Beyond ADHD, students and coaches

Once and a while it’s useful to dust off the mission statement and give it an airing. Edge Foundation’s primary mission is to provide students with ADHD access to qualified, professional coaches. However, we often are approached by people who fall outside of our primary service target.  And do we serve them? Absolutely.

Students. ADHD. Coaches.

Students:  people just like you.

Edge coaches know that the same approach doesn’t work for everyone.  As the old saying goes, if the shoe doesn’t fit, don’t blame the foot!  Edge ADHD coaches work with people just like you, every day, and help them find solutions that work for their lives – not for their parents, neighbors or friends.  Yes, our core clients are high school and college students with ADHD, but we also work with:

• Middle school students – we have coaches who are qualified to work with middle school-aged students.  Give our match coordinator a call (1-888- -718-8886) to help you get started.
• Adult learners – Any student is eligible for a coach. Edge coaches work with graduate students, doctoral candidates, technical college learners, returning students, adult learners, working students  — you get the picture.
• Non-students – sometimes a young person has decided to take a “gap year” or is considering vocational school.  Do we work with them?  Of course.  You don’t have to be going to school to benefit from coaching.   Coaching has proven to be an effective means for dealing with ADHD symptoms and can give a young person the edge necessary to achieve his or her full potential in all life pursuits.

ADHD:  And what if you don’t have ADHD?

Research has show than executive functioning is an important part of academic success. Experts agree that successful students usually have four qualities that help them achieve their goals:

1. Sticking with things even when the going gets tough (perseverance),
2. Ability to delay gratification and focus on the big picture,
3. Time management and organizational skills, and
4. Striking the right balance between fun and work.

ADHD coaches help clients learn skills that boost executive functioning. People with ADHD usually have executive function deficits in attention, planning and organization, prioritization, impulse control, memory, time management, and higher-order conceptual thinking.  But you don’t have to have ADHD to be struggling with one or more of those executive functions.

Do any of these things sound familiar?

• Do you do your homework but forget to hand it in?
• When finally clean out your backpack or room, do you find things you’ve “lost”?
• Do you have trouble getting to sleep on time?
• Are you often late and just can’t seem to get out the door on time?
• Do have trouble staying focused on the things you know you “should” be doing?
• Do you get bored in class?
• Do you procrastinate then swear to yourself you won’t do it next time — only to find yourself doing it all at the last minute, again?
• When faced with a task, do you know what to do first and what to do next?  And can you get yourself to do it?  And finish it?
• Do you do well on one test and practically flunk the next?
• Have your grades tanked?
• Are you overwhelmed?  Discouraged?  Behind?

While these are all hallmarks of ADHD, not everyone who has these issues has ADHD.  Yet all of those issues are ones that Edge coaches are trained to help you with. You don’t need to have an ADHD diagnosis to start working with a coach on these issues.

Coaches:  How does an ADHD coach help?

A coach is your advocate. He or she gets to know you and finds ways to help you succeed in your life.  You and your coach talk regularly and check in about how your life is going. Your coach can help you find strategies to stay organized and remember important things. Your coach can help remind you to take care of yourself and show you ways to stay focused. Your coach can also help you improve your relationships with friends, classmates, teachers, and family members. Your coach is there to talk to, strategize with, and advocate for you as long as you want.

Have you had your friends or family say to you, “If you’re so smart, why can’t you just do x?”  Do you feel you are not living up to your potential?  An Edge coach can help you.

You challenge lies not in trying hard enough.  After all you are probably already trying pretty hard, that’s why you’re here.  And it’s not that you aren’t smart enough either!

The problem lies in having a brain that just works differently, and so needs a different approach to managing these every day responsibilities?  An Edge coach can teach you a fresh perspective.

So, are you ready to learn more? Help us fulfill our vision of all people with ADHD reaching their full potential.  Sign-up today and take the first step to getting your life under your control, and find your edge!