I posted this on another board ,then realized maybe it should go here.
We are going to start ADD coaching for my 17 year old son in an effort to increase his independence and provide a positive experience so that in the future he may feel comfortable setting up coaching at college and/or reaching out for help. I really want him to have a "tool kit" of skills for problem solving when he goes off to college. Has anyone had experience in this area?
There will be a two hour intake, then an hour a week for 13 weeks. We can continue after that on a less frequent basis.
DS is doing well in school, very involved in extra-curricular activities and has been consciously working at balancing out his life in the social area at the suggestion of 504 case manager.
I gave him two goals this school year: managing his medication and being able to get out of bed in the morning w/o parental intervention. (He chose to take a 6:30 class so yes its even harder) He is not progressing in these areas and in fact I think he is less reponsible now in these issues than he was a few months ago. It seems that at this point I am the one working on it, not DS. So I would like to hand this over to someone else
to help him figure it out. DS is usually so busy in the present tense that its hard to get him to sit down and think about these issues.
Well, let me know of your experiences in ADD coaching.
Thanks! Happy Holidays! Good luck to you!Coach where are You. We need ways to help our kids here. If anything is left up to either of our kids it does not happen at all. I found the two sites Tara mentioned full of interesting information. Thanks.
Today was a two hour intake. DS went in skeptical and emerged with good feelings about the session saying the fellow was a "really nice guy." So far, so good.
Coach update:
ds has seen the coach 3 times this January. He immediately started taking charge of things he should be responsible for...like getting out of bed in the morning without adult intervention...and taking his meds on time. Ds started a file system for school work. He is also making an effort to set aside time for socializing. Let's hope this continues. Coach says he will let me know soon what topics they have been discussing. Ds seems to enjoy this and sees the value so far.I want this while son is still young before teen rebellion sets in. Is this possible to get for a preteen? I am not really sure how coaching programs work for preteens. Much of the coaching process is brainstorming strategies to develop coping skills. The responsibility is on the client to try the new strategies and then discuss how it is going the next week. It all depends on the individual. Ds was probably not ready for the process in middle school. He did not recognize what was working and what wasn't. After an event was in the past tense, it really didn't matter to him if it ever existed and he didn't see the connection between events. Just the present tense mattered to him. It was after he was able to be independent in homework and take full responsibility for it did I feel (and the coach agreed) he was ready.
Coaching /counselling or whatever is probably beneficial at all ages. Prior to this, Ds recieved a lot of tutoring and positive support by family and professional tutoring for study skills...and he is very appreciative of this support.
Can you give us an update on how the coaching is going. I am looking at this approach for my son.
Chances's Mom
Just noticed your question. I posted a reply to you on the Parents Board.
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