I have had a number of clients with learning differences or unique needs who struggled with a disconnect between their learning needs and outside demands. 

A gifted student, for example, felt bored in his grade and through our work together and some focused advocacy, we were able to help him advance to a higher grade in subjects where it made sense to do so. This involved the student taking tests to prove his level of competency, meeting with public school officials, and submitting formal recommendation materials. 

For several students with various learning differences, what worked best was learning a series of strategies to manage the school or professional workload and also learning how to self-advocate when appropriate. 

For one student, this involved going through the process to receive testing accommodations. For another, this involved mapping out the days and times available for work and breaking assignments down so they were less overwhelming where each step had its own day and time. 

All students in their lives go through a process of trial and error. For example, do they get ideas best by brainstorming out loud with other people or writing down their thoughts?

Coaching helps clients go through this process of self discovery in a more focused way and frequently in a lot less time. The secret ingredient is really reflection. When students reflect on what works and what doesn’t, they start to see patterns in how they learn and write best.