Coaching the ADHD Mind: Turning Challenges into Strengths

Is it just me, or are you hearing about ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) all the time lately?

ADHD has become much more accepted in many circles these days, and you often hear, “You know, we all have a little ADHD.”  Many people look at the symptoms of ADHD, and they see similarities in things they see in their own lives.  Being distracted, fidgety, or losing focus are some well-known indicators.  However, a diagnosis of ADHD is provided by a medical professional who follows the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) guidelines.  For some, the ‘symptoms’ will come and go, but for those diagnosed with ADHD, they need real partnership to move ahead in the areas they feel trapped. 

My own personal story with neurodiversity is incredibly unique because my son was diagnosed with autism at 20 months old, but because of his intellectual capacity and early interventions, his neuropathways changed, and he lost his autism diagnosis at 5 years.  We were shell-shocked, and he started ‘big’ school with all the other kids and waved us goodbye.  Now what?

I knew I wanted to share my story, but moreover, I wanted to journey with parents who were caring for children who were neurodiverse and help them find wholeness and get unstuck.  As I started the journey of getting my son’s story into the world, my daughter received an ADHD diagnosis, and then I clearly awakened to the vivid truth that I also had ADHD and got a diagnosis.  Now we recognize ourselves as a neurodivergent family, the umbrella that ADHD and autism fall under, and it’s not only a space where I am passionate to serve others but also part of my daily lived experience.

What I have found in coaching clients with ADHD and being coached myself as a person with ADHD is that the coaching modality is powerful to help these exceptional people thrive in life.  But there are some things you need to know to really see fruitfulness with these clients.

One place to begin is to start with understanding your client’s understanding of their own ADHD.  Why did they seek a diagnosis, and why do they think they have ADHD?  What symptoms are difficult for them or challenge their productivity in various areas of life?  Even more importantly, what are their unique strengths that shine differently than others?  You need to know how your client sees the diagnosis and be able to separate the positive superpowers from the parts of the disorder they loathe. Working on weaknesses while really harnessing the strengths of someone with ADHD is life-changing.  Recently in coaching a client with ADHD who was in pharmaceutical sales, as our coaching journey developed, she began to bring specific issues in her productivity and focus that she wanted help with.  We mapped out her day to find the times she was the most industrious and focused, so she could do her extremely creative tasks during those times, while allotting the tasks she avoided while doing something else that was easier, a hack called “habit stacking.”  She has found more efficiency in her work, and even more importantly, more pride overall in her job tasks.

Working with clients with ADHD obviously does not follow a step-by-step prescribed way of patterns, but there are areas of focus and understanding for this unique group of clients that can help unlock their growth and potential.