Terry Edelstein, Ph.D.
Terry Edelstein, Ph.D.
Executive Function Specialist
Executive Function Specialist
Services
The practice of the executive skills is key to developing the mental strategies to support higher order cognitive skills.
The primary goal is to develop sequential methods of thinking. Academic Coaching provides instruction, modeling and practice in learning paradigms. The second
objective is to demonstrate fluency in the brain based strategies in order to expand the paradigm and heirarchial thinking. Fluency is the floor on which complex problem solving is built. Like in the exercise of any muscle, it is practice and
repetition over time which strengthens the neuro-pathways in the brain and builds fluency. The individual then has sufficient cognitive energy to exercise the creative intellect to invent novel resolutions to challenging problems.
Individual coaching provides the 'process tools' necessary to enhance performance and improve work habits. The meta-cognitive strategies address cognitive flexibility, working memory and use of cognitive maps for planful production. A student's homework and test schedule, or an adult's work objectives, provide the context for developing individualized organizational strategies. Therefore the process of initiating tasks, cognitive mapping, memory retention and self-monitoring emerge in a natural and logical order. Academic coaching, like athletic coaching is a structured, sequential training program.
Coaching schedules consist of generally twice weekly appointments, augmented by e.mail follow-up, telephone or text support, plus routine self-evaluation and review. Appointments can also be conducted via Skype domestically or internationally.
About Learning Disabilities: http://www.LDonline.org
Consultation services are a key component of a systems approach to intervention.
1. Development of an effective learning plan for school students requires the input of teachers plus a review of the educational
and psychological evaluations.
2. Regular communication is basic to coordinating practice of new strategies in the context of the curriculum. Parents, tutors and educators are first responders and primary reinforcement agents of new strategies. A consultation network protects a student from falling through the cracks of intersecting systems. Success is linked to allowing sufficient time for new behaviors to become established before more sophisticated strategies are introduced.
Services for adults and older students incorporate daily telephone review, and/or electronic weekly consults via Skype, text or e.mail with the client, all of which are determined based on need and facility.
University Coaching: http://academicskills.stanford.edu
Workshops and Consultation in cognitive development, focused on executive functioning, problem solving and creative thinking are available to parent and professional groups. The goals are to develop a didactic understanding of the executive functions and fundamental tools for executing work at every level of the educational spectrum.
National Association for Gifted Children: http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=170