Catherine R.

asked • 06/21/24

Executive Function challenges my 10-year old. How to evaluate potential tutors?

How do I evaluate a tutor profile to identify best fit for long term online support for our rising 5th Grader?


Two and one-half years ago our now 10-year old daughter was evaluated for learning challenges. a detailed report was issued that identified needs for support with Executive Functioning. She has continued to maintain grade level academic work with a strong aptitude for Math and Science, while challenged with Executive Function skills and writing. This hinders her processing speed in the classroom environment particularly with easy distraction and the need for teacher prompting.


Homeroom and specialist subject teachers find her eager to learn with a strong desire to perform well. She easily engages with individuals of all ages from 1 to 100. Our daughter regularly receives praise from strangers she has just met on how mature and she easily engages in pleasant conversation.



Victoria S.

tutor
When evaluating a tutor for your rising 5th grader, prioritize qualifications in executive functioning support, Math, Science, and writing. Look for experience addressing processing speed and reducing distractions, and assess their teaching methods to ensure effective engagement and academic development. Seek qualifications such as a degree and at least 3 years experience in Elementary Education or Special Education, training in executive functioning strategies like ADHD coaching, and experience with elementary students, especially in grade 5. It's essential to ensure the tutor has a proven track record of supporting students with executive functioning challenges. They should be adept at providing personalized/tailored instruction, specific strategies, and techniques to maintain student focus, along with regular feedback to parents and strategies that involve parents in the learning process. It's also important to consider tutors trained in specific programs such as Lindamood-Bell, Orton-Gillingham, Saxon Phonics (or other phonics-based programs), Handwriting Without Tears, Step Up to Writing, and AVID/Elementary (Advancement Via Individual Determination) training. These programs are essential for improving processing speed, organization, and academic skills crucial for students with ADHD and similar challenges. Multisensory approaches and explicit instruction are beneficial for students with executive functioning challenges by providing clear routines, strategies, and supports to enhance learning and academic success Additionally, look for tutors who have received positive feedback from parents of students with similar needs, highlighting improvements in both executive functioning and academic skills. This endorsement can provide valuable insights into the tutor's ability to foster your child's educational progress and overall well-being.
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07/12/24

1 Expert Answer

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James Q. answered • 06/21/24

Tutor
5 (4)

MS PhD Neuroscientist and Global Student Educator - Harvard
About this tutor ›
About this tutor ›

Your daughter sounds wonderful, a doyenne of executive function skills and writing…

Fast thoughts: I appreciate your concern re how to evaluate tutors for long term, best fit support. My thinking is to find a tutor who clearly understands the practice of innovative executive function strategies that are dependent in large part on motivation, goal setting, effort, persistence, and collaborative team building.

There is evidence from recent brain activity mapping studies suggesting strategies that specifically focus on working memory, attention, initiative, problem solving, organization, stress valence, etc speak to improving the student’s ability to manage their own thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. What I find is most important in this context is for the tutor to promote a partnership of practice with the student in their learning. It’s not about teaching, it’s about training the mind to learn how to learn….

-jq

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James Q.

tutor
I see quite a bit of attention given lately to executive functioning, regulation skills, and ADHD. my thinking is that executive functions act as the GPS of our brain's ability to focus on and complete specific tasks. the basis for this is understanding the neural construct of the limbic/dorsolateral prefrontal cortical pathway in the brain. this is an aminergic/cholinergic path that highlights the functional importance of the neuromodulatory balance of the brain in selectively focusing on what is important to understand and to get done, and what is not. how this is achieved is by enhancing attention, working memory, and then reinforcing these memories by building associations. the driving cognitive force behind this is the aminergics (serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine) that enhance our ability to focus and the cholinergics (acetylcholine) that help encode this focus into context. the key to improving this synaptic scheme is reinforcement learning. there is ample evidence pointing to unique teaching and learning pedagogies and student-centered methods that reinforce these synaptic connections and pathways. more specifically, the successful outcome is the enhancement of skill sets and emotional valence in executive functioning behaviors and ADHD.... jq
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08/11/25

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