If your learner finds organization, time management, or focus difficult, school and social life can take extra energy. You’re not alone, and there are practical ways to make each day feel more manageable.
This guide shows you how to: spot signs of EF challenges; gather helpful documentation; work with your learner’s school; and advocate for a plan so your learner can learn and participate fully.
Whether you’re just beginning to notice these struggles or have already started the problem-solving process, this step-by-step approach will help you feel more confident and prepared to support your learner.
Click here to jump down to the TL;DR summary.
What are Executive Functioning skills?
Executive functioning skills are the cognitive processes that help us plan, organize, remember, manage time, control impulses, shift between tasks, and regulate emotions. At Life Skills Advocate, we focus on the following eleven areas of executive functioning skills:
- Planning – Figuring out what steps are needed to reach a goal
- Time Management – Using time wisely and understanding how it affects you and others
- Task Initiation – Starting tasks without needing reminders or prompts
- Organization – Creating and maintaining systems to keep track of things
- Problem-Solving – Finding different ways to solve tough problems
- Cognitive Flexibility – Adjusting your thinking when things change
- Working Memory – Holding information in your mind and using it later
- Emotional Control – Managing all feelings (comfortable or uncomfortable) in different situations
- Impulse Control – Controlling urges and thinking before acting
- Attentional Control – Focusing on what matters and ignoring distractions
- Self-Monitoring – Recognizing your behavior and making changes as needed
These skills develop over time and are critical for success in school, work, and daily life. Executive function differences are common in people with ADHD and many autistic people, and can also relate to anxiety, depression, brain injury, trauma, or learning disabilities. Because every learner is different, supports work best when they’re individualized.
What are Accommodations?
Accommodations are changes to how students learn and get their work done. Accommodations are meant to remove barriers for students and make their ability to learn and get work done more equitable.
Accommodations typically address different types of barriers to learning, including how information is presented, how students complete tasks, the learning environment, and timing or scheduling. Some examples of these accommodations are detailed below:
Presentation (How information is given):
- Listening to audiobooks instead of reading text
- Using larger print or fewer items on a page to reduce overload
- Getting a copy of the teacher’s notes
- Dictate answers to a scribe or audio record responses
- Receiving written instructions or visual steps
Task Completion (How work is finished):
- Breaking projects and tests into smaller steps/sections (chunking)
- Taking frequent breaks during work or testing
- Using tools like spellcheckers, text-to-speech, speech-to-text, or calculators
Learning & Working Environment (Where work is completed):
- Working or testing in a lower-stimulus environment
- Sitting in the preferred location (such as near the front of the classroom to be close to the teacher and reduce distractions)
- Access to adjustable lighting and sensory tools
- Taking tests in small groups instead of whole classrooms
Timing & Scheduling (How long it takes to turn work in):
- Allowing extra time to finish work
- Breaking projects and tests into smaller steps/sections (chunking)
- Scheduling tests at the best time of day for the student
- Limiting the number of tests on one day
Other Supports for Executive Functioning:
- Access to timers and alarms to manage time
- Use of a planner or binder/folder system to organize schoolwork
- Allowing students to keep backpacks or materials with them for easy access
8 Steps to Requesting School-Based Accommodations
The process of requesting and implementing accommodations at school can be long and confusing. Below is a step-by-step guide for families who are looking to explore these supports at school.
Quick Checklist: Requesting School Accommodations
Here’s a fast overview before you dive into the details:
- Identify Barriers – Notice what makes learning, participation, or task completion harder for your learner.
- Gather Documentation – Collect evaluations, teacher notes, classwork samples, and other records that show patterns.
- Learn the Protections – Understand your learner’s rights under IDEA (IEP) and Section 504 (504 Plan).
- Request a Problem-Solving Meeting – Share concerns with school staff and explore supports.
- Request a Formal Plan – If needed, ask for an evaluation for an IEP or 504 plan.
- Attend the Evaluation Meeting – Review results, share input, and discuss eligibility.
- Implement the Plan – Work with teachers to ensure supports are consistently in place.
- Follow Up & Monitor – Keep communication open, track progress, and adjust if needed.
Step 1: Identify Barriers
Before you ask for accommodations, identify the barriers. What makes learning, completing work, or participating in class harder for your learner?
Executive functioning challenges manifest differently for each student, so accommodations must be individualized. Knowing your learner’s specific struggles will help you and the school team choose the most helpful accommodations.
Step 2: Gather Documentation
Collect a range of documents. They show the team how school feels for your learner and which supports may help.
Useful documents include:
- Evaluations from outside providers
- Medical notes
- Teacher observations or reports
- Samples of classwork or homework
- Progress-monitoring data
- Report cards
- Emails with teachers or administrators
- Office-referral history.
The more detailed and varied your documentation, the better the team can understand your child’s needs.
Step 3: Learn More About Your Learner’s Protections
Knowing your child’s legal rights is key to effective advocacy. Students with executive functioning challenges may qualify for protections under laws like the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
- IDEA – Students who qualify under one of the 14 disability categories and demonstrate a need for specialized instruction are provided access to special education services. Special education services appear in an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Teachers and related service providers use the IEP to support access to grade-level expectations.
- Section 504 – Section 504 protects students who have a “physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.” Students can either have a record of the condition (such as a diagnosis) or can be regarded as having the condition (not yet diagnosed, but suspected).
Families can request an evaluation for special education or a 504 plan at any time, which would initiate the school’s procedures. These types of support differ in intensity, but would both include accommodating your child’s needs.
Step 4: Request a Problem-Solving Meeting
Every school district has its own way of handling concerns. Requesting a meeting with school staff is a great way to share your worries and start working toward solutions.
Note: Regardless of the outcome of the problem-solving meeting, you have the right to request an evaluation for special education or through Section 504. Sometimes schools may suggest trying support through a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) first, but if a disability is suspected, they must follow the Child Find mandate to identify and support your child.
Step 5: Request a Formal Accommodation Plan
Depending on the outcome of the previous step, you may decide it’s necessary to formally request an evaluation for accommodations at school. Send this request to your child’s school administrator, who will direct it to the right person.
The process to complete an evaluation will be based on your state’s legal timeline. Be sure to inquire about the projected timeline, and complete any rating scales and interviews promptly as an active participant in the process.
Step 6: Attend the Evaluation Meeting
This meeting is your chance to review assessment results, share your concerns, and work with the school team to decide eligibility for accommodations or special education services. Bring your documentation and questions.
In some cases, families may feel overwhelmed by the procedures and unsure of how to best advocate for their learner. It can be helpful to bring a trusted person with you who can support you during the process. This person could be another family member, a friend with experience in education, or a hired advocate.
Step 7: Implement Accommodation Plan
After your learner’s accommodation plan has been developed and approved, it’s crucial to implement the agreed-upon support. This means working closely with teachers and other staff to make sure the accommodations are consistently implemented in the classroom and on assessments.
Caregivers should reinforce the same strategies at home and keep open communication with the school to address issues early. Consistency helps your child learn and use the new supports successfully.
Step 8: Follow up and Monitor Effectiveness
After the accommodations have been implemented, be sure to follow up and monitor the effectiveness of these supports. This can be done by maintaining regular communication with teachers, counselors, and other support staff to ensure the accommodations work as intended. Take notes on any improvements or ongoing difficulties in academics or behavior.
If something does not appear to be working for your learner, don’t hesitate to request adjustments to the proposed accommodations. There will be some problem-solving along the way when implementing a new accommodation plan, so be sure to stay focused on your goal of supporting your learner!
Additional Tips for Success
Keep a Communication Log
Having a record of your communication with school personnel is a very helpful way to keep yourself organized and track conversations, meetings, and decisions made to support your learner. This record ensures that information does not get lost or forgotten over time, helps identify patterns, follows up on questions, and maintains accountability. Understood.org has a free communication log that you can use this upcoming school year.
Learner Self-Advocacy
Learners can benefit from being active self-advocates (here’s how) and participants in problem-solving, IEP, and 504 Plan meetings. Students can gain experience communicating their needs effectively with others in preparation for their time after high school. Students are the experts in their own needs and experiences in school, and they provide valuable insight into the barriers they experience in the classroom.
When deciding how and when your learner should join discussions, consider the purpose of the meeting and their developmental readiness to ensure it’s a positive and productive experience.
What if My Learner Has Good Grades?
Students who experience executive function challenges and learning differences may perform well academically, but have substantial impacts on their social or emotional functioning at school. These students may experience barriers in day-to-day functioning outside of their grades in reading, math, and writing. The purpose of an evaluation is to determine the presence and extent of difficulties across academic, social, and emotional performance areas and to determine what barriers can be eliminated to support learners.
Additional Resources
The Life Skills Advocate free executive function assessment can be a great way to start collecting information on your child’s areas of strength and difficulty based on all eleven areas of executive function skills above. The results can serve as important documentation to share with school staff during meetings and evaluations, making it easier to advocate for appropriate accommodations.
Learners with executive functioning difficulties often demonstrate a need for support in the home and community settings, in addition to the school setting. If you notice difficulties with EF skills in your middle or high schooler at home, executive functioning coaching may be a great way to work on skills that will help in all areas of life.
TL;DR – (Too Long; Didn’t Read)
If your learner finds organization, time management, or focus difficult, they may be experiencing executive function (EF) challenges. EF skills are brain-based processes that help us reach academic, social, and emotional goals.
This guide shows you how to recognize EF challenges, gather useful documentation, and understand your learner’s legal protections under IDEA and Section 504. You’ll also learn how to request meetings, evaluations, and accommodation plans to get the right support. Common accommodations include extra time on tests, audiobooks, and lower-stimulus workspaces.
Once a plan is in place, stay connected with the school team. Monitor how well supports are working, request changes when needed, and encourage your learner’s involvement in the process. Consistent communication helps your learner succeed in school and beyond.
Further Reading
- Center for Parent Information and Resources (2022) – Categories of disability under Part B of IDEA
- Understood (n.d.) – Accommodations: What they are and how they work
- Understood (n.d.) – Download: School communication log
- U.S. Department of Education (2025) – About IDEA
- U.S. Department of Education (2025) – Frequently Asked Questions: Section 504 Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
- Wrightslaw (2023) – Are kids with passing grades eligible for 504 plans and IEPs?
- Wrightslaw (2019) – The Child Find Mandate: What does it mean to you?
- Life Skills Advocate (2025) – Pinpoint Executive Function Strengths & Challenges in Minutes. Get Your FREE Assessment!
- Life Skills Advocate (2024) – Practicing Real-World Self-Advocacy: A Guide for Neurodivergent Individuals
- Life Skills Advocate (2025) – Real-Life Executive Function Coaching
- Life Skills Advocate (2024) – What is Executive Functioning?