Perhaps you are a teenager with ADHD, looking for support with school and motivation to get homework done. You could be a working professional, looking for help to better manage your own life and your work. Perhaps you would like to lead a life with increased focus and drive. You could be a college student looking for skills to manage your schedule and study habits.
Why Get An ADHD Coach?
An ADHD coach can be a life coach, therapist, or counselor who helps an individual find the skills necessary to cope with ADHD. According to the American Psychiatric Association, it is estimated that 8.4 % of children and 2.5 % of adults have ADHD.
ADHD starts in childhood and is a chronic disorder. According to the website, nationwidechildrens,org the condition may lessen as the child gets older, but most likely, they will still experience symptoms as adults.
Much attention is placed on children with ADHD because of challenges in school and concerned parents. This can be challenging for both parents and teachers alike. It can cause frustration in school for the child experiencing ADHD. As people grow older, some symptoms will still cause a person trouble, while others may have faded away.
An ADHD coach can work personally with individuals and families to help everyone achieve their goals. They can help lessen frustration, find ways to create an environment that supports greater attention, and positively help the person frame this disorder.
An ADHD coach can help anyone, whether it's a child or adult, piece together what they need to understand how their mind works. They may be able to suggest specific supplements or even medication. This all depends on the symptoms of the individual.
What Are The Symptoms Of ADHD?
Symptoms vary with each individual, but the common symptoms are inattentiveness, forgetfulness, hyperactivity, restlessness, impulsive behavior, the tendency to be easily distracted, and impatience. There are more severe forms of ADHD that lead to mood disorders and anger problems.
Children with ADHD may exhibit certain behavior problems in school, such as the inability to sit still or follow directions. Someone with more severe ADHD might behave with anger and aggression at times towards other children.
Adults with ADHD might find themselves calmer than they were as children, but it is still common to lose things and be inattentive. Many adults with ADHD have challenges at work, and some change jobs often.
In our society, inattentiveness and restlessness are common symptoms for anybody, considering the fast-paced lifestyle that most of us are living. If you think you may have ADHD or think your child has ADHD, a simple online test may help find the answer.
Types Of ADHD
A psychologist named Dr. Daniel Amen, who has studied in detail the seven types of ADHD. These types include classical ADHD, Inattentive ADHD, over-focused ADHD, temporal-lobe ADHD, limbic ADHD, ring-of-fire ADHD, and anxious ADHD.
Dr. Amen's work states that certain types of ADHD have different chemical effects on the brain than others. For example, people who have classical ADHD have lower levels of dopamine. On the other hand, people with anxious ADHD tend to have higher activity in the basal ganglia, which is the opposite of those with classical ADHD. The basal ganglia is an area that helps with the regulation of behavior and emotion. Over-focused ADHD is characterized by both a dopamine deficiency and a serotonin deficiency. Boosting both of these neurotransmitters is necessary to treat someone who is hyper-focused.
An ADHD coach, whether it's a therapist, counselor, or holistic practitioner, can help guide the person or parents of a child to know their own needs. ADHD shows up in each person differently, even though certain symptoms are common to all types of ADHD.
Finding An ADHD Coach
How do you find an ADHD coach? The list of options for coaches and therapists in your area can seem overwhelming. Finding the right coach for you or your child is important. It’s important to know the right questions to ask.
Begin by getting in touch with different professionals and ask them what their experience is working with ADHD. Ask them about how they typically treat ADHD. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for a free meeting to see if you think they would be a good fit for you or your child. Often the therapeutic relationship is the most important factor in successful treatment.
A good ADHD coach is going to be a positive influence in a person's life. They can bring encouragement and motivation. Since ADHD can impact self-esteem, finding a coach who knows how to empower a person is key. Empowerment is the doorway to success for an individual with ADHD.
With empowerment must come understanding. Find someone who understands ADHD well. They should be educated about ADHD and hold empathy for those who have the disorder. As many practitioners are inspired to get education based on their own needs, perhaps you can even find a practitioner who has ADHD himself or herself.
The best places to look are online and in your community. You can often look through an online resource with lists of coaches and therapists in your city.
Be sure to interview several coaches before choosing one. Find the one that you or your child has the best chemistry with. Everyone with ADHD has gifts to bring to the world, and finding the perfect coach to help you or your loved ones bring these gifts to life.
How Can An ADHD Coach Help Your Child?
ADHD affects a child socially, academically, and behaviorally. A childhood ADHD coach can help a child and the parents with:
- listening skills
- self-esteem
- behavior in the classroom
- assessing the child's needs
An ADHD coach can help a child with the social, academic, and behavioral issues they might have in school. An ADHD coach can also be a great resource of encouragement for the child, parents, and teachers.
Although ADHD is a disorder, people with ADHD can learn to reframe their disorder and recognize their specific needs. An ADHD coach can help with this reframing.
For example, instead of saying that their child cannot pay attention, they can reframe it by recognizing their own needs. It helps the child greatly to know what type of environment may help them pay attention. An ADHD coach can help the parents and child recognize these specific needs.
ADHD is a neurological disorder that affects attention levels. It says nothing about intelligence, but it may still affect the child's self-esteem. A child may need to sit closer to the front of the room in the classroom to listen better. An ADHD coach can also help a child learn to self-monitor and adjust their focus when needed. Their ADHD coach can help them see these distinctions so that they don't believe that they are less capable than other children.
ADHD can also affect a person's self-esteem because of experiences they may have had while growing up. An ADHD coach can help the child use their words better and speak up for their own needs. An ADHD coach can help the parents support their child in this way too. For example, the child can learn to know it's ok to raise their hand and ask the teacher to repeat it a second time.
A teacher may support a child with their needs by asking the child more creatively worded questions in class to keep their minds working.
Having support and understanding can lead to higher self-esteem. It's up to the parents and the ADHD coach to map out these needs so that the teachers and the child can be empowered. This knowledge is also empowering to the parents.
ADHD Coaching For Adults
An ADHD coach can help adults reach their goals. Someone might seek out an ADHD coach for help with:
- time management
- career choice
- life organization
- self-motivation
- greater self-esteem
- relationships
According to WebMD, 60% of people who grow up with ADHD still experience challenges as adults. Typical challenges for adults include focus, trouble concentrating, finishing projects on time, following spoken directions, and remembering information.
These challenges can cause workplace issues, relationship issues, and basic life organization. Issues in these areas can greatly affect someone's self-esteem and self-worth. When an adult can access proper navigational tools for how their mind works, they begin to understand themselves and feel more confident.
An ADHD coach can help a person struggle less with their challenges and work with them in a positive light. ADHD may be a disorder, but it is not a disability. An ADHD coach can work with an individual on tools to better organize their thoughts.
No matter what the challenges are, there are coaches and counselors who can provide support in the areas that an individual needs.
