How Do I Find an ADHD Coach for My Child?
ADHD coaches work with kids of all ages — from middle school through college. Here, learn how to find an ADHD coach who will help your child face their specific challenges head on with proven strategies and unwavering support.
Q: “How do I find an ADHD coach for my child? How do you determine if the coach is a good fit?”
There are many ways to go about finding an ADHD coach that suits your child’s needs — whether they are in middle school, high school, or beyond. One place to start your search is the ADHD Coaches Organization. This worldwide membership group, like other coaching institutions, maintains a list of professional ADHD coaches that are vetted before they are able to appear in it.
Similar directories are also offered by other coaching and training organizations, like JST Coaching & Training, the International ADHD Coach Training Center, and the ADD Coach Academy. Many of these lists feature categories and other filters, like age and specialty, for more tailored results when searching for a coach. Coaches are also listed in the ADDitude directory.
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Most coaches are familiar with different learning and processing styles, but be sure to ask about their knowledge in this area and age groups they tend to work with. Typically, individuals naturally interact better with others who have the same preferred way of processing information, but that does not necessarily mean that you would not do well with a coach who departs from that.
To assist you in choosing an ADHD coach for a younger child, or to help your older child find a coach that is just right for them, you can consider the following:
- Have a clear picture of what it is would like to accomplish through the coaching relationship. This may vary tremendously. A child in middle school, for example, may need more hands-on attention and directives for getting organized and completing homework. You may have a better sense of what they need than they do. Someone in college, for example, may want help with seeing through his courses and vocational training, and getting to the core of the delay. An adult may seek a coach to help them advance in their careers when planning and organization skills aren’t there. Similarly, coaches often specialize to fill certain client needs – some specialize in clutter control and others in time management. Making sure you find a good match for your specific needs is an important step, so have your child assess their needs carefully, or make sure you are properly assessing your younger child’s needs.
- Ask your child to interview several people in the process, or, if you are seeking an ADHD coach for a younger child, interview as many people as you can. It will increase your chance of finding a good match. Coaches should spend time answering all your questions and describing their strengths and weaknesses.
- Make sure you leave the interview with answers and a good sense of the coach as a person and what a relationship would be like with them. Both coach and client will benefit from the give and take of a good informational interview as both have the same goal-finding a good client/coach match.
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Questions to Ask
- How long have you been doing ADHD coaching?
- What percentage of your practice is devoted to individuals with ADD? What age groups do you work with?
- What is your approach to coaching? Do you offer an introductory session, so that we can get to know one another?
- What kind of training do you have, and how extensive is it? I have identified (__) as one of my coaching needs. What is your experience in this area?
- What are your fees? How and when is payment due?
- How do you prefer to work? (office visits, telephone, e-mail, video conferencing or combination?)
- How often do you anticipate we will meet/speak and for how long?
- What will you expect from me during our coaching relationship (filling out forms, doing homework, submitting to evaluations, e-mailing or phoning you between sessions)?
- How will you monitor progress? What happens if I’m (or my child is) not making any?
- Will you work, or confer, with my doctor, therapist, or spouse?
- Can you give me the names of references? (previous clients who have given permission to use their name or colleagues who are familiar with the coaches’ work)
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