ADHD Coaching: Improving Executive Function Skills

For individuals with ADHD, managing everyday activities can be challenging. From staying organized to completing tasks on time, the symptoms of ADHD can make it difficult to stay on top of important responsibilities. However, there is a solution: ADHD coaching.  

The treatment options for ADHD depend on various factors such as age, severity of symptoms, and individual needs. The most common form of treatment for ADHD is medication which can help to regulate dopamine levels in the brain leading to improved attention span and reduced impulsivity. However, medication may not be suitable for everyone or may have side effects that limit its effectiveness. In addition to medication, behavioural therapy can also be helpful in improving executive function skills by teaching individuals coping mechanisms and strategies for managing their symptoms.

ADHD coaching is a specialized form of coaching that focuses on improving executive function skills in individuals with ADHD. Executive function refers to the cognitive processes that help us plan, organize, and complete tasks. These skills are essential for success in both personal and professional settings. Without them, people may find themselves easily distracted or struggling to meet deadlines.

Through personalized coaching sessions, an individual with ADHD can learn strategies to improve their executive function skills. This may include techniques such as breaking down larger tasks into smaller steps or creating a structured schedule for daily activities.

What does coaching involve?

When you meet with your coach for the first time you’ll discuss the severity of your ADHD, the other symptoms you experience, the medications you have tried or are currently using and what you hope to get out of your course. Once this is established you’ll go on to either group coaching or one-to-one coaching sessions where you will learn techniques and strategies which will help you overcome the obstacles which ADHD creates. You’ll get the opportunity to talk to a coach about the real-life problems you’ve experienced, the issues you’re going through right now, and how your ADHD is holding you back from moving forward. If your coach is intuitive and attentive they will be able to draw out of you details which lie deep inside and help you not just deal with the surface problems, but also help with combatting entrenched habits and coping mechanisms which you may have developed which are ineffective or labour intensive.  

Your coach needs to be able to identify core problems caused by your ADHD if they are really going to help you. You might think you have a problem with time management because that’s what your boss or a teacher once told you. But what is poor time management, and what does it mean to you?

Time Management and Executive Function

When we say ‘poor time management’ everybody nods and agrees that it’s a problem without delving into what it is and why it can be such a problem for people with ADHD. Does it mean you always arrive late to work? Does it mean you are always handing projects in late?  

Or does it mean you’re incredibly stressed trying to get concentrate on something but you keep getting distracted? Does it mean that you’d love to begin on an exciting new project, but you don’t know where to start so you freeze? Does it mean that you get so bogged down in perfecting one detail of the project you’re handling that you don’t leave enough time for other aspects of the job, meaning that they don’t get completed or are unsatisfactory when the deadline hits?

These are all aspects covered by the term ‘poor time management’ and are all symptoms of your ADHD brain not being able to process executive functions.  

And as you can clearly see, getting distracted and not being able to start a project is clearly different from getting hyperfocused on one detail to the detriment of all else, yet it’s equally a part of the ADHD galaxy of symptoms. And this is what your coach needs to be able to zero in on in your particular case and deal with specifically when they are coming up with a plan which suits you.  

Coaching is a conversation

The interplay between you and your coach is what is most important. If it were simple you could just read a book or watch a video to learn how to deal with your executive function issues, but because there are so many different aspects to this symptom, and they affect everyone in different ways, it is important to find a coach who you get along with well, who is willing to listen as well as talk, and who has the experience to know a variety of different approaches which you can try and report back on.  

Your feedback is important to. It helps your coach improve their advice, and gives you a chance to talk through what worked well, what didn’t, and what tweaks you made that suited your personal needs.  

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