High School Study Coaching for Students

Lawson ADHD Solutions provides personalised Study Coaching for students from Year 7 through to TAFE and university, in person in Sutherland and online. Coaching is separate from tutoring: it isn't focused on subject content, but on the planning, starting and follow-through needed to get schoolwork done. It involves teaching you what study should look like, how to manage multiple assignments, what teachers look for and, how to actually get things done without the procrastination and overwhelm.

Alex leads this services at Lawson ADHD Solutions and uses his experience as a current high school teacher and ADHD coach with lived experience of ADHD to help support students with homework, readings, study, assignments and exams. Read more about him here.

For background reading, the ADHD Study Coach blog and the Task Starting Tool are also on the site.

This coaching is aimed at students where the following pattern is common:

• Assignments handed in late, or not handed in
• Distress or panic the night before something is due
• Ongoing disagreement at home about homework or study
• Contact from school about missed or incomplete work
• Results that don't reflect the student's actual ability
• Time spent "studying" without a clear outcome

Sessions are adjusted to the individual student. 

Depending on what's required, this may include:

• Planning - what a task involves, when it will be done, and what completion looks like
• Identifying distractions and building practical ways to manage them
• Setting working deadlines ahead of the actual due date
• Accountability between sessions
• Breaking down assignments into manageable steps
• Understanding marking criteria and what teachers are assessing
• Using feedback constructively
• Building independence, so a student needs less external support over time
• Guidance for parents on language and approach at home
• Ongoing support across homework, study, revision and assessments

You can read more about Alex here, but a summary is provided below: 

• Close to 10 years as a high school teacher, including close to a decade teaching HSC classes, with Band 6 results and students moving from Band 1 to Band 3 achieved most years
• Master of Teaching (Secondary), completed with Distinction
• Experience as a year advisor, school administrator and literacy worker
• Experience as a subject coordinator, including mentoring other teachers
• Experience across Catholic, independent and public school systems
• Author of individual support plans for students with ADHD, written to support their achievement at school
• Lived experience of ADHD
• Trained ADHD coach

A free discovery call is available to discuss what's happening for a student and whether ADHD study coaching is a suitable option.

Book a free discovery call

Lawson ADHD Solutions 3/818–820 Old Princes Highway Sutherland NSW 2232

In-person and online study coaching for students available.

One student had a pattern of handing in every assignment late, with distress the night before each deadline. After two sessions focused on breaking down tasks and building a working timeline, a history assignment was completed a week ahead of the due date for the first time.

Another student, at a selective high school, was consistently unable to start study sessions despite wanting to. After developing a plan and a realistic structure, they moved to five hours of weekly study in preparation for the HSC.

Sessions run for 55 minutes and cost $85, available in person in Sutherland or online.

Session frequency depends on the student's current situation:

• New to coaching, or currently finding things difficult - weekly or fortnightly
• Managing but under increasing pressure - monthly
• Generally on track, wanting continued support - once a term, often around major assessments

Weekly check-ins between sessions are available where useful, to maintain accountability.

Progress varies by student and depends significantly on their engagement with the process. Many parents report a noticeable change over the course of a term rather than immediately. 

A free discovery call is available to discuss whether this is a suitable fit before booking a session.

For students with ADHD, difficulty managing homework, study and assignments is usually related to executive functioning rather than motivation or effort.

Common reasons why it does work out: 

• No clear plan - knowing a task exists without a clear sense of what to do or when
• Time blindness - difficulty judging how long tasks take or how much time remains
• Distraction - phones, environment, or competing thoughts
• Procrastination - avoidance where starting feels disproportionately difficult
• Not knowing how to study - never having been taught what effective study looks like in practice
• Feeling unsupported at school - an assumption that students should already know how to manage this independently
• Overwhelm - broad tasks (e.g. "write an essay") without an obvious entry point
• Rushing rather than processing - completing a task quickly rather than working through it properly

Where this pattern continues without support, it can affect more than academic results. 

It commonly contributes to:

• Reduced self-esteem and confidence
• Ongoing conflict at home around homework and study
• Grades that don't reflect a student's ability
• Students being perceived as careless or unmotivated, when that isn't accurate
• General frustration for the student and the family

It varies by student, but typically includes breaking tasks into steps, building a realistic plan and timeline, identifying what's interrupting focus, and check-ins to maintain progress between sessions.

This is coaching, not tutoring, which is a deliberate distinction rather than a reflection of subject expertise. Tutoring is not a regulated industry in Australia, so the title alone doesn't indicate qualifications. Alex has close to 10 years' experience as a high school teacher, a Master of Teaching (Secondary) with Distinction, and a consistent track record teaching HSC students. Coaching applies that background to a different problem: rather than reteaching content, sessions address the planning and follow-through that often prevent a student from getting to the point of demonstrating what they know.

In-person sessions are held in Sutherland, opposite Sutherland Station, with street parking available.

Online sessions are available for students outside the area, or where that's more practical.