Smart But Scattered – and Stalled

Sample

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.

Table of Contents

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
Appendix: Getting Help with Independent Living
Resources

Titles in Series

Smart but Scattered (Second Edition)
Smart but Scattered Teens
Smart but Scattered – and Stalled
The Smart but Scattered Guide to Success