Tier 2:
Executive Function applied practice

You understand executive function.
Now let’s learn how to apply it.

Tier 2: Executive Function Applied Practice is a 30-hour, 10-week advanced training experience for professionals ready to interpret executive function patterns, prioritize intervention targets, and build individualized support plans grounded in the SEFF framework.

Developed as part of the Seeds of Learning® Executive Function Specialization Pathway in partnership with Ashland University, Tier 2 helps SLPs, educators, intervention specialists, and learning professionals move beyond executive function awareness and into applied clinical and educational reasoning.

Download the Seeds of Learning® Executive Function Specialization Pathway Participant Informational Packet for more details. Ready to take the jump? Apply for Tier 2 below!

APPLY FOR TIER 2

Knowing the EF terms is not the same as knowing what to do next.

Tier 2 helps you move from “I see the EF breakdown” to “I know how to support it.”

Many professionals can recognize when a student struggles with initiation, planning, working memory, inhibition, self-monitoring, cognitive flexibility, or time sense.

But recognizing the executive function skill is only the beginning.

The harder questions usually come next.

A student and professional working together at a whiteboard.
  • Why is this student struggling here?
  • What pattern is showing up across settings, tasks, or demands?
  • Is this a skill deficit, an executive function need, or both?
  • What is the root executive function breakdown beneath the surface-level behavior?
  • What should I prioritize first?
  • How do I choose the right intervention approach?
  • How do I collect meaningful data?
  • How do I adjust when the plan is not working?

That is where Tier 2 lives.

Tier 2 helps you build the applied reasoning needed to move from naming executive function challenges to designing meaningful, individualized support.

What I see

  • Behaviors
  • Work samples
  • Assessment data
  • Teacher concerns
  • Parent reports
  • Student/client performance

What I need to understand

  • Patterns of processing
  • Root causes
  • Skill deficits vs. EF needs
  • Developmental demands
  • Strengths and vulnerabilities
  • Task and environmental demands

What I need to do

  • Prioritize
  • Plan
  • Select strategies
  • Adapt support
  • Collect data
  • Adjust intervention

Build the reasoning behind effective executive function intervention.

Strengthen EF Assessment Foundations

Build a clearer foundation for understanding executive function assessment through the SEFF framework, functional performance, student/client work, observations, and patterns across demands.

Identify Executive Function Skill Breakdowns

Learn to recognize where executive function breakdowns are showing up across tasks, behaviors, academic work, communication, independence, and daily performance.

Differentiate Skill Deficits from EF Needs

Move beyond surface-level labels by learning to determine whether the student or client needs direct skill instruction, executive function support, or a combination of both.

Prioritize Complex Needs

Practice determining where support should begin when a case includes overlapping academic, language, behavioral, cognitive, and executive function needs.

Design and Adapt Intervention Sessions

Learn how to structure intervention sessions, select strategies, and adapt support based on the individual’s profile, context, developmental level, and response.

Use Data to Adjust Support

Develop a clearer understanding of how to collect meaningful intervention data and use it to refine support over time.

Tier 2: a 30-hour applied training experience
with mentorship built in

Tier 2 is designed to move participants from passive learning into guided application. Across 10 weeks and 30 total hours, you will study executive function assessment, practice identifying EF skill breakdowns, differentiate skill deficits from EF needs, prioritize complex cases, develop intervention session frameworks, select and adapt strategies, collect meaningful intervention data, and prepare for final competency demonstration.

This is not a generic coaching certification or a collection of EF strategies. Tier 2 is a structured professional learning experience focused on assessment interpretation, treatment planning, clinical and educational decision-making, and applied use of the SEFF framework.

Executive Function Applied Practice

Name
Tier 2 — Executive Function Applied Practice
Primary focus
Apply the SEFF framework with mentorship
Format
Applied practice experience (virtual)
Length
10 weeks
Graduate credit
2 graduate credits
Mentorship
5 one-on-one consultations with a Seeds of Learning therapist
Competency demonstration
Case analysis, treatment plan, and live mentor presentation
Recognition
Certificate of Achievement in Applied Executive Function Practice
Cost
$1,997
PHASE 1

Assess

Week 1: EF Assessment Foundations

Build the foundation for understanding executive function assessment through the SEFF framework.

Week 2: Identifying EF Skill Breakdowns

Learn to recognize where executive function breakdowns are showing up across tasks, behaviors, and functional performance.

Week 3: Identifying Skill Deficits vs. EF Needs

Differentiate between a skill-based deficit and an executive function need so intervention planning becomes more accurate.

PHASE 2

Integrate + Prioritize

Week 4: Integration Work

Begin integrating assessment information, observations, and functional patterns into a clearer EF profile.

Week 5: Prioritizing EF and Skill-Based Needs in Complex Cases

Practice determining where to begin when a student or client presents with overlapping academic, language, behavioral, and executive function needs.

PHASE 3

Plan + Intervene

Week 6: Intervention Session Frameworks

Learn how to structure intervention sessions so EF support is intentional, organized, and connected to the student or client’s profile.

Week 7: Intervention Strategy Selection & Adaptation

Select and adapt strategies based on the individual’s needs, context, developmental level, and response to support.

Week 8: Intervention Data Collection + Adjustment

Learn how to collect meaningful intervention data and use it to adjust support over time.

PHASE 4

Demonstrate Competency

Week 9: Integration Week

Synthesize assessment reasoning, prioritization, intervention planning, strategy adaptation, and data-informed adjustment.

Week 10: Final Competency Preparation and Assessment

Prepare for and complete the final competency assessment through written case analysis, treatment planning, live presentation, and mentor Q&A.

Tier 2 gives participants repeated practice thinking through executive function cases with support.

SEFF Framework

  1. Assess
  2. Identify Breakdown
  3. Differentiate Need
  4. Prioritize
  5. Plan
  6. Adapt
  7. Collect Data
  8. Adjust

mentorship and application

Mentorship is part of the learning process.

Participants receive five 1:1 clinical consultation meetings with a Seeds of Learning therapist to help refine applied reasoning, ask questions, and strengthen confidence using the SEFF framework in real-world contexts.

Completion reflects application, not JUST attendance.

Tier 2 concludes with a final competency assessment that includes written case analysis, treatment planning, live presentation, and mentor Q&A. Participants demonstrate their ability to interpret executive function needs, prioritize support, develop an intervention plan, and explain their reasoning in an applied case format.

How to know if tier 2 is right for you!

Tier 2 is for professionals who already have foundational knowledge of the Seeds of Learning Executive Function Framework from Tier 1, and are ready to deepen their ability to assess, identify, prioritize, plan, adapt, collect data, and adjust executive function support.

This mentored independent study experience is designed for professionals who want more than EF language. It is for those who want to build the reasoning, confidence, and professional judgment needed to support real students and clients with greater clarity.

Tier 2 also serves as the applied practice bridge toward Tier 3: Executive Function Specialist Practicum & Mastery, where participants move into advanced practicum work, case defense, and specialist-level competency development.

Tier 2 may be a strong fit if you want to:

  • Build applied executive function reasoning

  • Interpret student and client profiles more clearly

  • Differentiate skill deficits from executive function needs

  • Prioritize support in complex cases

  • Create individualized intervention plans

  • Select and adapt strategies with more intention

  • Use data to adjust intervention over time

  • Receive mentorship as you apply the SEFF framework

  • Prepare for advanced practicum work in Tier 3

Tier 2 may not be the best fit yet if you are looking for:

  • A beginner overview of executive function
    quick tips only

  • A self-paced resource library

  • A list of strategies without deeper reasoning

  • An introductory experience with the SEFF framework

  • If you are newer to the framework, Tier 1, the Executive Function Cohort, may be the best starting place.

If you are ready for practicum-based mastery and directory eligibility,
Tier 3 may be the next step after Tier 2.

Learn more about tier 3 here

TIER 2 PROGRAM COST

$1,997

Includes:

  • 10-week applied training experience

  • 30 total hours

  • Five 1:1 mentorship meetings

  • EF assessment and intervention planning instruction

  • Case-based treatment planning

  • Intervention strategy selection and adaptation

  • Intervention data collection and adjustment

  • Final competency assessment

  • Documentation of completion

  • Ashland University graduate credits and a Certificate of Achievement upon successful demonstration of competency

How to Apply

Step 1: Submit your application by August 14
Tell us about your professional background, experience with executive function, prior Seeds of Learning training, and goals for Tier 2.

Step 2: Application review
The Seeds of Learning team will review your application to determine whether Tier 2 is the right next step.

Step 3: Enrollment invitation
Accepted applicants will receive enrollment details, payment information, graduate credit/certificate pathway information when applicable, and next steps.

Step 4: Begin Tier 2
Once enrolled, you will receive access to program materials, mentorship scheduling information, orientation details, and course expectations. The first Tier 2 course is scheduled to run from September 14 – November 23, 2026.

APPLY FOR TIER 2

This is where executive function knowledge becomes professional practice.