Smart but Scattered--and Stalled 10 Steps to Help Young Adults Use Their Executive Skills to Set Goals, Make a Plan, and Successfully Leave the Nest

Whether you're a young adult who is stalled on the journey to independence--or a concerned parent still sharing the family nest--this compassionate book is for you. Providing a fresh perspective on the causes of failure to launch, the expert authors present a 10-step plan that helps grown kids and parents work together to achieve liftoff. Learn why brain-based executive skills such as planning, organization, and time management are so important to success, and what you can do to strengthen them. You get downloadable practical tools for figuring out what areas to target, building skills, identifying a desired career path, and making a customized action plan. Vivid stories of other families navigating the same challenges (including father and son Richard and Colin Guare) reveal what kind of parental support is productive--and when to let go.

Richard Guare, PhD, is Director of the Center for Learning and Attention Disorders in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Dr. Guare's research and publications focus on the understanding and treatment of learning and attention difficulties. He is a neuropsychologist and board-certified behavior analyst who frequently consults to schools and agencies. He is coauthor of bestselling books for general readers, including Smart but Scattered, Smart but Scattered Teens, Smart but Scattered--and Stalled (with a focus on emerging adults), and The Smart but Scattered Guide to Success (with a focus on adults). Dr. Guare is also coauthor of The Work-Smart Academic Planner, Revised Edition, and books for professionals including Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents, Third Edition.

Peg Dawson, EdD, is a psychologist on the staff of Seacoast Mental Health Center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where she specializes in the assessment of children and adults with learning and attention disorders. She also does professional development training on executive skills for schools and organizations nationally and internationally. Dr. Dawson is a past president of the New Hampshire Association of School Psychologists, the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), and the International School Psychology Association, and a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from NASP. She is coauthor of bestselling books for general readers, including Smart but Scattered, Smart but Scattered Teens, Smart but Scattered--and Stalled (with a focus on emerging adults), and The Smart but Scattered Guide to Success (with a focus on adults). Dr. Dawson is also coauthor of The Work-Smart Academic Planner, Revised Edition, and books for professionals including Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents, Third Edition.

Colin Guare is a registered behavior technician and writer who works with children and adolescents on the autism spectrum. He is currently pursuing a graduate degree in psychology, with a specialization in applied behavior analysis. Mr. Guare brings a unique perspective to his work, having grown up with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and managed executive skill challenges throughout his life. With Peg Dawson and Richard Guare, he is coauthor of Smart but Scattered Teens and Smart but Scattered--and Stalled.

Prologue: How I Got Stalled
Introduction: The Stepping Stones to Independence
Step 1. Assess the Young Adult’s Skills for Independence: The Executive in the Brain
Step 2. Build a Foundation for Moving Forward: Motivation, Readiness, Respect, and Support
Step 3. Identify a Realistic Direction: The Young Adult’s Interests and Aptitudes
Step 4. Plan How to Help--and Where Not To: Parents’ Executive Skills and Respect for Boundaries
Step 5. Set a Goal: Pull Everything Together and Evaluate Goodness of Fit
Step 6. Make It Official: Use SMART Goals to Plan the Steps and Evaluate Progress
Step 7. Make It Easier: Anticipate Problems and Intervene to Get Things Done
Step 8. Get Creative to Tackle Specific Weaknesses
Step 9. Seek Extra Help If You’re Still Stalled
Step 10. Learn from Your Success
Epilogue: Where I Am . . . Going
Appendix: Getting Help with Independent Living
Resources