance. Academic Coaching is perfect for students with ADHD or any student that is underperforming in school. Students learn strategies specifically designed to strengthen executive functions.

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Middle School

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High School

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College

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Adult

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Does your child struggle with the following?

Forgets or has a lack of awareness of assignments

Feels easily overwhelmed and avoids projects, multi-step assignments, and writing assignments. 

Forgets to turn in completed assignments

Leaves long-term projects to the last minute

Puts off studying until the night before exams

Neglects to do or turn in homework assignments 

Poor and/or ineffective study skills and strategies

Believes there is more time to complete assignments than is actually true

If this sounds like your child, then they likely struggle with weak executive function skills.

Let Academic Coaching Associates help you and your child.....Schedule a free 20 minutes phone consultation to see how Academic Coaching could help!

Click Here to Schedule Your Free Call
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Do you think your child might have Executive Function Challenges?

Take our quiz to discover your child's level of executive function skills and discover how you can help. We also include recommendations based on quiz results.

Click Here to Take the Quiz
Caroline M.Caroline M.1639680632 ★★★★★ In my experience here as a graduate student I was repeatedly impressed by the diligence and professionalism of the coaches as well as the administration. They delivered on everything they promised me week after week and I've honestly never seen such a significant shift in my behavior before in my life! It isn't always super easy but my coaches help me keep pushing. Who knows where my grades would be without you. THANK YOU ACA!!!Kimberly Robinson W.Kimberly Robinson W.1671481050 ★★★★★ Thank you, Yvette and Academic Coaching Associated! I am thrilled with Frankie‘s academic performance this semester. Frankie said that this has been her best academic performance since high school. Your support and accountability measures are 100% making the difference. ❤️Linda GLinda G1624751465 ★★★★★ We are so incredibly appreciative of all that you have done with our son. We truly believe we would not be here right now without all your help and guidance. I know how much he trusts and respects you. We are so very gratefulConlan H.Conlan H.1672674848 ★★★★★ As a student, Monica has helped me create goals and strategies for school work and school life. She is a pleasure to work with and very engaging.Maren G.Maren G.1660151801 ★★★★★ We've been working with Academic Coaching Associates for just over three months and couldn't be more pleased with the results! Our son was struggling with organization, motivation, and academic anxiety, but through Hilary's weekly sessions, she was able to help him learn new approaches, study habits, and ways in which to minimize his school-related anxiety. He earned 2 As in his summer courses! Through her help and guidance, he has adopted a growth mindset and is thriving! Plus, she's taken so much stress off of us as parents. He's learned accountability and self-advocacy, which are vital skills and has shown us he's ready to return to his 4 year school. We've already signed up for the Fall session Mastermind Program. I highly recommend Hilary and ACA!Erika D.Erika D.1716214544 ★★★★★ We hired ACA for our son his second semester of freshman year college. He was paired with Hilary Ben-Ami and it was a great match for him. He had a very successful second semester thanks to her help and support. We were so pleased with the outcome and the communication all through the semester from Hilary. It was great to know he had her in his corner! We would highly recommend ACA and Hilary to anyone considering extra support for their son or daughterCheryl H.Cheryl H.1644894241 ★★★★★ I am so grateful to Sue and her team at ACA. I knew I was in good hands the first time I called. I can definitely see the difference coaching has made in my son’s schoolwork.He’s gained a lot more confidence and actually does his homework without a major struggle! I would definitely recommend them.Jennifer R.Jennifer R.1684889663 ★★★★★ For the past 16 weeks my daughter worked with Hilary Ben-Ami who is a coach with Academic Coaching Associates. Hilary was amazing...she helped my daughter stay on track academically, encouraged my daughter to explore various academic paths, and kept detailed notes of their sessions together which Hilary then forwarded to my husband and me so that we were always "in the loop". I highly recommend working with Hilary at ACA!! We are definitely signing up for more sessions.Timotheen C.Timotheen C.1681156516 ★★★★★ I recently participated in the College Academic Coach Training Program with the team at Academic Coaching Associates. As a very new college academic coach at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, I wanted more training to work with students. The training ACA provided has given me ideas of the opportunity to create academic success plans with my students, specific strategies for organization and time management, helping them set up schedules and routines, and a number of templates for both students and myself. I was also given the chance to observe a college coaching session in real time which was especially helpful. I am a step further to be able to help my students become successful.Patty H.Patty H.1672943530 ★★★★★ Monica has been a great coach for our student. She has tools to offer but never mandates anything, which is important to us, because we want to foster independence & ownership. She is kind, accepting of missteps, and shares the joy of success. We recommend her highly!Moyo O.Moyo O.1674773028 ★★★★★ Received Advising from ACA through 4 years of college. They helped me improve my organizational skills and time management abilities. Due to their help I was able to achieve my goal of attending my dream law school.Weston K.Weston K.1676418388 ★★★★★ I got paired up with Sheila, and I think she was the sweetest person ever. She was very nice helping me through what I needed to learn, and also cared about me as a person rather than just academically. I always looked forward to our meetings and they helped me tremendously.Rob W.Rob W.1670691982 ★★★★★ My child was having issues transitioning to college, and wasn't doing well. Their coach at ACA made all the difference. Grades are up, happy, and thriving.Sally L.Sally L.1624903186 ★★★★★ Celia, with ACA, was fantastic. Her communication with us was excellent, providing regular progress reports. She helped our son stay organized by prioritizing his academic work and personal time. And I am happy to report, our son reached his goals and achieved Chancellors List in his second college semester. He really could not have done it without the help of Celia.Tracey H.Tracey H.1717547176 ★★★★★ Tiara has been a great help to my college son, helping him learn and implement new study strategies and improve his time management, which have improved his grades.Julie J.Julie J.1624912728 ★★★★★ My daughter was working with Coach Hilary Ben-Ami. Hilary offered her accountability and strategic solutions to balancing the many AP classes in her senior year of high school and in dealing with her executive functioning challenges. They will be working together next school year when my daughter begins college.Hilary provided good advice to us as parents dealing with a teen with ADD and on the Spectrum. She offered multiple solutions and we even had a few family sessions to discuss roles/expectations/accountability. Those sessions really helped us step away and let Hilary be the coach.Our daughter learned more skills from Hilary than from any of her teachers in high school or from our previous coach. We are so grateful to have her in our daughter's life going into college.Neil S.Neil S.1713984910 ★★★★★ Our coach Devon has been absolutely wonderful for our daughter. She is amazing at helping our 14-year-olds advocate for herself, and Balance, her schoolwork and afterschool activities. I highly recommend EA for your child’s learning and social development needs.Ross K.Ross K.1606499209 ★★★★★ Marissa is one of the finest coaches Academic Coaching Associates has to offer. She takes an individualized approach to coaching and is truly a great example of a person of integrity and the desire to help others.Marissa truly cared not just about my academic success, but also my success in life. Marissa always had a positive approach while working with me and helped me develop a mindset that is full of positivity and possibility.I just completed my bachelors of science in biology from Colby-Sawyer College and I can say with 100% confidence that if it was not for Marissa, I would not have finished college and quite frankly, I don't know where I would be.I would highly recommend Marissa to any student who is looking for assistance not just in academics, but also in life.You won't find anyone better. I guarantee itGilda M.Gilda M.1626129239 ★★★★★ Marissa worked with both of my teenagers this year. My children spent the year attending school remotely due to the pandemic. Keeping them motivated was a difficult task. Marissa is compassionate, caring and patient. She quickly adapted to each child's needs and incorporated different methods to help them manage their assignments and set priorities. She kept me informed also, so I was able to follow up with them between sessions. I would highly recommend Academic Coaching Associates.Anthony N.Anthony N.1621594843 ★★★★★ ACA worked with my son in his final semester of college. With significant patience and support from Sarah at ACA, he managed to pass his Physics and Econ classes and will graduate as a dual major this Friday! Sarah was terrific all semester in trying to find solutions that worked for him and offering a wide range of options for him to try. I'm confident that not only was this effort worthwhile in the short term in terms of getting him across the finish line but it'll help equip him with techniques that will be valuable going forward.Kevin L.Kevin L.1623241282 ★★★★★ Marissa is the best! She is easy to talk to, understanding, and gives great advice! I have had a really tough time with organization and in other areas and she helped me get back on track. She has been my go-to and got me through the year. She’s great at what she does!Katherine T.Katherine T.1723650143 ★★★★★ Stephanie is fabulous! My daughter had a great experience with ACA her junior and senior years and while applying to colleges. Highly recommend!!Michael J.Michael J.1710289042 ★★★★★ Used Monica from ACA for my son in 8th grade to improve his organization/study habits to prepare for high school. He had a tremendous improvement throughout the year. He really came out of his shell and enjoyed the classes every week. Thank you so much Monica and Marissa. Will use you guys again in high school if needed or for my younger children.Dara T.Dara T.1692299940 ★★★★★ ACA was highly recommended to me last year by a parent in my sons high school class. My son was struggling with no end in sight and I was at a loss as to how to help him more than I already had. I felt lost and useless. A fellow parent suggested I reach out to ACA and I have never once regretted that decision.From the moment we connected, I knew we were in the right hands. There was no judgement just a reassurance that all was not lost and together as a team, we would help my son. The communication was second to none and my son connected with his coach is a way I could never have anticipated. Suddenly my son was focused and actually enjoying school. He turns in his assignments on time and with pride for the time and effort he put forth. We were actually sad to take the summer off but cannot wait to reconnect in a few weeks and make our return. If you are on the fence, take the leap, you will never regret ACA. Thank you for all you have done and will continue to do!Brett S.Brett S.1535319426 ★★★★★ Sue and the coaches at ACA are second to none in this space. They truly go above and beyond to ensure that all of their students are in a position to succeed. Highly recommend!!S W.S W.1627004863 ★★★★★ After my son struggled with his 1st semester as a freshman at an out-of-state university, I reached out to Academic Coaching Associates (ACA). I was favorably impressed with their onboarding/screening process and the initial consultation with their team. We explained our goals (i.e., shore up grades while working online from home for a semester and then seek transfer to another university). They described their process and mutual expectations for success. I was very impressed with the coach and that she was able to develop rapport with my son in bi-weekly consultations to ensure he was organizing, covering all online class assignments (easy to miss in covid online formats), planning in advance, and resolving questions/issues with the universities and professors. You never know how students will react or connect and our coach was fantastic. She provided updates to me after each coaching session and answered my questions along the way. I am happy to say my son exceeded his GPA expectations and was able to be accepted at his first choice of university. Thank you ACA!Elisa S.Elisa S.1694804395 ★★★★★ ACA was recommended to me after my son received his ADHD diagnosis. He was really struggling with doing homework which was pulling his grades down. His coach took the time to get to know him and has able to come up with strategies that work for him. My son also attends the weekly study halls which have helped him get past his procrastination and is actually getting his homework done without me nagging. He’s doing so much better at school, but more importantly he’s happier and feels much less stressed than before. I highly recommend!Vlad The Evil C.Vlad The Evil C.1671212025 ★★★★★ Every time I went to the study hall sessions, I was always able to meet the goals I set; I was always able to get assignments done during or sometimes after the sessions. The Study hall proctor(s) are nice and always willing to help out where they can. Honestly, the study hall sessions are well worth going.Steven R.Steven R.1469114857 ★★★★★ Sue and the coaches at ACA really "get" kids – not only academically, but emotionally and developmentally. They have a proven track record of success in connecting with struggling students and helping them dramatically improve their academic performance. Highly recommended!Erika S.Erika S.1629568894 ★★★★★ ACA has been life changing for us and our son. Our son always did exceptionally well in school, but needed help with executive functioning skills. All of our coaches over the years have been helpful and this final year and a half of high school with Hilary has given him all the tools he needs to excel in college. It's also nice that they do college coaching as well and that they are there if you need!Robyn S.Robyn S.1670006250 ★★★★★ I am truly grateful, to have found ACA. Their knowledge and coaching was just what I needed…..Kind and friendly.Thank you so much. I would highly recommend them!Jonathan J.Jonathan J.1654470626 ★★★★★ ACA is the reason my son is not only still in college, but is now doing well in in all his classes. When I came to ACA he was all but failing, but after working with his coach he is thriving and I could not be more impressed with their services. If you have a struggling student reach out to them, you will be glad you did.Amy S.Amy S.1539713024 ★★★★★ Thank you Academic Coaching Associates!! My son has become a more organized, proactive, productive, and confident student.Michelle D.Michelle D.1724268495 ★★★★★ My daughter is a student at a top-ranked university and was matched with Tia of Academic Coaching Associates, who was phenomenal. Without Tia, I do not believe my daughter would have succeeded last school year. We are grateful and have signed up with Tia for another semester. Thank you, Tia and Academic Coaching Associates. We HIGHLY recommend their services.Stacey M.Stacey M.1715710561 ★★★★★ What a great experience! My son was matched with Coach Yvette this semester. Coach Y got to know my son and his areas of opportunity and really helped him learn new study skills and enhance the ones he had. She was patient but firm, and at all times encouraging and professional. His 2nd semester under the direction of Coach Y was fantastic!Yaremi A.Yaremi A.1723594063 ★★★★★ We are incredibly grateful for Heather’s coaching and the positive impact she has had on our son's growth. We thoroughly enjoyed working with her—she not only supported our son with his academic workload but also helped him develop discipline. Now that he is a senior, he feels ready to tackle this year on his own.Meghan C.Meghan C.1631545156 ★★★★★ This was a very helpful program.Jennifer B.Jennifer B.1625110680 ★★★★★ I had turned into the nagging mother whom my child was exasperated with. I have an extremely intelligent child who has been diagnosed with ADHD attentive and mild anxiety. We were riding the rollercoaster of up and down grades due to her problems with her lack of executive function. She was having issues with perfectionism and not turning in homework which she did not think was good enough, forgetting to turn in homework, losing homework and forgetting to do assignments. I was frantically searching for how to help without being “that” mom. Fielding emails from teachers regarding missed assignments, not knowing how to help her manage big projects without her freaking out over the the volume of projects in High School. The fights, the tears, the late frantic nights trying to make sure work was completed.. was driving us both crazy. I started searching the internet for help and advice. That’s when I found ACA. I accessed their website several times before making contact with Susan. I sent an email asking how they could help and received a very quick response. I did an intake interview and then set up an intake interview with my daughter, Susan and Hilary Ben-Ami whom Susan said would be a great match for my daughter. The match was perfect. For several years Hilary worked with my daughter not tutoring but helping her to learn how to manage her school and her life. Hilary helped my daughter learn how to stand back and break down large assignments into small pieces. She learned how to set deadlines for herself on completing tasked and how to prioritize her tasks to complete them in a timely manner. I received weekly e-mail updated from Hilary with objective descriptions of successes and challenges as well as a list of homework assignments. I was able to stop nagging and trying to ineffectively manage my daughter and once again be a mother. Was it free.. no, but was it worth the money spent? Absolutely!!! Don’t hesitate to get help! Don’t hesitate to contact ACA for their services!Carole C.Carole C.1717427182 ★★★★★ We have used Academic Coaching Associates this past year for our daughter who just completed her sophomore year in college Tia Smith was her coach and we couldn't be happier with the results. our daughter's grades have significantly improved and she feels much more confident in her abilities. Tia had a great understanding of her needs and tailored the sessions to suit her learning style.Tia helped her develop effective study skills, time management techniques, and even provided tips on stress management. Tia's knowledge and expertise were invaluable to our daughter's academic journey.Tia has a wealth of knowledge in various subjects and was able to break down difficult concepts in a way that made it easy to understand. She helped our daughter set realistic goals and stay motivated.Highly recommended ACA for coaching students to achieve their best results.Jeff W.Jeff W.1625158061 ★★★★★ Celia will work with you to define your goals and ambitions while making you take a look at your skills from a different perspective. She is knowledgeable and professional.Dan N.Dan N.1625165501 ★★★★★ Academic Coaching Associates was integral in my overall success during my undergraduate years. Through thick and thin Susan Schaefer and others stuck with me, and helped me truly believe I could achieve at the highest level. Thanks to Sue, I was able to highlight the strengths and weaknesses in my learning style, and come up with a study plan that will help me throughout my career endeavors. Thanks to Academic Coaching Associates, I have the necessary tools to succeed in whatever may come my way. Thank you guys!!Chris S.Chris S.1628603874 ★★★★★ The staff is super. They really care about the success of the students. The owner Sue started this service to help children succeed in life. Give your child a fighting chance at success by getting the help of ACA.Jennifer L.Jennifer L.1711480376 ★★★★★ My daughter is a high school junior who has been working with Heather to learn tools and strategies around academic workload, time management, and stress. Heather is amazing and I highly recommend her. She has a calm demeanor, is supportive and a great listener. She pieces apart my daughter’s workload into manageable and less overwhelming chunks to be tackled. She provides strategies and guidance and has helped my daughter take a breath a bit during a challenging junior year. She is very relatable and clicked with my daughter very quickly. Five stars for sure!!Denise A.Denise A.1625609105 ★★★★★ We can not say enough positive things about our family's experience with Academic Coaching Associates. Our college age son has always struggled with the rigors of school but is determined to be successful. ACA provides him with the tools and confidence to be successful! From our first meeting with Susan Schaefer to being paired with Marissa, our son's coach, we have felt heard, supported and hopeful. Our son is starting his third year of school and he is a much different student than he was before. Marissa provides a lot of strategies for the roadblocks that seem to be in his way and holds him accountable and to task. He is no longer defeated before he begins a project and he is a stronger advocate for himself when he needs to be. Academic Coaching Associates has been one of the best investments our family has ever made.Marci L.Marci L.1629122002 ★★★★★ Academic Coaching Associates has been a vital resource for our student. We are amazed by their effectiveness, organization and sensitivity. We highly, highly recommend them!Mason S.Mason S.1666122982 ★★★★★ I have been using Academic Coaching Associates services since around 2011. During that time I have been able to build better habits in regards to my academic success. I started when I was in middle school with Sue Schaefer and we worked together up until I was in university. I then started working with Marissa Frangione and I have been able to improve my GPA significantly as well as change my attitude towards my success.Jeff P.Jeff P.1642628835 ★★★★★ We were very pleased with Dominique W., at ACA and will utilize her expertise moving forward this spring.Karin K. J.Karin K. J.1641605295 ★★★★★ Thank you so much to Sarah for her work with my daughter this past year. We appreciated her gentle cheerleading and helpful guidance. Over the course of her work, my daughter improved significantly in her academic success. This past semester she got As in Art History and English 1B. (She had previously got a C in English 1A.) She is 60% done with her online Korean course and is so far earning an A in that course as well.Sue B.Sue B.1632848742 ★★★★★ We were extremely happy with the personalized service Celia provided our son with his career search. She coached him for approximately 4 months. During this time, they explored many career options along with the possibility of grad school or further education. Initially, his search was long distance until his move to CT. Celia was patient, caring and very encouraging. Since this was a cross country move and career “re-start”, Celia was extremely concerned that our son not just find a job, but encouraged him to be very selective and find a position that would jump start a new career. She kept us informed with summaries of their discussions.Thank you, Celia-for guiding and believing in our son during this transition!!Sue & Bob Black, Sunriver, ORJean S.Jean S.1642871253 ★★★★★ Marissa has done an outstanding job supporting my son in his academic pursuits. She has been instrumental in his improvement, in organization, discipline, and commitment to his own success. Her warm personality, and her focus on positive reinforcement has been key in helping my son do his best in and out of the classroom. I highly recommend her.Mary S.Mary S.1620942689 ★★★★★ Academic Coaching Associates was simply the best program to support our daughter through her first year of college. Lauren is a fabulous academic coach. She is knowledgeable, professional, and has a personality that is most conducive to working with young adults. We are so grateful for this experience!Mindy S.Mindy S.1670623059 ★★★★★ My experience with ACA has been incredible! My son has ADHD and it was a constant struggle to get him to do his homework. He’s very bright but his grades we tanking. I called ACA to get him help and am so glad I did. His coach taught him how to prioritize, break his assignments down so he doesn’t get overwhelmed, and techniques to get started on his work. It took some time but he is doing great now and it’s so much better now that I’m not nagging him. Highly recommend!Steve M.Steve M.1675442020 ★★★★★ Heather Calabro from ACA has been working with our son as an Executive Function Coach for almost 8 weeks now and we could not be more thrilled with the way things are going.We have had other Exec. Func. Coaches in the past who worked with our other son so we have a good sense of coaches that have "it" and coaches that don't. Heather most definitely has it!She has a very positive and high energy approach to coaching that really resonates with our son and I am sure does with her other students as well. She is a great listener and has partnered with our boy and with my wife and I in helping to solve for our son's organizational issues.She is extremely effective and after just a few weeks into working with our son we started to see a difference in his approach to getting work done and a difference in how he organizes himself. That remains the case. He is no longer always behind and trying to play catch; he now stays current and is studying more efficiently. We cannot recommend Heather strongly enough. She is excellent!Amy Casavina H.Amy Casavina H.1717082128 ★★★★★ I was stuck figuring out how to support my son with school. He has the intelligence but struggles with foundational skills. Since working with Devon, his (and everyone's) stress has decreased and we all have the support we need.Rick K.Rick K.1688672050 ★★★★★ I started working with Marissa in my freshman year of college after failing multiple classes for the first time in my life. I had entered college out of high school severely underprepared, with no study skills, patience, plans, and undiagnosed learning disabilities. I was depressed and lost, and agreed to work with ACA in order to make a final effort before dropping out. I cannot overstate how incredibly helpful and kind Marissa has been to me in addressing and solving for these issues. As we worked together, I found that the coaching she provided was tailored to counterbalance my issues, providing structure & stability into my life, and not admonish me for my shortcomings. We discussed issues as they came up, addressed them with flexibility, and solved for my best interests. University became less of a burden and more of a willing responsibility as I progressed. I learned to advocate for myself in professional communication, create & maintain structure through calendars and planning, and objectively evaluate and solve for my own disabilities and strengths. We worked together for almost 4 years, and they were an incredible help in lifting me from my lowest place mentally, academically, and personally into the person I am today. Together, we pushed through my challenges and I graduated with a bachelor's degree. As I write this review, I'm starting my career - something I could never have imagined when we began working together. I cannot express enough gratitude towards Marissa for the coaching that they've given and the skills they've helped to grow in me.Jocelyn R.Jocelyn R.1672954462 ★★★★★ Alysha has been amazingly patient with my daughter. She has been a combo of coach/tutor/big sister/teacher/therapist/cheerleader. If I could give her 6 stars I would.Chastity L.Chastity L.1715361718 ★★★★★ Heather is a wonderful academic coach. She is so thorough and explains action steps clearly. She sends a weekly report to our home so we can follow up as well. We are so grateful for Heather and all of her help.Terri K.Terri K.1641746180 ★★★★★ We have worked with Lauren at ACA for 2 years now. My student was struggling not with the material, but with the executive function skills needed to maneuver a college schedule. Prior to joining, my student was at risk for loss of scholarship. Happy to say that this past semester he carried a full load of 15 hours and ended with a 3.7! Highly recommend Lauren and the people at ACA. They are great at listening to what is needed and providing guidance and help for students.Debbie B.Debbie B.1707349115 ★★★★★ ACA has been life-changing for our family. Sue is passionate about her work and helping children and their families. She very quickly figured out exactly what my daughter needed and has offered valuable guidance and resources on top of the ACA services.My daughter's coach, Devon, is incredibly patient and invested in her well-being. Devon pushes her to think about her habits and be intentional about trying new approaches and reflecting on them. She has helped her become more independent and take responsibility for her choices. My daughter now has systems for staying organized and managing her homework and other tasks. She has become more confident and feels good about the work she is doing with ACA and how it has positively impacted her in school and at home.The study hall component of ACA's program has taken all of the fighting out of homework time too! I highly recommend ACA. I honestly can't say enough about Sue and her team.js_loader

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