Services

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Helping Children Through Our Individualized Coaching Services


Coaching Program

Introductory Meeting

Access to Achieve, LLC owner Shelley Karpel and the assigned coach attend the Introductory Meeting. It is the first step in learning about Access to Achieve and Executive Function Coaching while getting to know each other and beginning to establish a trusting relationship. The child’s situation is discussed, with input from both parents and child. We begin to identify the child’s strengths and struggles in the different executive function skills.

A good fit between the family and Access to Achieve, LLC professionals are essential for a positive outcome. We explain what we can do to help and then discuss how best to proceed.

A group of people sitting around each other.

Coaching Program

A group of people sitting around each other.

Introductory Meeting

Access to Achieve, LLC owner Shelley Karpel and the assigned coach attend the Introductory Meeting. It is the first step in learning about Access to Achieve and Executive Function Coaching while getting to know each other and beginning to establish a trusting relationship. The child’s situation is discussed, with input from both parents and child. We begin to identify the child’s strengths and struggles in the different executive function skills.

A good fit between the family and Access to Achieve, LLC professionals are essential for a positive outcome. We explain what we can do to help and then discuss how best to proceed.

A man sitting on top of a couch next to another person.

Executive Function Evaluation

Access to Achieve, LLC owner Shelley Karpel will then conduct an Executive Function Evaluation. This is an in-depth assessment of the child's Executive Function skills. A targeted coaching plan will be developed based on the results and the individual client needs. Parents will be involved in the process. They will provide copies of test results, reports, and other pertinent documents and fill out a Parent Questionnaire.

An interview will be conducted with the child to personally assess the child's Executive Skill functioning. Access to Achieve, LLC will then deliver a report including findings with recommendations for how to proceed and the plan for ongoing services. A Findings Meeting will be held at the conclusion of the evaluation where all of this will be discussed.

Ongoing Services May Include

Coaching to…

  • Develop and implement individualized Executive Function Skill strategies which leads to self-sufficiency
  • Empower the child to be his/her own advocate
  • Help parents to understand the child's challenges and learn strategies to support the child
  • Guide parents to navigate the complex school system (Can attend school meetings, 504 Plan, IEP)
  • Advise parents on how to be a case manager and advocate for their child
A person sitting at a desk with a computer

Ongoing Services May Include

A person sitting at a desk with a computer

Coaching to…

  • Develop and implement individualized Executive Function Skill strategies which leads to self-sufficiency
  • Empower the child to be his/her own advocate
  • Help parents to understand the child's challenges and learn strategies to support the child
  • Instruct parents to communicate confidently and effectively with school personnel
  • Guide parents to navigate the complex school system (Can attend school meetings, 504 Plan, IEP)
  • Advise parents on how to be a case manager and advocate for their child
A group of people sitting around a table with laptops.

Case Management to...


  • Facilitate the process for needed services with school personnel for the child to get what he/she needs
  • Collaborate with parents and school personnel, in an effort to strengthen the home-school connection/relationship
  • Facilitate the process for needed services with involved professionals for the child to get what he/she needs
  • Collaborate with parents and professionals to support the development of that relationship
  • Refer to other professionals for further evaluation or additional services

Summer Program

Summer is the perfect time to develop Executive Function Skills without school year pressures. Our program offers several different options depending upon the individual needs and age of the student. Students will work individually with a coach to develop long-lasting strategies in Executive Function Skills that will help in school and in life.

Courses are taught individually because students delve deeper into the learning opportunities than they can in a group setting. At the end of each session, the student will summarize to parents what was learned that session and what will be practiced, much like how coaching sessions are structured during the school year.

Students that take these courses progress faster and do better with coaching, over the next school year. The combination of establishing a foundation through the summer program and then continuing with fall coaching to apply the skills, as well as working on additional Executive Function skills, has proven to be the most successful course of action for our students.

Scheduling is more flexible over the summer and can be worked around summer vacations etc. There are a limited number of available spots and they will be reserved on a first-come-first-serve. Students who do this summer program will get priority for the limited fall coaching slots.

Two women sitting at a table writing on papers.
A man sitting at a table with an orange juice in his hand.

The following programs will be offered for the Summer

  • Seeing My Time - For Middle School, High School, College Students and Adults Working on Time Management, Organization, Planning, Goal-Directed Persistence, and Metacognition
  • Online Class and Summer School Coaching - For All Ages
  • Self-Regulated Strategy Development in Writing - For All Ages - Working on writing skills for competence and confidence
  • ADHD Mindfulness Training - For All Ages - Working on Attention, Focus, Emotional Regulation, and Control
  • College Application Help for the Executive Function Challenged

Scroll down for detailed information about each program

A purple and green cover of the sklar process.

Seeing My Time

Developed by Marydee Sklar
For Middle School, High School, College Students, and Adults

This program focuses on time management, organization, planning, goal-directed persistence, and building metacognition. It combines educational and neuroscience approaches and presents the lessons and time management in a visual format. We have used this course for several years, with many students with Executive Function challenges. They have been successful in learning these strategies and applying them in their lives.

A book cover with children sitting at tables.

Self-Regulated Strategy Development in Writing

Developed by Dr. Karen Harris
For All Ages

This program is for students who struggle with or want to improve in writing. The writing process involves all of the Executive Functions and many Access to Achieve students have difficulty with, and then come to dislike writing, which can greatly impact how they do in school. We’ve been searching for a good writing intervention program and have found it with SRSD. All Access to Achieve staff are trained in this methodology through the think-SRSD program.

Two books about mindfulness and meditation

Mindfulness Training for ADHD

For All Ages

Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to something, in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally (Kabat-Zinn, 2003).

A woman sitting on the ground with her laptop.

Online Class and Summer School Help

Many students take online courses during the summer and also during the school year. While it can be a way to take classes that don’t fit into a student’s schedule, could be a way to make up courses, or a way to spread the workload out, we find that the online format is especially difficult for those with Executive Function challenges.

A man is surrounded by papers and piles of paperwork.

College Application Help for the Executive Function Challenged

Applying to college is a complicated and challenging process. Students today apply to many colleges and each one generally involves an application, references, transcripts, and (the much dreaded) college essays. Each school has its own timeline for when this all has to be completed and submitted. There’s also the financial paperwork and applications. Often, students are applying for scholarships to help defray some of the costs.

We have incorporated mindfulness training into all aspects of our coaching program.

Seeing My Time

Developed by Marydee Sklar
For Middle School, High School, College Students, and Adults

This program focuses on time management, organization, planning, goal-directed persistence, and building metacognition. It combines educational and neuroscience approaches and presents the lessons and time management in a visual format. We have used this course for several years, with many students with Executive Function challenges. They have been successful in learning these strategies and applying them in their lives.

There are six units to the course:

Unit 1: The Brain and Learners

Unit 2: The First Truth of Time: Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Unit 2: The Second Truth of Time: Time Takes Up Space

Unit 4: Meeting Due Dates

Unit 5: Organization and Paper Management

Unit 6: The Third Truth of Time: The Way You Use Your Time Equals Your Life

Please check out www.executivefunctioningsuccess.com for more details about this course. Access to Achieve offers this course a bit differently than Marydee describes how she offers it. One of our Executive Function Coaches will meet with your child from 1–1 ½ hours for each session. It takes about 8–12 sessions to complete the workbook and exercises.

"I looked over your website and am delighted that you are using Seeing My Time with your clients and families. With your backgrounds, you and your team should be right at home with the structure and activities that build the metacognition necessary for learning and behavior change." Marydee Sklar, Creator and Author of Seeing My Time

Self-Regulated Strategy Development in Writing

Developed by Dr. Karen Harris
For All Ages

This program is for students who struggle with or want to improve in writing. The writing process involves all of the Executive Functions and many Access to Achieve students have difficulty with, and then come to dislike writing, which can greatly impact how they do in school. We’ve been searching for a good writing intervention program and have found it with SRSD. All Access to Achieve staff are trained in this methodology through the think-SRSD program.

This instructional approach does a great job of teaching writing that involves excellent Executive Function strategies. Developed by Dr. Karen Harris and colleagues, and supported by over 100 empirical research studies, SRSD powerfully raises the quality of student writing and enjoyment of writing.

“SRSD… specifically strengthens how students feel about themselves as writers… it’s all about students learning how to self-regulate their use of writing strategies” Leslie Laud, think-SRSD website.

“In my 20 years of education experience, I have never seen any set of strategies get the results we are getting with SRSD so quickly!” -Kimberly Saunders, Assistant Superintendent, ConVal School District, Retrieved from http://www.thinksrsd.com.
‘Students in Worc, MA tripled their gains in writing quality after using SRSD.’
Ed Week Oct 30, 2013, Retrieved from http://www.thinksrsd.com.

Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) is a six-stage evidence-based pedagogy, framed on the gradual release of responsibility model. This approach explicitly teaches writing skills yet also allows students to become strategic and self-regulated by embedding instructional practices that include: modeling think-aloud of the writing process; self/peer evaluation; explicitly sharing criteria; goal setting; regular formative assessment; positive self-statements; and individualized learning goals. Students receive various scaffolds such as graphic organizers, checklists, cues, and scoring scales, which are gradually removed as they internalize the writing process and criteria for excellent writing.

Taken from an article Patel, P. & Laud, L. (2015, January) Empowering Students to Write: Using Self-Regulated Strategy Development. AMLE Magazine, Retrieved from http://www.thinksrsd.com.

Please check out their website for more information, http://www.thinksrsd.com.

Mindfulness Training for ADHD

For All Ages

Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to something, in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally (Kabat-Zinn, 2003).

As Dr. Mark Bertin, a developmental pediatrician and expert in the field said in the description for his talk at the 2016 National CHADD conference, “Since its introduction into the ADHD community, interest has taken off in the practice of mindfulness. The research continues to suggest that mindfulness training reduces stress, improves executive function and attention, promotes healthy communication and compassion, fosters emotional regulation, and leads to an enhanced sense of well-being.”

Shelley Karpel had been very interested in this approach and had been looking for a methodology specifically designed for children and adolescents with ADHD. It had to be something that fits into the Access to Achieve coaching model so that it could be used in conjunction with what was already being done. It also needed to be something that people with ADHD could realistically do.

She was so impressed with the work of Debra Burdick, LCSWR, BCN. "Mindfulness Skills for Kids & Teens" includes tools, techniques, activities, and handouts that can be used in weekly coaching meetings. "Mindfulness for Teens with ADHD" is a step-by-step workbook that structures the mindfulness work into practical applications that our students can relate to. Coaches have been doing this for several years now and have incorporated mindfulness training into all aspects of our coaching program. It enhances the work that’s done week to week. As time presents itself, activities build upon the previously covered mindfulness exercises from the weeks before. The students are asked to practice these techniques during the time between sessions. The program is designed for their level of understanding, and with activities that can be fun and interesting for them. Coaches tailor the exercises and how mindfulness is used, based on the individual student’s needs.

“Debra’s book "Mindfulness Skills for Kids & Teens" is a goldmine of on the spot tools and techniques... She takes you through all ages and stages of development with specific directions on how to use and implement her mindfulness techniques. These techniques coupled with the explanation of neuroscience bring a richness and beauty to this amazing book.” Susan P, Epstein, LCSW, Coach and Author

“Mindfulness for Teens with ADHD” nails it! Any teen-indeed, any person- who has ADHD can gain enormously by using this practical, reader-friendly, immensely invaluable workbook…I give this book the highest recommendation. It will reduce stress, build skills and dramatically improve the life of every person who uses it.” Edward Hallowell, M.D. co-author of “Driven to Distraction”

Coaches have also added exercises and practices from other sources, including apps, YouTube videos, etc. All of this in combination can be an effective stand-alone summer program for teaching mindfulness skills.

Online Class and Summer School Help

Many students take online courses during the summer and also during the school year. While it can be a way to take classes that don’t fit into a student’s schedule, could be a way to make up courses, or a way to spread the workload out, we find that the online format is especially difficult for those with Executive Function challenges. Coaches will provide the needed structure, help with developing a plan and timeline, and provide the accountability that is often lacking with online programs. Coaches will assist with learning how to navigate the website, understanding the material, understanding and completing the assignments. At the same time, coaches will also be working on developing those Executive Function skills and compensation strategies that can be applied when the student returns to school or to life in general. If students are taking brick and mortar summer school classes, coaching can be provided using the Access to Achieve Executive Function Coaching model.

College Application Help for the Executive Function Challenged

Applying to college is a complicated and challenging process. Students today apply to many colleges and each one generally involves an application, references, transcripts, and (the much dreaded) college essays. Each school has its own timeline for when this all has to be completed and submitted. There’s also the financial paperwork and applications. Often, students are applying for scholarships to help defray some of the costs.

This program is designed to assist ADHD students and their families through the college application process. It has naturally grown as a response to this need for assistance. Coaches were meeting weekly with their students and the Juniors and Seniors were struggling through this while trying to balance school work at the same time. We found this to be a stressful time for our families and began to help. We can help with navigating through the Naviance website if your school is using it, planning the steps of what has to be done, developing and implementing an inclusive timeline, and helping with writing college essays.