Making Friends

But what if they don’t like me…

As we get older, it seems like when we look back, we have made friends every step of the way. Whether it be in school, sports, camp, or other kids around the neighborhood, we as people tend to make connections even without realizing it, but for those with neurodivergent traits, making friends can be difficult. Between the anxiety of not knowing if they will like what you like and having to talk and open-up to a stranger, making friends can be difficult for many. Yet, if they don’t, their lives can be filled with isolation, anxiety, depression, and so much more. Without friends, children, teens, and young adults may find going to school, events, and even just daily life to be difficult to manage. Friends help us feel comfortable in situations we may not be used to, and they are there to talk to us and help us get through things, but if we cannot make, nurture and maintain these friendships, life can quickly become lonely.

Without the effective social skills, making friends can seem impossible. Knowing what they like and dislike, how to talk to certain people in specific situations, reading body language, emotional regulation, listening, and so much more are ways we make and keep friends. These skills help us understand what our friends are thinking so we can be there for them and vice versa, which can make school and general life a much better experience. Friends are there to experience life with us and to help us through tough times, which is why having them is so important, yet neurodivergent individuals may find it more difficult to know when to use these skills than their neurotypical peers, but the Support for Students Growth Center can give them the tools they need to do so.

At SSGC, we provide the social, behavioral, educational, emotional, and executive functioning skills children, teens, young adults, and their families need for a happy and successful life in and out of school settings. Our team of professionals offers individualized and family coaching/counseling and social skills groups to help teach skills such as how to make friends to ensure parents do not have to worry that their kids will be unable to make and maintain a functioning independent life on their own. So, if your child is struggling with skills like the ones listed above and much more, the SSGC is equipped with the tools to help.


Click here and call now to schedule your FREE 20-minute individualized screening- $150 value

Dr. Eric J. Nach, Ph.D., M.Ed., A.S.D.C., is a Developmental and Behavioral Specialist who specializes in Autism, ADHD and related disorders. Dr. Nach is the founder of the Support for Students Growth Center and College Life Skills Program where he and his team of professional’s help develop the Emotional Maturity, Executive Functioning, Life Skill and Social Abilities of children, teens, young adults and college students and those high school students preparing for college.

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The Importance of Executive Functioning Skills

I just don’t get it…

Executive functioning (EF) allows for children, teens, and young adults to properly manage time, plan and organize, initiate, inhibit, use working memory, shift, and so much more so they can be productive in their daily lives. Having and maintaining these skills allows for school, work, and chores to be made easier to complete, but executive functioning skills can also help them emotionally and socially as well. Being able to self-monitor their emotions as well as the emotions of others, adapt to a situation that may be stressful or difficult to handle, and self-soothe are all ways that EF can help them make and maintain relationships. Most kids do not want their friends to lash out or be angry on a whim or ignore how they are feeling in a situation, and EF skills help us avoid that. Yet, for neurodivergent individuals, these skills don’t come as easily to them.

As children get older, their executive functioning skills tend to strengthen subconsciously, but for those with executive dysfunction, they may not be able to do it without thinking. Understanding how to actively be doing something such as self-monitoring or inhibiting may be difficult for them to do on a daily basis. They may find planning out their days and keeping organized, initiating tasks, and much more to be harder for them than their peers, which can be discouraging and eventually affect their futures as they get older. They may not do well independently while away at college or be able to maintain a job all because they struggle with executive dysfunction. However, these skills can be learned to be implemented into their lives with the proper help.

At The Support for Students Growth Center, we provide the social, behavioral, emotional, and executive functioning skills children, teens, young adults, and their families need for a happy and successful life both in and out of school settings. Our team of professionals offers individualized and family coaching/counseling and social skills groups to help teach executive functioning skills to ensure parents do not have to worry that their kids will be unable to be the best they can be in and out of school setting on their own. So, if your child is struggling with skills like the ones listed above and much more, the SSGC is equipped with the tools to help.


Click here and call now to schedule your FREE 20-minute individualized screening- $150 value

Dr. Eric J. Nach, Ph.D., M.Ed., A.S.D.C., is a Developmental and Behavioral Specialist who specializes in Autism, ADHD and related disorders. Dr. Nach is the founder of the Support for Students Growth Center and College Life Skills Program where he and his team of professional’s help develop the Emotional Maturity, Executive Functioning, Life Skill and Social Abilities of children, teens, young adults and college students and those high school students preparing for college.

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Self-Awareness

Oh, I didn’t realize…

When it comes to self-awareness, neurodivergent individuals may find it hard to identify when they are and are not aware of themselves. Whether it be socially, internally, or just in daily life, they may find it hard to be proactively thinking about how their actions affect not only themselves, but others. As we get older, self-awareness allows us to know who we are as people. What we like and don’t like, what we are good and bad at, and so much more, but it also helps us reflect on our experiences and others around us. If we do something and a friend reacts in a certain way, we can reflect on that interaction and know if we should do it again in the future. We also do this with ourselves. Self-awareness helps us identify our own emotions and how those emotions can affect our daily lives. If neurodivergent individuals cannot do this, day to day life can be made more difficult since if they are feeling a negative emotion and cannot identify where it is coming from, then they cannot prevent it from happening again in the future.

Self-awareness is an important social skill for children, teens, and young adults to have. It helps them manage their emotions in daily life as well as make and nurture friendships since they will be aware of how their actions are affecting them as well. However, for neurodivergent individuals, this skill may not come as easily to them as their neurotypical peers, but The Support for Students Growth Center can help them learn how to use self-awareness.

At SSGC, we provide the social, behavioral, educational, emotional, and executive functioning skills children, teens, young adults, and their families need for a happy and successful life in and out of school settings. Our team of professionals offers individualized and family coaching/counseling and social skills groups to help teach skills such as self-awareness to ensure parents do not have to worry that their kids will be unable to make and maintain a functioning independent life on their own. So, if your child is struggling with skills like the ones listed above and much more, the SSGC is equipped with the tools to help.


Click here and call now to schedule your FREE 20-minute individualized screening- $150 value

Dr. Eric J. Nach, Ph.D., M.Ed., A.S.D.C., is a Developmental and Behavioral Specialist who specializes in Autism, ADHD and related disorders. Dr. Nach is the founder of the Support for Students Growth Center and College Life Skills Program where he and his team of professional’s help develop the Emotional Maturity, Executive Functioning, Life Skill and Social Abilities of children, teens, young adults and college students and those high school students preparing for college.

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Inhibition

But it’s so boring…

For neurodivergent individuals, inhibition (impulse control) can be a difficult executive functioning skill to maintain. Children, teens, and young adults get distracted. It’s inevitable, but our inhibitory control allows us to prevent ourselves from being consumed by these distractions. Without it, tasks would rarely get completed, paying attention in class would be practically impossible, and preventing outbursts would be difficult. However, those with executive dysfunction may find it hard to be actively inhibiting unbeneficial things in their daily lives. They may be drawn to their phone while doing homework to the point it doesn’t get done or have trouble not screaming at their siblings when they upset them because they cannot control their impulses.

This then leads to other issues in the future, such as academic issues since no homework or classwork is being completed due to distractions, social issues because no friend wants to be yelled at over minor inconvenience, and even “Failure to Launch.” Whether it be looking out of a window during class, watching YouTube while trying to do homework, or speaking to their friend while their teacher is speaking, not being able to inhibit those behaviors can cause children, teens, and young adults to fall behind. However, with the right help, they can learn to implement this executive functioning skill into their daily lives.

At SSGC, we provide the social, behavioral, educational, emotional, and executive functioning skills children, teens, young adults, and their families need for a happy and successful life in and out of school settings. Our team of professionals offers individualized and family coaching/counseling and social skills groups to help teach skills such as inhibition to ensure parents do not have to worry that their kids will be unable to make and maintain a functioning independent life on their own. So, if your child is struggling with skills like the ones listed above and much more, the SSGC is equipped with the tools to help.


Click here and call now to schedule your FREE 20-minute individualized screening- $150 value

Dr. Eric J. Nach, Ph.D., M.Ed., A.S.D.C., is a Developmental and Behavioral Specialist who specializes in Autism, ADHD and related disorders. Dr. Nach is the founder of the Support for Students Growth Center and College Life Skills Program where he and his team of professional’s help develop the Emotional Maturity, Executive Functioning, Life Skill and Social Abilities of children, teens, young adults and college students and those high school students preparing for college.

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Working Memory

Wait, what did you say?

For neurodivergent individuals, working memory can be a difficult thing to maintain as they get older because life become more demanding of them. Whether it be having to actively move from one task to another, having to listen to teachers while also taking notes, or even just having a conversation while doing something else, working memory is needed every day. This executive functioning skill allows children, teen, and young adults to follow instructions with multiple steps, keep track of how a conversation is progressing, and even provides a sense of guidance in their decision making. If they can actively take in multiple things at once, whether it be socially, academically, or just in general life, then they can actively use their working memory to make the best decision quickly and accurately for the situation they are in. If not, then they may spend too much time trying to dissect everything one by one which can consume time and energy, making daily life difficult.

Working memory is so important because it allows us to retain information while other things are going on. Without it, workload can seem more difficult than it is since there may be an inability to multi-task. This can then set them back in life since multi-tasking can help us get multiple things done in a time efficient manner, whether it be academic or just in day to day life. Without working memory, daily life can feel daunting because tasks may become more difficult to complete, especially with outside distractions. Yet, despite executive dysfunction being a thing many neurodivergent people face, the Support for Students Growth Center coaches children, teens, and young adults so they can be successful in school, work, and life.

At SSGC, we provide the social, behavioral, emotional, and executive functioning skills children, teens, young adults, and their families need for a happy and successful life both in and out of school settings. Our team of professionals offers individualized and family coaching/counseling and social skills groups to help teach skills such as how to actively use working memory to ensure parents do not have to worry that their kids will be unable to be the best they can be in and out of school setting on their own. So, if your child is struggling with skills like the ones listed above and much more, the SSGC is equipped with the tools to help.


Click here and call now to schedule your FREE 20-minute individualized screening- $150 value

Dr. Eric J. Nach, Ph.D., M.Ed., A.S.D.C., is a Developmental and Behavioral Specialist who specializes in Autism, ADHD and related disorders. Dr. Nach is the founder of the Support for Students Growth Center and College Life Skills Program where he and his team of professional’s help develop the Emotional Maturity, Executive Functioning, Life Skill and Social Abilities of children, teens, young adults and college students and those high school students preparing for college.

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Time Management

Why do it now when I can do it later?

As we get older, we may begin to feel we have less and less time to get everything done. As children, teens, and young adults transition out of school and into college before eventually going off into the real world, they begin to learn how to manage this time properly. They learn what time is for play and the other is for work, but for those with neurodivergent traits, their executive dysfunction may make it hard for them to know how to properly manage their time. They may find it easier to rely on their parents to plan out their days and weeks for them but allowing this trend can hinder them from being successful on their own in the future. They will be unable to make enough time to get their homework, chores, and work done independently, which can also impact their social lives. If they are too worried about the work that needs to be done during a day, that time spent being filled with anxiety can prevent them from using it to be proactively completing whatever needs to be done so they can then go out with friends, causing a cycle of stress, depression, frustration and much more.

Not being able to manage time properly is not uncommon among those who are neurodivergent, but either way, it is an important executive functioning skill to have. They need it so they can plan out their days in a way that makes time for chores and work as well as socialization and down time. This is how they maintain a balanced and happy lifestyle, and without time management skills, they may find independent life and life in general more daunting than it needs to be. However, time management skills are not impossible to learn. At The Support for Students Growth Center, we coach neurodivergent individuals so they can develop the executive functioning skills they need to be successful now and in the future.

At SSGC, we provide the social, behavioral, educational, emotional, and executive functioning skills children, teens, young adults, and their families need for a happy and successful life in and out of school settings. Our team of professionals offers individualized and family coaching/counseling and social skills groups to help teach skills such as how to be actively managing your time to ensure parents do not have to worry that their kids will be unable to make and maintain a functioning independent life on their own. So, if your child is struggling with skills like the ones listed above and much more, the SSGC is equipped with the tools to help.
Click here and call now to schedule your FREE 20-minute individualized screening- $150 value

Dr. Eric J. Nach, Ph.D., M.Ed., A.S.D.C., is a Developmental and Behavioral Specialist who specializes in Autism, ADHD and related disorders. Dr. Nach is the founder of the Support for Students Growth Center and College Life Skills Program where he and his team of professional’s help develop the Emotional Maturity, Executive Functioning, Life Skill and Social Abilities of children, teens, young adults and college students and those high school students preparing for college.

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The Importance of Initiation

I’ll start it later…

When it comes to neurodivergent individuals with executive dysfunction, they may find it particularly hard to initiate tasks. Whether it be because they simply do not want to, or the idea of trying to complete said task is just too stressful, lacking developed executive functioning skills can affect their daily lives. As children become teens and teens become young adults, more and more tasks are needed to be done in a day. From personal hygiene, finance management, employment, relationships to homework and grocery shopping, life becomes more demanding of people as they become older, and if they cannot initiate a task, then nothing will ever get done. Instead, the list of things needed to be completed will just grow and grow, stressing them out more and more until eventually they either do it because the anxiety was too much to handle, or disregard it completely. Yet, as time goes on, those struggling with executive dysfunction will continue with this cycle of refusing to initiate, leading them to a never-ending trend of stress, anxiety, depression, and more.

Initiation is an important executive functioning skill (EF) to have not only because other EF skills rely on it, but because we use it in daily life. From getting out of bed to studying for a test, children, teens, and young adults need to be able to initiate a task, because if not, nothing will ever get done. Their education, health, hygiene, and life will become difficult to manage, especially on their own. If they cannot initiate tasks on their own, they will rely on their parents to do so for them well into their adulthood, which no parent wants. They want their kid to be able to work past the anxiety or the unhappiness a task may bring them before starting it on their own. Without initiation, neurodivergent individuals will be constantly falling behind in life and school since many other aspects of life cannot be completed if not initiated, hence why this skill is so important, and thankfully, at The Support for Students Growth Center, we coach neurodivergent children, teens, and young adults so they can achieve the executive functioning and other skills they may be lacking.

At SSGC, we provide the social, behavioral, emotional, and executive functioning skills children, teens, young adults, and their families need for a happy and successful life in and out of school settings. Our team of professionals offers individualized and family coaching/counseling and social skills groups to help teach skills such as how to actively initiate tasks to ensure parents do not have to worry that their kids will be unable to be the best they can be in and out of school setting on their own. So, if your child is struggling with skills like the ones listed above and much more, the SSGC is equipped with the tools to help.


Click here and call now to schedule your FREE 20-minute individualized screening- $150 value

Dr. Eric J. Nach, Ph.D., M.Ed., A.S.D.C., is a Developmental and Behavioral Specialist who specializes in Autism, ADHD and related disorders. Dr. Nach is the founder of the Support for Students Growth Center and College Life Skills Program where he and his team of professional’s help develop the Emotional Maturity, Executive Functioning, Life Skill and Social Abilities of children, teens, young adults and college students and those high school students preparing for college.

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Shifting: Executive Functioning

There’s just too much going on…

Shifting is an executive functioning skill needed in everyday life. Being able to switch from one task to another quickly and efficiently is how we get things done without over thinking it, and that’s because if we do, we will quickly become overwhelmed. If a neurodivergent individual is struggling with executive dysfunction, then shifting may be more difficult for them than others. They may be unable to break away from one task to complete another or return to a task to finish it later because they are unable to shift their attention, leading to many things being left half completed or undone, and daily life to become stressful since one distraction may stress them out or halt productivity completely.

For children, teens, and young adults, shifting is an important executive functioning skill to have, because in life, multiple things are happening around us constantly. Whether it be a friend asking you a question while trying to complete an assignment, a teacher lecturing while you’re taking notes, or even simply answering a text before going back to homework, being able to shift back and forth between things with ease is important. It allows us to be productive despite all the distractions, not become overwhelmed or stressed by outside interruptions, and simply work efficiently in any type of setting. However, for neurodivergent individuals, actively shifting can be harder for them, but with the right coaching, it can be made easier to understand and incorporate into daily life.

At the Support for Students Growth Center, we provide the social, behavioral, educational, emotional, and executive functioning skills children, teens, young adults, and their families need for a happy and successful life in and out of school settings. Our team of professionals offers individualized and family coaching/counseling and social skills groups to help teach skills such as how to be actively shifting to ensure parents do not have to worry that their kids will be unable to make and maintain a functioning independent life on their own. So, if your child is struggling with skills like the ones listed above and much more, the SSGC is equipped with the tools to help.


Click here and call now to schedule your FREE 20-minute individualized screening- $150 value

Dr. Eric J. Nach, Ph.D., M.Ed., A.S.D.C., is a Developmental and Behavioral Specialist who specializes in Autism, ADHD and related disorders. Dr. Nach is the founder of the Support for Students Growth Center and College Life Skills Program where he and his team of professional’s help develop the Emotional Maturity, Executive Functioning, Life Skill and Social Abilities of children, teens, young adults and college students and those high school students preparing for college.

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The Importance of Self-Monitoring

But I’m just so mad…

As children, teens, and young adults progress through life, self-monitoring is an important skill they learn to use daily. Being able to identify when, where, and why they are feeling a certain emotion and how to counteract it is crucial to not only their social life, but life in general. Self-monitoring allows them to prevent angry outburst, becoming loud in a situation where they need to be quiet, and anxiety in times where they need to be calm. As children become teens and teens become young adults, life continues to become more and more stressful. Whether it’s going off to college, moving out, starting your first day of high school, or even just having a big test the next day, self-monitoring can help prevent them from being overwhelmed by emotions. However, those with executive dysfunction and neurodivergent traits may find this to be harder to incorporate than neurotypical individuals.

Executive functioning skills such as self-monitoring help children, teens, and young adults feel as if they have control over their lives. If they can identify how a situation is making them react then they can properly self-sooth or remove themselves from it before it becomes a larger problem. Self-monitoring also helps neurodivergent people react in a way that is appropriate for the situation. Not yelling or hitting when they’re upset, screaming when excited, or reacting in other non-age-appropriate ways can cause issues for people such as trouble making and maintaining friendships, jobs, and relationships. If they cannot self-monitor and often react in extremes, their peers might begin to distance themselves from them, leading to isolation, depression, anxiety, and a plethora of other issues. However, despite, this, self-monitoring is a skill that can be learned with the proper coaching.

  At the Support for Students Growth Center, we provide the social, behavioral, emotional, and executive functioning skills children, teens, young adults, and their families need for a happy and successful life in and out of school settings. Our team of professionals offers individualized and family coaching/counseling and social skills groups to help teach skills such as self-monitor to ensure parents do not have to worry that their kids will be unable to be the best they can be in and out of school setting on their own. So, if your child is struggling with skills like the ones listed above and much more, the SSGC is equipped with the tools to help.


Click here and call now to schedule your FREE 20-minute individualized screening- $150 value

Dr. Eric J. Nach, Ph.D., M.Ed., A.S.D.C., is a Developmental and Behavioral Specialist who specializes in Autism, ADHD and related disorders. Dr. Nach is the founder of the Support for Students Growth Center and College Life Skills Program where he and his team of professional’s help develop the Emotional Maturity, Executive Functioning, Life Skill and Social Abilities of children, teens, young adults and college students and those high school students preparing for college.

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Planning and Organizing

It’ll get done…

As children, teens, and young adults get older, they are typically expected to get more independent. Ensuring that they can complete their chores, homework, and many other things on their own and in a timely, organized manner is crucial to their current and future success. Procrastinating as well as being unorganized can cause a lot of issues for those in elementary, middle, and high school. They may continue to push things off until the last minute, and when they finally need to get it done, they cannot find the assignment in their messy backpack or unorganized desk, causing anxiety, stress and behavioral issues as well as issues in school since their assignments are not being completed on time. Planning and organizing can also ensure that they make enough time for friends, activities, and even alone time, bettering their overall life as well. Yet, those with neurodivergent traits and executive dysfunction may find actively planning and organizing to be difficult.

Neurodivergent individuals may continue to just push off their responsibilities because even the thought of completing them is too much to handle, so they’d rather just not do it at all. Yet, planning and organizing can take away some of this stress. If they are actively planning and organizing their weeks and tasks, then they are prepared for the days to come, allowing them to actively complete what needs to get done without the worry of everything else. Organization can also help with their environment. If they constantly know where everything is, then they don’t waste time looking for it or worrying where it may be, preventing procrastination, anxiety, and depression as well. Planning and organizing skills allow for the individual to be confident in their ability to complete a task, know exactly when and where it needs to get done, and how, which in return allows them to schedule free time and other activities in between, hence why this skill is so important. Without it, children, teens, and young adults will be unable to develop the skillsets they need to reach their fullest potential, which no parent wants.

At the Support for Students Growth Center, we provide the social, behavioral, educational, emotional, and executive functioning skills children, teens, young adults, and their families need for a happy and successful life in and out of school settings. Our team of professionals offers individualized and family coaching/counseling and social skills groups to help teach skills such as how to be actively planning and staying organized to ensure parents do not have to worry that their kids will be unable to make and maintain a functioning independent life on their own. So, if your child is struggling with skills like the ones listed above and much more, the SSGC is equipped with the tools to help.


Click here and call now to schedule your FREE 20-minute individualized screening- $150 value

Dr. Eric J. Nach, Ph.D., M.Ed., A.S.D.C., is a Developmental and Behavioral Specialist who specializes in Autism, ADHD and related disorders. Dr. Nach is the founder of the Support for Students Growth Center and College Life Skills Program where he and his team of professional’s help develop the Emotional Maturity, Executive Functioning, Life Skill and Social Abilities of children, teens, young adults and college students and those high school students preparing for college.

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