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Writer's pictureSean McCormick

What Is A Family Team Meeting and How Does It Improve Executive Function?

Updated: Sep 13

Last Updated: September 5, 2024


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In this article, I'll teach you what a Family Team Meeting (FTM) is and how you can use it to improve your student's executive function skills.


People often ask me, "What makes your approach different than other executive function coaches?" and my response is always the same:


The Family Team Meeting process.


What is a Family Team Meeting?

A FTM is a structured decision-making process that focuses on helping a student make executive decisions while receiving support and counsel from parents, educators, and mental health supports.


This meeting's purpose is to ensure all stakeholders on a student's support team are aligned or "on the same page." When this happens, research shows few things have a greater impact on helping students achieve.


What happens when educators and parents are not aligned?

There are many risks to a lack of alignment between parents, educators, and students.


Many struggling students lack the critical executive function skills to seek help proactively.


Because of this, they may resort to unhealthy behaviors such as:


  • Lying or denying missing assignments

  • Arguing with parents or educators to redirect their attention

  • Saying "I don't know" or not engaging in sessions with outside providers


If parents, educators, and outside supports do not have a process for ensuring communication is not fragmented, it can lead to splintering.


Splintering is a process by which students provide fragmented or incomplete information to avoid taking responsibility for their homework.


By giving vague answers or leaving out key details, they create confusion and make it harder for teachers or parents to hold them accountable.


What is an example of splintering?


Here’s an example of splintering in communication:


Teacher: “Did you finish your homework?”


Student: “Well, I started working on it, but then I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to do all the problems. Plus, I didn’t have my book with me yesterday, so I couldn’t check, but I’ll finish it later.”


Here’s how the splintering example might continue with the parents and the executive function coach:


Parent: “Why didn’t you finish your homework last night?”


Student: “Well, I didn’t have my book, and I wasn’t sure if the teacher even said we had to do all of it. I tried to ask someone, but then I got busy, and by the time I found out, it was late.”


And then, when the student begins to work with their coach, here is what might happen:


EF Coach: “What steps did you take to clarify the assignment? Did you try setting up a reminder or asking for help earlier?”


Student: “I thought about it, but I didn’t know if it was a big deal. Plus, I had a lot going on, so I figured I’d just explain it to the teacher later.”


In this conversation, the student continues using vague explanations and external factors (busy schedule, uncertainty) to avoid responsibility, making it difficult for both the parent and EF coach to address accountability and time management.


At EF Specialists, we have a solution that minimizes, if not fully eradicates, splintering and its negative consequences: the Family Team Meeting.


Before we jump in, if you would prefer to learn via video, check out my step-by-step guide on how to run a FTM.



Why don't more families or school teams running Family Team Meetings?

Many families and school teams aren't running Family Team Meetings for a few key reasons.


First, many simply don't know about them or understand how effective they can be in supporting students.


Second, some feel like they don’t have enough time in their busy schedules to organize and participate in these meetings.


Lastly, there’s often a fear of interacting with parents, as school staff may worry about potential conflicts or difficult conversations during these meetings.


In the Executive Function Coaching Academy, we teach educators and coaches exactly how to run these meetings, as well as how to be aware of the impostor syndrome that may occur when trying to support parents.


Why should educators and parents hold Family Team Meetings?

According to John Hattie's research, collective teacher efficacy is one of the top factors for increasing student achievement.


Collective teacher efficacy is defined as the following:


A team's shared belief that through  collective action, they can positively influence student outcomes, including those who are disengaged or disadvantaged (Hattie, 2016).

With an effect size of 1.57, it ranks extremely high among various influences on educational outcomes. (Hattie, J. (2015). What works best in education: The politics of collaborative expertise. Pearson).


image of John Hattie's research highlighting the importance of collective teacher efficacy

On a personal note, I have run the FTM process hundreds of times with students and families and see it work miracles in helping even the most disengaged students regain focus on their education and experience major progress and growth.


Before I share how to run a FTM, I'd like you to know who should join one.


Who should join for an FTM?

For an effective FTM, it's essential to include the parents or guardians, members of the coaching team, and any other individuals who are directly involved in serving the student on a week-to-week basis.


Must be there:

  • Parents

  • Student

  • Executive Function coach


It would be great to invite:


  • Therapist

  • School case manager

  • Advocate

  • Other team supports


For parents and coaches, it's important for parents to be mindful of the potential costs associated with including other professionals in the meeting, especially if they are paying out of pocket for services.


Balancing the value of the input from professionals with the financial considerations is key in assembling a focused and productive FTM group.


How do you run a Family Team Meeting?

The agenda of a FTM is so simple you can remember it by heart after viewing it a few times. It consists of the following agenda items:


Agenda Item One: What's Going Well?

This step has the magic effect of lowering the student's affective filter and opening up their heart and mind to the possibility of constructive feedback which comes in step 2.


  • Ask each participant to share something positive or a success, no matter how small.

  • This sets a positive tone and acknowledges efforts and progress.

  • Make sure everyone's tone is authentic and engaged (no sarcasm)


Agenda Item Two: What Needs to Change?

Your main goal for this section is to come up with ONE clear goal to be completed before the next FTM.


It's better to aim for something smaller, rather than overwhelming the student.


  • Facilitate a discussion where participants can express concerns or areas that need improvement.

  • Focus on constructive feedback and encourage solutions-focused thinking.

  • Check in with the student by asking, "Does this feel manageable to you?"


Agenda Item Three: Who Does What by When?

Here your goal is to develop clear and ACTIONABLE steps each member of the team can take to support the student.


  • Work together to develop action steps for making the necessary changes.

  • Assign specific responsibilities to each participant and set clear deadlines.

  • Ensure that the responsibilities and deadlines are realistic and agreed upon by all.


The last step in a Family Team Meeting

Make sure to schedule the next meeting before you wrap up the meeting.


This will be much easier if you do it in real-time, as opposed to doing it via an email chain which becomes confusing.


Summary

Now you know how to run a FTM, but the key is taking action. If you are ready to change some lives for the positive, try these steps:


  1. Identify a student who is struggling

  2. Invite the student and their parents to join your for a FTM

  3. Use the "What is going well, What needs to change, Who does what?" agenda

  4. Set a date to hold another FTM one month from the date of your first meeting to check on progress


Hope this helps 🤙🏻


P.S. These are skills that executive function coaches work on with their students. If you want to try working on them with your students, consider joining hundreds of other educators and parents who have completed my Semester Success Blueprint Course. In less than 2 hours, this comprehensive course will teach you and your student the system I developed to help hundreds of students learn how to manage school effectively and raise their self-awareness and engagement with school.






About Me

Hey! I'm Sean 👋


I'm a former public school special education teacher who realized that executive function skills are more important than knowing when George Washington crossed the Potomac.


Since then, I've made it my mission to teach anyone who will listen about how to develop these key life skills.


In 2020, I founded Executive Function Specialists to ensure all students with ADHD and Autism have access to high-quality online executive function coaching services. We offer online EF coaching and courses to help students and families.


Realizing I could only reach so many people through coaching, in 2021 I started the Executive Function Coaching Academy which trains schools, educators, and individuals to learn the key strategies to improve executive function skills for students.


In 2023, I co-founded of UpSkill Specialists, to provide neurodivergent adults with high-quality executive function coaching services.


When not pursuing my passions through work, I love spending time with my family, getting exercise, and expanding my brain through reading. You can connect with me on LinkedIn.

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