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Coaching for Students and Adults with ADHD
Initial intake – 45 minutes
 | Set long-term goals |
| Determine obstacles to meeting goals |
| Inventory skill strengths and resources |
| Define what tasks should be targeted |
Weekly meetings – 20 minutes
| Review successes and why they worked well |
| Analyze problems and obstacles |
| Assess current skills and supports |
| Define needed skills and supports |
| Review long-term goals |
| Set short-term goals for upcoming week |
Examples of target behaviors improved by coaching:
| Determine an organization/schedule method that will work |
| Gain consistency in plotting due dates, deadlines, target dates,
appointments |
| Learn study strategies that are more efficient |
| Learn to set and keep personal time limits for work and leisure |
| Learn to break tasks into steps and assess time needed |
| Upcoming project will need research (10-20 hours = 2, 3, 4, or 5
evenings?), materials (shopping in advance), writing or construction time
(10 hours = 2 afternoons or 5 nights?), someone to edit (ask and schedule),
final draft (2 hours) |
| Paying bills will need some method of organization (dumping ground for all
bills), a balanced checkbook (balance when statement arrives), prioritizing
(1 hour), writing the checks (2 hours), readying to mail (buy supplies,
stamps, return labels), and probably a commitment to pay bills on the 1st
and 15th of each month |
| Understand consequences of successes and missed opportunities |
| Improve social skills and communication with teachers, co-workers |
| Realize that there are many choices and different ways of doing things,
and individuals need to find what works for them |
Methods used:
| Develop written goals |
| Keep weekly "To Do" lists with specific tasks |
| Explore different ways of achieving goals, solving problems |
| Role-play talking with others to negotiate and problem-solve |
| Schedule reminders from coach, either by phone or on-line |
| Use chaining to see where things break down so future problems can be
anticipated or even avoided |
Coaching is not therapy. Coaching provides the mechanics of a skill, but the
individual develops the skill through guided practice until the skill become
consistent and habitual. Coaching focuses on individual success. Failures are
compared to successes only in terms of objectively looking at why one situation
worked and another didn’t. The goal is to define individual skills and
resources, build on them, and make positive behavioral change that the
individual desires. A coach provides information, guidance, structure, and that
extra "push" that keeps individuals on track and focused on personal
goals.
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