Day: September 25, 2024

Once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way that they have been told to.” ~ Alan Keightley 

Coaching can be a game-changer for many people, but it’s important to know which type of coaching is right for you. ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) or ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) Coaching, Executive Function Coaching, and Academic Coaching may sound similar, but each has a different focus and approach. Let’s break down the key differences. 

ADHD Coaching and ASD Coaching 

This type coaching is designed to help people with ADHD or ASD manage the challenges that come with this condition. A certified coach works with you to build skills like time management, organization, or handling emotions. ADHD and ASD coaching also helps with setting personal goals and staying on track with them. ADHD Parent Coaching works with parents to help them understand their child and how ADHD or ASD affects them. It can also help parents to adjust their parenting skills and build strategies to provide support and help their child to develop skills and strategies. 

Many people are also looking for an Executive Function Coach who works with you to improve skills like planning, time management, prioritizing, setting goals, organizing, and problem-solving. It’s also helpful for those who struggle with executive functioning skills, even without an ADHD diagnosis. 

Who It Helps: 

People with ADHD or ASD, from teens to adults and parents who want to better manage their day-to-day lives, or help their child build the skills that will help them succeed. 

Focus: 

ADHD or ASD Coaching aims to address the unique challenges that ADHD brains face in their daily lives. This type of coaching is collaborative and client driven. 

Academic Coaching 

No student learns the same way as their peers. Academic Coaching is aimed at helping students with or without disabilities improve their study habits and performance in school. This coaching focuses on developing skills like notetaking, test prep, and overcoming procrastination. It’s especially useful for high school and college students who need extra help to stay on top of their schoolwork. Academic Coaching and tutoring have a different purpose and process. 

Who It Helps: 
Students who need support to succeed academically in middle, high school, post-secondary and continuing education. It can help students who procrastinate on beginning assignments, are late handing in assignments, are distracted, have trouble staying on task, disorganized or appear to lack motivation. We teach students that it’s okay to ask for help, and we help your student gain the confidence to ask for help. 

Focus: 
Academic Coaching can focus on time management, planning and prioritizing and keeping focus. It can also help improve study strategies and boost academic motivation. It can help build metacognition allowing them the opportunity to “think about thinking” and reflect on their learning journey and what drives their academic choices. Students can apply the skills they learn during their coaching sessions to all their classes. 

Key Differences 

While these coaching types may overlap, the main difference lies in their focus. ADHD coaching zeroes in on managing ADHD symptoms. Executive Function Coaching targets critical thinking skills like planning and memory, while Academic Coaching is all about boosting school performance. 

Coaching takes time and effort from both the individual and parents. It’s not a quick fix. 

Are you ready? 

If you’re unsure which type of coaching is right for you, we can help you figure it out. Sessions are online, and we offer flexible scheduling with 30- or 60-minute sessions with between session support. 

Interested in learning more? Visit our coaching services page or contact Laura at [email protected] to explore which coaching service might suit your needs. 

As an ADHD Coach for over eight years, I have met parents who felt lost in what they could do to improve their child’s behaviour. Whether it was having their child listen to them as they reminded them yet again of an unstarted or unfinished task, there was often frustration for both parent and child. Could someone else get through to them? 

For many of these children, I might be one of many people they have been taken to. The hope is that they will be able to listen, do their homework, and do their chores without someone forever reminding them.  

The shift in my approach was realizing that fixing kids was not the answer. They were never broken! Instead, it was about providing parents with the tools and resources to understand and support their neurodiverse child. This change came when I completed the first Shanker Self-Reg® Foundations course at the MEHRIT Centre. This approach involves helping parents begin a journey of becoming more aware and learning why and how to reframe behaviour. 

In recent years, every parent I have worked with arrives in the first session frustrated and overwhelmed. Through listening and empathy, I help them navigate their challenges, by providing insights into parenting neurodiverse children. Often, I am the first person they have talked to who understands the challenges of raising a neurodiverse brain. 

Introducing Self-Reg® techniques is crucial. We talk about Domain Stressors. We talk about the impact of energy depletion. Then we look at the five steps of Self-Reg®: Reframe, Recognize, Reduce, Reflect and Restore. We might look at the Thayer Matrix to give them another tool to use on their journey. Through practice they begin to shift perspective. Parents understand better how the ADHD brain works. They understand how the ADHD brain is affected by stress that may be hidden or obvious. There is a why. There is a reason. 

That is the message I want to spread: Shift your expectations, let go of the old, unhelpful beliefs, and join the Self-Reg® journey. Are you ready to join me? 

If you are interested in learning more about Self-Reg® and the impact it can have on your life or your child’s life, please contact [email protected]. You can also learn more about CanLearn’s coaching services here!  

Laura Godfrey, ACC, CACP 

Certified ADHD Life Coach at CanLearn Society

CanLearn’s Share the Magic Program offers free books to children who don’t have books at home and literacy resources and workshops to child-care providers and parents. 

In 2018, the National Literacy Trust’s research (UK) “Book Ownership, Literacy Engagement and Mental Wellbeing” found that: 

• Children who own their books are six times more likely to read above the level expected for their age. 

• They are also nearly three times more likely to enjoy books. 

• Interestingly, children who do not have books of their own at home are twice as likely to have low mental wellbeing. 

There is much research to support the importance and value of reading aloud to young children. For example, young children whose parents read to them daily are exposed to at least 290,000 more words by the time they enter kindergarten than children who are not read to regularly. Depending on how much daily reading time children get, that number can go up to over a million words.  

However, parents and caregivers do not need research articles to know that literacy development’s true outcome is creating readers who love to read. This is sometimes challenging in the age of so many toys, gadgets, and electronics competing for a child’s attention. Yet, it is not that complicated when we know that children who own books are more likely to be good readers and that nothing sparks a love of reading in children more than reading aloud with them. A lot of it is common sense. 

Sadly, things are not that simple for disadvantaged families. Parents with socioeconomic challenges face unique challenges when it comes to supporting their children’s reading development. They may be experiencing their own language and reading difficulties, and their children may not have the opportunity to own books. This may profoundly impact children’s literacy outcomes and create a cycle of educational disadvantage. 

The Share the Magic Program visits daycares in high-needs communities and reads with children. At the end of the Program, each child receives a free book to take home, keep, and share with their family. The Program helps caregivers learn strategies to help young children enjoy reading including but not limited to: 

• Using different voices for different characters 

• Using their body to act out words (for example, yawn if a character is tired) 

• Asking children to participate by predicting what will happen next, explaining vocabulary, and asking questions before, during, and after reading 

• Reading faster in the exciting parts of the story and softer when the story gets scary. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Program was delivered virtually, which compelled us to create several read-aloud videos of favourite books.  

Bark George is read by the former Share the Magic Coordinator, Gwen Schaefer. Gwen coordinated the Program for five years and continues to be involved by volunteering to read to preschool children. Most recently, Gwen has written an amazing children’s book called “The Garden Party.”  

On her website, Gwen says, “I wanted to write a preschool children’s book to encourage playing outdoors, using senses to discover the world around us and instill a love of reading in the early years. A book that would be easy for children to memorize and \ “read” \ to family, friends, and even their pets.”  

The Garden Party is a delightful and educational journey that takes children on a garden hunt to find creatures hiding behind plants found in many Canadian gardens.  

The Garden Party lives up to its author’s promise! Gwen has generously agreed to visit as many Share the Magic Program sites as possible this fall and share her book with children. 

Nada Jerkovic 

Manager, Literacy Programs 

CanLearn Society