The False Promise of EF Coaching

The case for integrated cognitive and academic interventions

Will was an awesome student: bright, motivated, and intellectually curious. He was diagnosed with ADHD, but with a combination of informal support in school and stimulant medication, he did well throughout his early education. But when he hit Algebra 2, something changed.

While Will easily grasped the mathematical concepts, his work was increasingly riddled with errors. The problems started small: a dropped negative sign here, a calculation error there. His grades began to slip, and the standard advice–to be more careful and to write out work completely–only seemed to make things worse. Since, like many kids with ADHD, Will had fine motor weaknesses, the very act of writing out detailed solutions competed for cognitive resources he needed for the mathematical thinking itself.

By the time Will reached his senior year, these accumulated struggles meant that he was no longer eligible to take AP Calculus–a course that should have been well within his reach. His teacher, noting that Will's mathematical difficulties stemmed from executive function (EF) challenges rather than a lack of conceptual understanding, suggested he work with an EF coach.

This recommendation is increasingly common as EF coaching has become more widespread. It is consistent with the “pattern of strengths and weaknesses” approach to understanding learning disabilities, which suggests that academic difficulties arise from underlying cognitive issues. The logic seems compelling: if we can identify and address these cognitive weaknesses, the academic problems should improve.

There's just one problem: research doesn't support it.

Studies consistently show that interventions targeting underlying cognitive weaknesses like attention and executive function don't reliably improve academic performance. Executive function skills aren't as generalizable as many people think. Being good at organizing your backpack and managing your time doesn't automatically translate into organizing your thoughts during a math problem. EF skills are highly context-specific, not domain-general.

So what does this mean for students like Will, whose executive function challenges are clearly affecting their math performance? And if general EF interventions don't actually help kids learn math (or reading or writing), what's the alternative?

Effective interventions need to target academic skills directly, while building executive function capabilities within that specific context. For Will, this means working with a qualified tutor with expertise in both mathematical concepts and evidence-based strategies for students with cognitive differences. They can help Will develop techniques for catching calculation errors, managing multi-step problems, and organizing his work in ways that don't overtax his cognitive resources, all while advancing his mathematical understanding. Generally, these sorts of tutors are special educators who have received formal training in both academic content and instructional strategies.

I want to emphasize: the dual expertise is crucial. An executive function coach who lacks deep mathematical knowledge won't be able to provide the content-specific instruction Will needs. Similarly, a math expert who doesn't understand learning differences and specialized instructional techniques won't be equipped to help Will overcome his unique challenges.

This approach acknowledges that executive functioning can't be meaningfully improved in isolation from the academic skills where it's needed. Instead of trying to enhance Will's general attention and organization abilities, the focus should be on developing these skills specifically within the context of mathematical problem-solving, guided by someone who deeply understands both domains.

For parents and educators, this insight suggests a significant shift in how we approach learning challenges. Rather than seeking to "fix" underlying cognitive weaknesses through general training, or relying on tutors who only understand either content OR learning differences, we need professionals who can address both aspects simultaneously. It's not about making Will generally more organized or attentive; it's about helping him be more organized and attentive while doing math, with guidance from someone who understands both the mathematical concepts and the cognitive challenges he faces.

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