Executive Functioning Coaching

Executive Functioning Coaching for Students with ADHD, Dyslexia, and Learning Differences

Doctoral-level coaching that builds the organizational, planning, and self-management skills school expects but rarely teaches. Serving Redwood City, San Mateo, and the San Francisco Peninsula.

Young student focused on homework at a desk
Who This Is For

Your Child Is Bright. But Something Keeps Getting in the Way.

Teachers say so. You know so. But somewhere between understanding the material and actually getting it done, things fall apart.

  • Homework takes three hours when it should take one
  • Assignments get finished but never turned in
  • The backpack is a black hole of crumpled papers
  • Sunday night becomes a weekly crisis
  • Report cards say "not working to potential"

If your child has ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, or other learning differences, these patterns are not about effort or motivation. They are about executive functioning: the set of cognitive skills that allow us to plan, organize, manage time, regulate emotions, and follow through on tasks.

These skills can be taught. That is what we do.

Our Approach

What Executive Functioning Coaching Is (and What It Is Not)

Plato+ Executive Functioning Coaching pairs your student with Dr. Jess Miller, a doctoral-level educator (EdD) with 20+ years of experience helping students with learning differences build real, lasting skills.

This is not tutoring in the traditional sense. We are not re-teaching math or correcting grammar. We are working on the underlying systems that affect everything: how your child starts a task, breaks it into steps, tracks their progress, manages frustration, and advocates for themselves.

What coaching looks like in practice

  • Building a personalized organizational system that works with your child's brain, not against it
  • Learning how to break large assignments into smaller, manageable steps
  • Developing consistent routines for homework, studying, and test preparation
  • Practicing time estimation and schedule management
  • Strengthening self-advocacy skills for communicating with teachers
  • Working through the emotional side of learning differences: frustration, shame, and avoidance

What this is not

  • This is not therapy. We do not diagnose conditions or provide psychological treatment.
  • This is not a tutoring add-on. EF coaching is a dedicated, specialized service with its own methodology.
  • This is not a short-term fix. Executive functioning skills take time to build and practice. Most families see meaningful progress within 2-3 months, with a typical engagement lasting 4-9 months.

If your child needs therapeutic support, we are happy to help connect you with qualified Bay Area professionals. If they also need subject-specific tutoring alongside EF coaching, our team of eight educators can provide that under one roof. That combination of EF coaching plus integrated academic support is something no other Peninsula provider offers at this level.

Graduates celebrating with caps raised, representing student achievement and success
Your Coach

About Dr. Jess Miller

Dr. Jess Miller, executive functioning coaching specialist at Plato+

Dr. Jess Miller

EdD · Executive Functioning Coaching Specialist

Dr. Jess Miller holds a Doctorate in Education and brings more than two decades of experience working with students who have ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, and related executive functioning challenges. Her approach is warm, structured, and deeply patient. She meets students where they are and builds skills at a pace that sticks.

In a field where anyone can call themselves an executive functioning coach, Jess's doctoral training is a genuine differentiator. She understands the neuroscience behind learning differences, not just the surface-level strategies. She combines research-backed methods with the kind of genuine connection that makes students actually want to show up.

Why the credential matters

The executive functioning coaching market is unregulated. Anyone can use the title. The range of practitioners spans from uncredentialed tutors who add "EF support" at $75-100/hour to doctoral-level specialists who charge $200-300+/hour. The difference in training, diagnostic understanding, and strategy depth is significant. When you work with Dr. Jess, you are working with someone who has spent her career studying and practicing how students with learning differences actually learn.

Who We Help

Students We Work With

Middle School (Grades 6-8)

Navigating the jump to multiple teachers, lockers, and independent homework. This is the age when executive functioning gaps become most visible and most addressable.

High School (Grades 9-12)

Managing increasing academic demands, college preparation, and the need to advocate for themselves. Many high school students carry the weight of years of compensating for EF challenges without the right support.

With or Without a Diagnosis

Students with formal diagnoses (ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, autism spectrum) as well as students who are struggling with organization and follow-through but may not have a formal diagnosis. A diagnosis is not required.

Collaborative Support

We coordinate with school teams, therapists, and neuropsychologists when helpful. We are happy to participate in IEP or 504 meetings and communicate with teachers as part of a collaborative support plan.

Getting Started

How It Works

1

Free Consultation

A 20-minute phone or video call to understand your child's situation. This is a conversation, not a sales pitch. We will tell you honestly whether EF coaching is the right fit.

2

Assessment Session

A 60-minute session where Dr. Jess gets to know your student, evaluates current organizational systems and habits, and identifies the highest-priority areas for growth.

3

Weekly Coaching

60-minute sessions focused on building and practicing specific EF skills. Delivered online via Zoom or in person in the Redwood City area. Most families meet once per week.

Meaningful progress typically begins within 2-3 months. A typical engagement lasts 4-9 months. The goal is always to build skills your child can sustain independently.
Transparent Pricing

Investment in Your Child's Skills

We publish our pricing because we believe you deserve to know the cost before your first call.

Online
$150
per 60-minute session

Via Zoom

5% off 12-session commitment

Prepay 12 sessions: $1,881 in-person or $1,710 online.

Credential Level Typical Range
Doctoral-level specialists (EdD/PhD) $200-$300+/hour
Plato+ (Dr. Jess Miller, EdD) $150-$165/hour
Master's-level specialists $120-$200/hour
Certified EF coaches $100-$175/hour
Uncredentialed tutors adding "EF support" $75-$100/hour
Service Area

Serving Families Across the Peninsula

We work with families in Redwood City, San Mateo, San Carlos, Belmont, Foster City, Burlingame, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Mountain View, and surrounding Peninsula communities.

In-person sessions are available in the Redwood City area. Online sessions via Zoom are available for families anywhere in California.

FAQ

Common Questions

Executive functioning coaching helps students build the organizational, planning, and self-management skills that school expects but rarely teaches. These skills include starting tasks, breaking assignments into steps, managing time, tracking materials, regulating emotions, and advocating for themselves with teachers.
Traditional tutoring focuses on subject-specific content: math problems, essay writing, science concepts. Executive functioning coaching focuses on the underlying skills that affect every subject: how your child approaches a task, stays organized, manages their time, and follows through. We are not re-teaching algebra. We are working on the systems and habits that make algebra (and everything else) possible.
Executive functioning coaching is not therapy. We do not diagnose conditions, provide psychological treatment, or address clinical mental health concerns. We focus on building practical, measurable skills: organizational systems, planning routines, homework strategies, and self-advocacy techniques. If your child needs therapeutic support, we can help connect you with qualified Bay Area professionals.
No. Many of our students have formal diagnoses of ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, or autism spectrum. Others are struggling with organization and follow-through but do not have a formal diagnosis. EF coaching is appropriate for any student who needs support building these skills.
Yes. We communicate with teachers, participate in IEP and 504 meetings, and collaborate with school teams and outside professionals when helpful.
Most families see meaningful progress within 2-3 months. A typical engagement lasts 4-9 months, with sessions once per week. The goal is always to build skills your child can sustain independently.
Common signs include: homework taking much longer than it should, completed work that never gets turned in, difficulty starting tasks, chronic disorganization, Sunday evening crises about upcoming deadlines, and report card comments like "not working to potential." If these patterns are familiar, a free consultation is a good first step.
Dr. Jess Miller holds a Doctorate in Education (EdD) with more than 20 years of experience working with students who have ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, and related learning differences. Her approach is warm, structured, and deeply patient.

Ready to talk about your child?

Book a free 20-minute consultation. No commitment, no pressure. Just an honest conversation about what would help.