LinkedIn Post #15 - August 30 2023 - What makes coaching neuroinclusive?

🧠 What makes a coaching practice neuroinclusive?

Here are a few things I've learned about a neuroinclusive coaching practice:

🌈 Learn About #Neurodiversity - Neurodiversity is a fact, people have different brains and different ways of learning, communicating, and solving problems. There are many different identities that are included in the neurodiversity umbrella, including ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, and OCD, Depression, Acquired Brain Injury, and more.

⚕ Respect Self-Diagnosis - Many people do not have access to a formal medical diagnosis due to location, cost, or systemic barriers. You will have clients who self-diagnose. You will also have clients who are unaware of their neurodivergency, so there may be opportunities to share insights and observations that could help a person reflect and potentially consider neurodivergency as a way of understanding their brain.

🤕 Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria - Your ADHD and autistic clients may respond to rejection, negative feedback, or feeling that they failed to meet their own high expectations, more intensely. You can support them by partnering with them to process these thoughts and supporting them in identifying and managing triggers.

🤗 Acknowledgments - Acknowledgments are a vital element of all coaching, and with neurodivergent folks in particular, when we're aware of the unique challenges and barriers they face every day we can be even better at witnessing their growth, developments, and progress toward their goals.

☮ Patience and Flexibility - Try your best to be flexible and understanding when someone cancels at the last minute or forgets a session. Reflect on your own beliefs around time and schedules. People forgetting a session doesn't mean they are less committed to their goals, that they don't respect you, or that they aren't trying hard enough to manage their calendar. Time blindness and other characteristics of executive dysfunction neurodivergent people experience is not a personal failing or character flaw.

🖐 Stimming - Your neurodivergent clients may fidget, walk around, tap, clear their throat, yawn, or make other sounds to regulate themselves. These are valid coping behaviours that should not be discouraged or judged.

📹 Off-Camera - I've coached dozens of neurodivergent people, many I've never see on camera or only seen once. Being on camera can be distracting and over-stimulating for neurodivergent folks. This may seem like a challenge because you can't read their body language, but if someone is distracted or stressed by having their camera on, the disadvantages outweigh the benefits.

There's so much more I look forward to sharing in a future workshop! 💗

What else would you add?

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👋 I'm Gill, a certified #coach who works with changemakers and (un)professionals✊

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