With more than 40% of adults demonstrating symptoms of neurodiversity (CDC 2021), it is more essential than ever before for coaches to acquire a functional literacy about neurodiversity.

The coaching industry understands that while coaching can be powerfully therapeutic, coaching is not therapy. As such, we are vigilantly on our ethical guard to establish and maintain appropriate boundaries: to provide coaching without crossing into the realm of therapy, to collaborate as requested with our clients’ therapeutic professionals, and to make referrals in the best interest of our clients, either to specialized coaches or other helping professionals.

This interactive session will provide neurodiversity-informed training for coaches to better establish and maintain appropriate boundaries when working with neurodiverse clients — with or without a formal diagnosis. It will provide you with a general education to recognize, understand and determine whether, when and how to ethically provide coaching for neurodiverse clients. Training will include the six aspects of Executive Function identified in research by Dr. Thomas E. Brown, five key facets for motivating neurodiverse clients, and information about the important role of attending to processes when initiating, executing and completing change.

You will be invited to understand and explore neurodiversity through the lens of your own personal coaching examples. You will also gain information to recognize and explore potential brain-diversity with clients when appropriate and key tools for use with all clients, regardless of neurodiversity. Guidance about when and whether to make referrals will also be provided.

Learning Objectives

You will be able to:

• Identify fundamental components, typical patterns and signs of neurodiversity.
• Understand when client behaviors and follow-through are impacted by neurodiversity and how to partner with clients when exploring the role that neurodiversity plays in their life and leadership.
• Explore whether and when to partner with clients and/or refer them to other helping professionals and discuss continued education in neurodiversity.