Serving Marin County & Beyond
The Families Who Start Early Feel the Difference the Most
With over 45 years of combined experience supporting families with ADHD, the work at Innovative Learning Services — and in collaboration with PAUSE People Coaching — starts from a simple but essential truth:
The window before age 12 holds unmatched potential to build self-regulation skills that echo through a child’s life. We call it the Legacy Window. When challenges surface formally in the tween and teen years, families face steeper stress, more complex interventions, and deeper resistance from kids who are already overwhelmed.
Here’s what most families don’t know:
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This does not need to be complicated or heavy. There’s ease in the effort — when you have the right framework.
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Fixing the child is the default — but it’s not the recommendation. Tutors, therapies, medication. Despite CDC and AAP guidelines recommending concurrent parent behavior training as a frontline intervention, it’s almost never the first thing families are offered.
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Screens are doing quiet damage. Digital overload is steadily eroding kids’ capacity for self-regulation — while leaving most parents without the tools to respond effectively.
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Talking more doesn’t work. Kids don’t learn self-regulation from instructions. They need to see it, feel it, and practice it in real time — with the adults who matter most to them
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Nobody's failing. Most parents are swimming in information when what they actually need is expert guidance, a clear framework, and real-time practice.
That’s why this work exists. And that’s why the families who do it during the Legacy Window feel the difference the most.
This Isn’t Just Coaching. It’s Vertical Integration.
Most support stops at one layer. A therapist works on behavior. A tutor works on homework. A parent coach works on your reactions. None of them can see the whole picture — and none of them talk to each other.
With 30+ years as a special education consultant, Director of Learning Support Programs, co-creator of the PAUSE People System, and father of two teens, I work across every layer at once:
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Parent coaching: rewriting how ADHD gets handled at home through the seasons and transitions — CDC says it’s the most important piece
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Bridging home and school: IEPs, 504s, and parent/teacher conferences — I’ve been on both sides of the table for three decades
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Coaching and Educational Therapy for your child: academics, organization, self-regulation, and executive function skills
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Decoding the neuropsychological evaluation: in plain English, with a real action plan for home and school
Find the Right Starting Point
PAUSE at Home — 1:1 Parent & Guardian Coaching
For moms, dads, guardians, co-parents, and divorced families ready to understand what’s actually happening at home — and make the kind of shifts their family can feel. Built on the PAUSE People System, on-demand, and available when real life calls for it.
For Fathers: Grateful Dads
A dad-centered coaching program built specifically for fathers navigating ADHD at home — with on-demand 1:1 support and a monthly pizza party community in Larkspur.
Now What?
Just received an evaluation or diagnosis and not sure what to do with it? This focused 1-hour session with Dan turns the report into a real direction — with six concrete actions you can take this week.
PAUSE People
The group coaching experience for parents and guardians — live sessions, a supportive community, and the full PAUSE framework in a collaborative setting.
“Dan really helps me understand my son in a different way and empowers me as a parent to help him in ways where I previously felt more helpless.”
— Julie P., 2025
“Your approach has everything I had hoped for — substance, experience, actionable handouts, and a good dose of humor and compassion.”
— Boriana, Switzerland, 2025