How to find a job coach for someone with executive dysfunction
October 5, 2023 10:15 PM Subscribe
A friend of mine is struggling in her office job because she has ADD and issues with executive dysfunction, specifically in the areas of information retention, processing, and follow up. Her managers have gone above and beyond to support her need for accommodations, but after a year in the role she's not making the kind of progress she wants/needs and it's become a blocker to her and her team's success. Are there external coaches she could work with to improve? It's her dream job and she'll be devastated if she loses it.
Have you tried looking at the ACO coach directory? https://www.adhdcoaches.org/
They'll let you filter for a variety of specific needs. I found it very helpful when I was looking for a coach for myself. Warning: coaching is pretty expensive and usually isn't covered by insurance.
Does your friend actually want this specific job? She might function better doing something else that she finds more stimulating. When I had similar issues with computer-based work I changed course and got a job in the trades. Eventually my performance in my new job suffered because I wasn't invested in it, and I got another job that focused more on the aspects of my previous job that I liked.
People with ADD are more sensitive to our own disengagement than others. If your friend wants to have a better understanding of how her ADD can work with her, she might benefit from reading 'a radical guide for women with ADHD' which is available as an audiobook as well.
posted by Summers at 3:44 AM on October 6, 2023 [3 favorites]
They'll let you filter for a variety of specific needs. I found it very helpful when I was looking for a coach for myself. Warning: coaching is pretty expensive and usually isn't covered by insurance.
Does your friend actually want this specific job? She might function better doing something else that she finds more stimulating. When I had similar issues with computer-based work I changed course and got a job in the trades. Eventually my performance in my new job suffered because I wasn't invested in it, and I got another job that focused more on the aspects of my previous job that I liked.
People with ADD are more sensitive to our own disengagement than others. If your friend wants to have a better understanding of how her ADD can work with her, she might benefit from reading 'a radical guide for women with ADHD' which is available as an audiobook as well.
posted by Summers at 3:44 AM on October 6, 2023 [3 favorites]
I do not have a coach to recommend, but I wanted to share the US Department of Labor’s Job Accommodation Network site on ADHD because it has a ton of accommodations worth considering that might not have occurred to her or to her employer, sorted both by job functions and by the specific kinds of limitations your friend may be having.
posted by mdonley at 5:21 PM on October 6, 2023
posted by mdonley at 5:21 PM on October 6, 2023
I’m in the UK so while the equality laws are similar the norms may be different, and the funds definitely so. Nevertheless, I have a severely ADHD friend whose accommodation paid for by our Access to Work government fund was literally having an assistant to do the parts of the job she couldn’t. This is analogous to how workplace accommodation should work with people who have sensory impairments (e.g. a blind person is in a job which is manageable with an assistant).
posted by lokta at 5:25 AM on October 7, 2023
posted by lokta at 5:25 AM on October 7, 2023
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posted by The Adventure Begins at 11:04 PM on October 5, 2023