🧠 Hail Mary, How to PASS at the end of the semester! Executive Function, ADHD and 2e

What’s up, parents and teachers? My name is Seth Perler. I’m an executive function coach, and I wear a lot of hats in the executive function, neurodiversity, ADHD, and 2e worlds.

I’m here today to talk to you about “Hail Mary time” in the semester—the last three to five weeks, when things can often fall apart for kids with executive function challenges. When things fall apart, they can fail their classes, which leads to a cascade of consequences.

In this video, I’m going to give you three foundational ideas you need to understand before you help, and then I’ll walk you through seven exact steps you can take. This will take about 15 minutes, but it can save you hours—if not days—of frustration and challenges, and it can help your child tremendously.

So let’s dive in.

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Foundational Ideas

1. What’s at stake?

Let’s quickly go over five things that are at stake. It’s important for both you and your child to understand this—not in a lecturing way, but with awareness.

First, mental health is at stake. This is the most important factor. Parents often worry about how failing classes impacts their child’s well-being.

Second, the relationship is at stake. Homework battles and constant pressure can damage your connection and sense of secure attachment.

Third, there’s the child’s relationship with school. They may begin to think, “School sucks,” or lose their love of learning.

Fourth, there are practical consequences, like summer school or retaking classes, which affect both your time and your child’s time.

Fifth, their summer break is at stake. Instead of rest and freedom, they may lose that time to make up for missed work.

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2. Why do kids get stuck?

There are four common problems:

First, many people don’t understand executive function. If parents and teachers don’t understand these challenges, it’s hard to support kids effectively.

Second, they don’t understand the “Hail Mary pattern”—a predictable decline in performance toward the end of the semester.

Third, there’s resistance. Kids often don’t want help. They don’t want to stand out or do things differently.

Fourth, there’s spring fever. Motivation drops even further as everyone—students, teachers, and parents—is mentally checked out and ready for summer.

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3. The biggest mistake: “Can’t” vs. “Won’t”

A major mistake adults make is misunderstanding the difference between can’t and won’t.

For example, if I’m not wearing my glasses, I literally can’t see well. You can’t just tell me to “try harder” to see. It’s not about effort—it’s a limitation.

Similarly, many kids have real challenges. But adults often assume they’re lazy or unmotivated. This leads to the wrong interventions, which can worsen both performance and the relationship.

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The 7-Step Plan

Now let’s get into the practical steps.

1. Get buy-in and ownership

Your child needs to be on board. If they’re not, you might get short-term results, but nothing will change long term. The same pattern will repeat.

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2. Do a reset

Declutter and reorganize everything:

* Backpack
* Locker
* Study space

Start with a clean slate. This step is often skipped, but it’s critical.

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3. Proactively advocate

You need clarity on what’s required to pass.

Don’t rely solely on your child—they may say, “Everything’s fine,” even when it’s not. Contact teachers if needed and find out:

* Missing assignments
* Exams
* Projects

This prevents last-minute surprises.

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4. Create a realistic plan

This plan must be detailed and proactive.

* Identify missing and makeup work
* Accept that your child can’t do everything
* Prioritize what matters most
* Decide where your energy should go as a parent
* Break tasks into small, manageable chunks

Set aside time to plan this together.

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5. Build accountability

Your child needs support to stay on track.

This could include:

* Study partners
* Tutors
* A responsible older student
* You or a teacher

Accountability should be built into the plan regularly.

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6. Advocate weekly

Check in with teachers each week. A simple message like, “Just checking in to make sure we’re on track,” can go a long way.

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7. Execute with positivity and non-attachment

Do your best—but don’t become overly attached to the outcome.

Keep things light:

* Stay positive
* Maintain humor
* Focus on connection

Remember: the relationship matters more than perfect results.

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Final Thought

At the end of the day, the most important priorities are:

* Your relationship with your child
* Your child’s mental health

Everything else comes after that.

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If you want more support, you can check out the workshop for a deeper, step-by-step walkthrough.

My name is Seth Perler. I work in executive function, neurodiversity, ADHD, and 2e spaces. You can find more resources on my website.

Thanks for watching. I wish you peace in your heart, joy in your life, and—most importantly—connection with the people who matter to you, especially the kids in your life.

Take care.