Adult ADHD Coaching
Adult ADHD is a condition that affects executive functions (i.e., attention, memory, time management, impulsivity, etc.), speech, and social skills. Despite these limitations, adults with this condition are often high-functioning, extraordinarily creative and resilient. Current research, and experts in the field of psychology suggests that "coaching" is a beneficial undertaking for adults with ADHD to circumvent deficits in cognitive skills and interpersonal skills. As trained professionals in the areas of executive functions (i.e., cognitive skills) and social skills (i.e., interpersonal skills), the speech-language pathologists at Well Said: Toronto Speech Therapy, are able to provide this "coaching" service. We call it "therapy." With motivation, adults with ADHD can improve their attention, memory, time-management, prioritization skills, impulsivity, emotional lability, speech, and social skills. If you have been diagnosed with adult ADHD or, feel that you have some qualities of an adult with ADHD, then our assessment and therapy services might be right for you.
Goals
Symptoms
Social and Conversational
Allowing a fair amount of talking time and turn-taking
Waiting for others to finish
Asking questions to stimulate conversation
Giving a thoughtful response
Staying on topic
Consideration of the other's interest
Develop listening and turn-taking skills
Not giving the other person the opportunity to talk
Interrupting
Interrogating other people
Responding too quickly
Speaking tangentially
Conversation is motivated by self-interest
Dominating the conversation
Speech
Slowing down and taking breaths
Speaking clearly, articulating each word
Lowering the tone of the voice
Pacing and conscientious speaking
Lowering volume to an appropriate level
Concise communication
Speaking too quickly
Mumbling
Speaking at a high pitch
Using an erratic rhythm of speech
Speaking loudly
Talking too much
Our Approach
At Well Said: Toronto Speech Therapy, we have the experience and dedication to help you achieve measurable results and real life improvements. Using a client-centered and evidence-based approach, we will work with you, using the latest research to achieve your cognitive and social interaction goals.
Our services are covered by most workplace and education insurance plans. Rather than have them go unused, try our "Is ADHD Work for Me?" self-reflection tool below to discover how you might benefit.
Is ADHD Work for Me?
Unsure if executive functions work is right for you? Try our new self-assessment tool by clicking on the box below. A box will open with a series of questions that you can consider to decide if this work is right for you.
The Steps
It is important for adults with ADHD to develop an understanding of the way they present to others and how that influences the way others interact with them. This includes they way you speak, your non-verbals, and your general impression. Through therapy, we can build your awareness of your social behavior and how it may be influencing other's impressions of you.
Our one-on-one sessions have a skill development focus and the skills we work on can include:
cognitive skills (e.g., attention, memory, organization, time-management)
verbal communication (e.g., conversation and listening skills)
non-verbal communication (e.g., body language, gestures and posture)
emotion recognition
modification and regulation of social behaviour in different social settings (e.g., at work, at parties).
Determine your goals
Complete an assessment to determine which skills you would benefit from improving on, and which skills you do well already.
Learn the skills
We will systematically work through the skills identified as weaker in the assessment and track your improvements.
Practice and apply
When you are ready we will launch the trained skills into real life. Through step-by-step advanced, you will notice measurable improvements in your cognitive skills and social interaction skills.
In this article, Part 3, we will investigate direct ways ADHD may impact communication, strategies to reduce these challenges and how a Speech-Language Pathologist can support you.