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Executive Functioning Solutions Individually Tailored for your Child

Service Delivery Model

The intervention model of Executive Functioning Coaching helps students sustain their attention and employ goal-directed persistence for life and academic tasks that they find cumbersome or tend to avoid. Interventions target the deconstruction, integration, and reproduction of information. Some students struggle to distill the most salient aspects of lessons and organize the main themes, despite their ability to comprehend the information. Our students require support in the process of learning, rather than the content. The goal of EXFX coaching is to help a student “learn smarter, not harder.” We want to encourage a more efficient learning approach that works best for students’ individual neuropsychological needs. We find that the more individualized, the better, which requires an in-depth understanding of the interplay between cognitive abilities, attention, the Executive System, and social-emotional challenges.

Unleash your Potential

Services Available

• IN-PERSON COACHING SESSION with support integrated into students classroom assignments
• VIRTUAL COACHING SESSION using a Zoom platform
• IEP MEETING ATTENDANCE remote attendance and advocacy of your child’s Executive Functioning needs
• CONSULTATION WITH MEDICAL AND EDUCATIONAL PROVIDERS to ensure collaboration of interventions and generalization of skills

Client Testimonial

“At first I was not at all excited that I was going to have a tutor my junior year because I thought I didn’t need one. However, I could not have been more wrong because, to my surprise, I enjoyed working with Katie. Not only was I, by far and away more productive in the two hours that I worked with her each week than any other time, I also had fun during that time period. I think it worked great for me because Katie has the ability to make jokes with me and listen to me talk about whatever was going on in my day, but also at the same time keep me focused on work.”
– Brett (Former Executive Functioning Coaching Client).

Parents, teachers and other caregivers are increasingly aware of children presenting with ADHD, Asperger’s Disorder, learning disabilities and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Not long ago, children with such conditions were too often ignored or dismissed as being “lazy”, “odd”, or “not intelligent.” As a result, many adolescents, young adults and older adults live with undiagnosed challenges in attention, learning, or social comprehension.

Even though there has been a rapid growth and development of services provided to children with these conditions, supports and services to adolescents and adults transitioning to the world of work or colleges has not paralleled this growth.

The Adult Assessment Program (AAP) at the ICCD is a direct response to the gaps in the service delivery system for young and older adults with learning, attention, and developmental disorders. The AAP serves three primary groups:

• Young adults with identified needs who are transitioning out of the public school special education system.
• College, graduate, and professional school students with learning needs.
• Adults who have struggled with attention, task management, learning or socialization, but who have never been formally assessed.

Assessment consists of a clinical interview and administration of a battery of psychological and neuropsychological tests. These tests evaluate a variety of functions including learning, memory, attention, and organization. Additional tests may assess personality, social functioning and emotional status.

Following assessment and feedback, staff from the ICCD are available to assist in a variety of ways:

• Medical staff may offer consultation around medication options for individuals diagnosed with ADHD.
• Special educators are available to assist in the development of learning and organizational skills for both students and professionals.
• With consent of the parent or adult, ICCD staff may consult with teachers, employers, and family members in the interest of understanding and managing the adult manifestations of developmental challenges at home or work.

Appointment Adult Assessment Program Intake Form

ICCD is pleased to present our sister organization, Boston Behavioral Learning Centers (BBLC). BBLC delivers the highest quality educational and clinical services for clients with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and other related disabilities using Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) instructional methodology and other evidence-based approaches. The goal is to help clients reach their fullest potential by improving their independence across all hallmarks of ASD including communication, social and behavioral domains. BBLC uses ABA to develop individualized programs and treatment plans that target cognitive, language, academic or school readiness, behavior management, play, and social skills. If you are interested in learning more about our services please visit our website at www.bostonblc.org

Counseling Department at the Integrated Center for Child Development

The counseling department at ICCD offers individual, couples, and family counseling in both the Canton and 109 Oak street, Newton locations.

Our clinicians have experience with various presentations including:

• Anxiety
• Mood Inconsistencies
• ADHD
• Social Skills Deficits
• Autism Spectrum Disorders/PDD NOS/Asperger’s
• Behavioral Challenges
• School Concerns, and
• Relationship Issues

We offer an individualized approach to treatment depending on the presenting concerns and those involved. Our clinicians work closely with other providers involved, as well as the school system, so as to offer the best course of treatment for the child/adolescent and the family.

A psychopharmological component is also offered through ICCD (Please see Medical Department).
In addition to individual counseling, family counseling and consultation around issues involving parenting are also available.

ICCD also offers counseling for college aged students.

Due to high volume, we are at full capacity on our wait lists for the Counseling Department and are not accepting new referrals at this time.
We will open up the wait list for referrals at a later date.
We appreciate your patience and encourage you to check back for updates at a later time.

Common Speech Disorders

• Apraxia of Speech is a disorder of the sequencing of the motor movements for producing speech sounds.
• Articulation (Speech) Disorder is difficulty with the production of speech sounds. Articulation disorders are due to incorrect placement of the articulators (tongue, lips, velum) within the oral cavity.
• Oral Motor Disorder occurs when a child has difficulty controlling muscles of the articulators (lips, tongue, etc.). Therapy focuses on improving strength and functioning for the purposes of speech.
• Phonological Disorder occurs when children continue to produce immature patterns of speech sounds. Therapy focuses on replacing these patterns with appropriate production of sounds.
• Selective Mutism occurs when a child speaks easily with specific people, but struggles or may not speak at all with others. Therapy focuses on gradual exposure to increasingly difficult tasks.
• Stuttering is a disruption in the fluency of speech, either by repetition, prolongation, or block on sounds, words, or phrases. Therapy focuses on both stuttering modification and fluency shaping strategies.
  Voice Disorders are characterized by the voice sounding breathy, strained, having an odd pitch, or other unusual qualities.

Common Language Disorders

• Language Delays are when a child is otherwise developing typically (in play, non-verbal social skills, etc.), but is producing and understanding speech at a lower level than is to be expected for his or her given age.
• Expressive Language Delays/Disorders occur when a child is developing typically in his or her understanding /comprehension of speech, but is producing speech at a lower level than is to be expected at his or her given age.
• Receptive Language Delays/Disorders are characterized by difficulties specifically with comprehending language.
• Social/Pragmatic Communication Disorders include trouble with a variety of skills such as eye contact, understanding facial expressions and body language, understanding conversational turn-taking, perseverating on topics, maintaining topics of conversation, and a range of other skills.
• Written Expression Disorder involves struggling to express thoughts and ideas effectively through writing.

Common Disorders with Related Language Components

• High-Functioning Autism Children with high-functioning autism may have trouble with pragmatic communication skills. They may have difficulties maintaining eye contact, understanding facial expressions and body language, and understanding figurative language.
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is characterized by inattention, hyper- or hypo-activity, and impulsivity. Children with ADHD may benefit from therapy focusing on executive functioning skills such as impulse control and whole body listening techniques.
• Auditory Processing Disorders occurs when there is a breakdown in the process of recognizing interpreting speech sounds, despite normal hearing. Children with APD may benefit from therapy focusing on auditory, visual, and context discrimination techniques ranging from the single-sound level to conversational speech.
• Autism Spectrum Disorders: Therapy varies greatly based on the needs of the child. For children with autism who have little to no language, therapy may include the introduction of a non-verbal form of communication (e.g. pictures, sign language) as well as strategies to encourage the child’s speech production.  Language therapy for autism often also targets pragmatic skills such as eye contact and understanding facial expressions.
• Phonological Processing Disorders/Dyslexia Difficulties with decoding are often due to trouble matching the sounds of speech to the letters that represent them in written language. Improving phonological awareness skills can strengthen reading abilities.
• Executive Function Difficulties occur when a child has trouble with planning, abstract thinking, flexibility, and self-regulation.  Difficulties with planning and organizing can often present in writing, initiation of work, and time management.
• Language-based Learning Disabilities include weaknesses with reading comprehension, writing, and spoken language, which have a negative impact on success in the classroom.
• Nonverbal Learning Disorder presents as difficulty interpreting nonverbal communication, such as body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions.  Children may be very literal, miss subtle cues, and have trouble understanding and relaying the most important information.

Red Flag Questions

Preschool: Does your child…

• Have trouble comprehending concepts or vocabulary?
• Have trouble describing feelings, ideas, and experiences?
• Have trouble listening, following directions, or answering questions?
• Have trouble interacting or playing with others?
• Have trouble pronouncing words or being understood?

Speech-Language therapy for preschoolers often is play-based. Skilled therapists will work with your child in engaging activities and encourage understanding and production in a very natural way.

School-Age/Adolescent: Does your child…

• Have difficulty with schoolwork or forget to turn in assignments?
• Have trouble making or keeping friends or “fitting in” socially?
• Have difficulty listening, following directions, or answering questions?
• Have difficulty reading or understanding what he or she reads?
• Have trouble with written expression?
• Have trouble using vocabulary or expressing feelings, ideas, and experiences?
• Have trouble producing language that is organized and intelligible?

Speech-language therapy for school age children focuses on individual needs within a broad range of areas to support academic and social growth. With school-age children, these skills are often directly taught and then reinforced while playing games or doing other activities.

Caroline Brinkert – Director of Speech and Language Therapy at cbrinkert@iccdpartners.org to schedule a more comprehensive intake conversation to determine the appropriate next steps for your child.

Speech and Language Therapy Intake Form

ICCD provides direct educational services to a number of children with complex learning needs and also trains and supervises special educators through our Center. Services include direct tutorials in individual and group formats; program evaluation and consultation; and parent and community education.

Educational Services Intake Form

Infant & Toddler Evaluation Intake Form