FAQs About Autism, ADHD, and AuDHD Coaching
This page contains answers to the most common questions people have about our services.
How does autism, ADHD, and AuDHD coaching differ from mental health therapy or counseling?
Therapists and counselors focus on the past through the present, and coaches focus on the present and help you create the future you desire. Whereas therapists and mental health counselors deal with a patient’s mental conditions and processing trauma, a life coach never addresses these issues. The role of a coach is to encourage clients in self-reflection, plan for the future through goal-setting, create step-by-step plans for achieving goals, and develop important skills where needed. Coaching has a very practical focus on helping clients identify and accomplish goals that increase quality of life in areas such as academic and college support, vocational and work-related challenges, social and communication skills development, and working toward other personal goals. It’s important to understand that coaching is not mental health counseling. While coaching can positively impact anxiety, depression, and life satisfaction, coaches never diagnose or treat mental health disorders, provide medical advice, or practice therapy. Coaching is never a substitute for counseling, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, mental health care, or substance abuse treatment, and it should never be used in place of any form of therapy. With your permission, we can speak with your care providers if this would be helpful. We are also obligated to refer clients in need of mental or physical health therapy to an appropriate licensed professional. That said, our clients make amazing breakthroughs when the root cause of challenges are addressed. There is a singular focus on creating the future YOU want for yourself in coaching, and we will figure out how to leverage your existing strengths and then mitigate the challenges that are getting in the way. If you struggle with executive functioning skills or social and communication skills, no amount of therapy will resolve that if you need skills training, which we address directly in coaching. We typically take clients through a process of self-awareness, self-understanding, self-acceptance, and ultimately self-advocacy. This is how we help you thrive!
What is your approach to working with clients?
We provide highly individualized one-on-one coaching plans for people with autism, ADHD, AuDHD, and similar neurodistinctiveness. We work collaboratively to identify measurable goals related to areas of life, such as relationships, mitigating executive functioning challenges, finding and maintaining employment, recovering from burnout, money management, college, and independent living. Then we collaborate to create a plan for achieving those goals by leveraging your strengths and figuring out how to overcome the obstacles in your path. This is a highly iterative, experimental process. Every eight weeks we will assess your progress toward these goals. Typically, we meet for a 50-minute session each week for the first couple of months and then start reducing the frequency to give you increased opportunity to work on your goals independently between sessions. You will always have work to do toward your goals between sessions. We become your collaborator, cheerleader, and accountability partner. In parent coaching, we discuss your concerns and prioritize goals based on the importance and urgency of the challenges. In essence, we "coach the coach," helping you shift from a parental dynamic to that of a collaboration with your adult child. We look for ways to make the biggest impact with the least effort. We combine parent education on autism and executive functioning challenges to facilitate understanding with problem-solving and skill-building. Always, we provide a non-judgmental listening ear for those who need someone to talk to who gets it, who can tell you that you are not alone, and that all your complex feelings are valid. Quick check-ins by text and email are included for all active clients.
Do we meet online or in person?
We are U.S.-based but work with clients all over the world, so we typically meet virtually via Zoom or Google Meet. Current clients also receive email and text support between sessions as necessary. If you are very interested in meeting in person with your coach, we can sometimes accommodate this depending on where you live and what you want to work on (if we have an appropriate coach who lives in your area). There is a $40 surcharge each session for the coach's travel time beyond the base rates, which are covered below, so ask about this in your complimentary coaching call.
How long does it take?
The duration of coaching depends on the number of goals you have, how ambitious they are, and both your readiness and capacity for change. The average client works with us for about six months, but some are done in eight weeks, while others stay longer. We don't recommend starting coaching unless you can commit to eight sessions because it's very difficult to make measurable progress in less time.
Are you certified?
It’s important to understand that coaching does not have the kind of rigorous training and oversight the mental health profession has. While there are numerous general life coaching training programs, few are relevant to the challenges that bring neurodivergent people or their parents to coaching. There are no regulations that dictate what practitioners must know in order to practice, and there is no accreditation or governance of practicing coaches. Therefore, it’s important to ask questions and understand the training and background of your coach to assess whether they have the skills you need. Our head coach, Patty Laushman, is a certified Autism Life Coach through Asperger/Autism Network (AANE), a 16-year-old program that has coached 3,000+ teens and adults on the autism spectrum through their LifeMAP program that helps people on the spectrum achieve their life goals. Patty is also certified by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) as a Certified Autism Specialist and a Board Certified Cognitive Specialist. For more than 20 years, IBCCES has been the industry leader in cognitive disorder training and certification for education, healthcare, and corporate professionals around the globe. The deepest insights she brings to coaching come from her lived experience with the help of numerous amazing doctors and therapists who have worked with her family over the years. She heavily leverages her experience parenting and home-educating a multi-exceptional, differently-wired child and being part of a neurodivergent family, as well as being a complex cocktail of neurodivergence herself. There is no class in the world that can teach this. She has done and continues to do enough reading over the years to have earned an advanced degree, some of which is listed in her recommended reading list on this website. If you are looking to help yourself, you will find great resources there. Anyone coaching through Thrive Autism Coaching is hand-selected for their neurodiversity-informed and -affirming approach to improving the lives of neurodiverse people combined with their certifications, training, and skills.
Which neurodistinctions do your clients typically display?
To be clear, coaching is not mental health therapy or treatment, and coaches do not diagnose or treat mental health disorders. That said, many neurodivergent people end up with an alphabet soup of medical and educational diagnoses. Some clients have come to us with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), level 1, without cognitive impairment. If they were diagnosed prior to the DSM-5 release in 2013, they may have been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, PDD-NOS, or high-functioning autism. Other clients have had diagnoses that can result in similar social and executive functioning challenges such as ADHD, social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SCD), sensory processing disorder (SPD), nonverbal learning disorder (NVLD), giftedness, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, twice-exceptionality (2e), auditory processing disorder, pathological demand avoidance (PDA), oppositional defiance disorder (ODD), anxiety, and more. Clients who have both autism and ADHD often identify as AuDHD. Some clients may suspect a diagnosis of some kind, but either have not been assessed or have traits that are sub-threshold for diagnosis and have ended up without a diagnosis. If you experience the challenges that are often associated with any of these diagnoses, whether you have a diagnosis or not, let's talk!
Do I need a diagnosis to work with you?
Definitely not. We have supported many people who only knew they were “different” in some way and struggling. There are many things we can work on while you are working with professionals to get a formal diagnosis, and you may also decide you don’t want a formal diagnosis, which is perfectly fine too. There is no one right answer that is right for everyone!
How do I know if you’re a fit for me or my teen/adult child?
We offer a complimentary coaching consultation to discuss your situation and determine if we are a fit for each other. You can actually schedule this call from our contact page.
If you are a parent researching resources for your child, we're happy to meet with you first privately so you can vet us and then separately with your child, all complimentary. We want to ensure everyone's comfort on the front end and take the time needed to understand your individual situation so we can pair you with the best-fit coach for your needs.
How much does autism, ADHD, or AuDHD life coaching cost?
Working With a Team Coach (see team member short bios here)
We have an extraordinarily talented certified coaching team with a variety of specialties, personalities, neurodistinctions, and genders. We likely have someone who is a perfect fit for you! If you decide to coach with us, you may choose to pay-as-you-go or prepurchase a package of coaching sessions if you'd like a discounted rate. Package sessions expire one year from purchase. Note: Once you become a client, these rates include extended support between sessions through email and text messages.
Senior Team Coaches
1 Session @ $210 (pay-as-you-go)
4 Sessions @ $780 ($195 each)
8 Sessions @ $1,400 ($175 each)
Team Coaches
1 Session @ $180 (pay-as-you-go)
4 Sessions @ $660 ($165 each)
8 Sessions @ $1,200 ($150 each)
In-Person Coaching
If we happen to have a coach in your geographic area and you prefer to meet in person, this is possible with a $50 surcharge per session to cover the coach's travel.
Working With Head Coach Patty Laushman (see bio here)
Patty is not taking any 1:1 clients, but if you'd like to work with her, consider signing up for the next cohort of her Parenting for Independence program where she provides near real-time coaching through the online community and weekly live group coaching calls.
Working With Head Coach Jaclyn Hunt (see bio here)
Jaclyn has limited slots available but has some immediate availability. Working with her requires a 12-session commitment. The cost for those 12 sessions is $3,000 and is paid up front. If you are interested in working with Jaclyn, mention this in your complimentary coaching consultation that you can schedule from the contact page.
Do you take insurance?
Unfortunately, life coaching is not considered a medical expense, so it is not covered by health insurance. Some day this may be an expense covered by health insurance, but we are not there yet. In an effort to be as accessible as possible to as many people as possible, Thrive Autism Coaching has become an authorized vendor for the Colorado Department of Vocational Rehabilitation and California's Self-Determination Program. If you are a client of either of these organizations, ask your case manager if you can add cognitive coaching to your approved services.
What is your cancellation policy?
If you need to cancel or reschedule a session, please be respectful and give us at least 24 hours’ notice. This should be the exception, though. If you have not done the homework or worked on your goals, please do not cancel. Every one of our clients is very different, so coaching is a highly iterative, experimental process. This means we may have to try several different tactics before we figure out what works for you. We realize that many of our clients have experienced repeated soul-crushing failures, and if something is not working, we will work together to figure out what may work better for you and adjust the plan. We have many tools in our toolboxes, and one or more are likely to work for YOU!
What if I have questions not covered here?
Feel free to reach out to us through our contact form and ask away!
How can I start working with you?
The first step is a complimentary coaching consultation which you can schedule from our contact page. This will give us a chance to discuss your situation and explore whether our coaching team has someone who is the perfect fit!