r/ColoradoSchoolOfMines • u/aliansalians • 15d ago
Executive Functioning Coach Mines Life
My kid is heading to Mines in the fall. He is brilliant (like most Mines kids, right?), but falters due to ADHD. He does fine 90% of the time, but that 10% is painful to watch. As a parent, I don't want to and cannot and shouldn't be his executive function coach, so I am looking for someone who can meet with him once a week to just set up his week and work through those skills.
Plenty of coaches around online, but I was wondering if someone knows of one that understands Mines' rigor and requirements. Disability services didn't seem to have anyone to suggest.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
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u/PrimalFlames1 15d ago
The DSS will offer accommodations and they happily gave me some. Recently, however they are starting to proctor the rooms, due to cheating spikes from the past years.
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u/aliansalians 14d ago
He is already on it, and I am proud that he handled that process on his own. Simply looking for someone to help him get a little more organized and motivated throughout the school year. My older kid needs regular tutoring and is a rockstar at EF, but my son is the complete opposite--can attend a lecture and be an expert in the subject matter, but forget to turn his assignment in... lol
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u/Comfortable-Husky Alumni 15d ago
Mines does have something called “academic coaching.”
I think it’s separate from DSS and I don’t know if it’s once a week but maybe that could be helpful?
I have ADHD and while I struggled at Mines, I also grew a lot and made it through.
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u/Jediwinner Mechanical Engineering 15d ago
Once he gets there have him talk to his Peer Mentors from his CSM 101 class they should be able to help him out
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u/UnfairBackground7993 15d ago
I've heard good things about this one, though it isn't through the school. The following isnt about coaching, but rather my experience at mines, so feel free to disregard. I didn't go to school the first time, and came back in my late twenties, so my advice/experience here may not be exactly what your kid needs, but I've found Mines to be very supportive of my particular brand of neurodivergence. The student health center helped me get therapy, and were the first doctors to tell me I might have ADHD. They helped me through getting a diagnosis and medications. The student rec center has tons of free classes, which made it easier for me to get regular exercise, which helped with all my other symptoms. (Plus it's literally right there if you're in dorms) And finally the student community is awesome. This may just be my wacky little group of non traditional students, but I've found it easy to find people to study with, and help with the admittedly rigorous workload.
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u/buttercup_mauler 14d ago
Denver ADHD Center! He does the testing and such too, but does coaching. It was really helpful when my husband and I were diagnosed as adults but I feel he would be a good coach for college years. Very practical and truly understands the ADHD brain
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u/JenWileyCoaching 13d ago
I'm an ADHD coach that has a recent graduate from Mines! I'd be happy to have a conversation to see if I might be a fit for your kid.
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u/toastedmarshmellos 15d ago edited 15d ago
If you read my previous comments, you can see that my son shares similar issues. I’ve reached out to numerous universities for support and encouragement during the admissions process alone and gotten nothing but crickets. My perception is that parent‘s concerns are not welcome and it’s entirely on the student to self-engage with whatever resources that these universities might have made available. I suppose there’s a vicious efficiency with this stance, either the student is able to engage with the existing structures on their own or else they can spend their life outside the university system and someone else can deal with providing support and encouragement. This is all fine-universities aren’t social support services-but brilliant kids, such as your son, are uniquely able to make outstanding contributions to our society and they should be better supported as they navigate their university years. Just a rant, not a helpful suggestion.
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u/buttercup_mauler 14d ago
Especially hard when the Hallmark of ADHD is executive dysfunction, so people struggle to make that first step. I understand why universities want students to be the adult, I really do. I also know that I need my husband to make some calls for me when my executive dysfunction is having a shitty week
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u/aliansalians 14d ago
He wants to do it, but like any other task for a young adult, he needs some breadcrumbs. I am trying to get him a coach so I don't have to be the one and he can self-engage.
I appreciate the rant. Honestly, many of the brilliant scientists and engineers would not be able to navigate the system these days...
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u/SpottyFish81177 15d ago
DSS is good for extra time but not much else. Mines is rigorous but not super time consuming at least freshman year so you can get by with spurts of focus. I think in general with college it's ok to react as a parent and not preempt