For many of the neurodivergent people I work with—autistic clients, ADHD clients, or those living with depression, dysthymia, and executive functioning challenges—traditional coaching formats don’t always meet their real-world needs. A single conversation, once a week, can create gaps, misunderstandings, and unnecessary pressure. A lot is said. A lot is felt. A lot is forgotten.
Over the years, I’ve learned that what happens between sessions is just as important as what happens during them. That’s why I offer two forms of support that many other coaching practices don’t: texting support and session recordings.
Below, I’ll explain the reasoning behind these choices—and how they make coaching more accessible, effective, and equitable.
Many neurodivergent people struggle with auditory processing, even if they mask it well in conversation. Research in neuropsychology shows that autistic and ADHD individuals often experience:
delayed processing of spoken information
difficulty retaining spoken instructions
challenges following multi-step verbal explanations
increased cognitive load in real-time conversations
(Studies from the National Institutes of Health and the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research consistently document this.)
One of my past clients put it clearly:
“I have auditory processing disorder… you probably thought during the sessions I am slow, but I am fast when the information is written or visual.”
This is a very common experience. Many clients are not slow—they are simply receiving information through a channel that exhausts them.
Session recordings + written follow-up create accessibility:
Clients can review, pause, rewind, or turn speech into text. This reduces the pressure to keep up in real time, and it prevents the shame cycle many carry from past experiences of “not understanding like normal people.”
Coaching sessions are often full of breakthroughs: small realizations, clarifying phrases, new strategies, and moments of emotional clarity. But unless a client takes meticulous notes (and many neurodivergent folks can’t while also masking, processing, and engaging), these insights evaporate shortly after the session ends.
A well-documented phenomenon in ADHD and autistic cognition is the “now/later gap”: the working memory challenges that make it hard to hold onto even meaningful insights.
Having a written trace of the session protects those insights.
Recordings, shared documents, and texting support create a living archive clients can come back to. This is especially valuable for people with ADHD, where working memory and retention are inconsistent.
For clients who say things like:
“I know what I need to do, but I can’t make myself do it.”
“I have the knowledge, but not the follow-through.”
“I need a reality check before my plans become fantasies.”
—texting support becomes a bridge between sessions.
Research on executive dysfunction (especially Russell Barkley’s work on ADHD and the EF model used in occupational therapy) highlights that externalizing support is one of the most effective strategies. This means:
writing things down
breaking tasks into steps
having an accountability touchpoint
receiving reminders at the right time
reflecting in small pieces rather than in one weekly dump
Texting support allows clients to say, “I’m stuck,” in the moment, instead of waiting a week and losing the thread. It also lets them send progress, drafts, and questions in manageable chunks.
Traditional coaching asks clients to understand their needs upfront and choose a program accordingly. But neurodivergent clients often can’t predict what they’ll need until we start working together.
But, more often than not, neurodivergent clients:
They weren’t sure what to expect.
They weren’t sure which format to choose.
They weren’t sure how much structure they would need.
They weren’t sure how their brain would respond.
They weren’t sure if they could work with certain tools.
This isn’t confusion—it’s an access need.
People with autism and ADHD often need experiential clarity. They need to try something before knowing whether it works. That’s why my coaching programs are flexible and tailored. You don’t choose the “perfect” offer—you choose a duration, and the content evolves around your real needs.
Recordings and texting support help create a consistent, adaptive structure instead of forcing clients into a rigid model.
Many neurodivergent adults carry years—even decades—of shame from school, work, and relationships. Shame from:
“zoning out” at the wrong moment
asking for repetition
forgetting information
responding slowly
misinterpreting verbal cues
being told they’re “not paying attention”
Session recordings and texting support offer a practical antidote:
They remove the pressure to perform in real-time conversations.
They validate that “forgetting” is not a character flaw—it’s a known neurocognitive pattern.
They acknowledge that support comes in different forms, and written/visual formats are equally legitimate communications.
My intention is never to overwhelm clients with extra materials. It’s to give them multiple ways to access the work, so they don’t fall back into the old loop of “Why can’t I understand things the way I’m supposed to?”
Offering recordings and texting support is part of a larger philosophy:
We co-create structure.
We experiment with tools until something sticks.
We adjust based on energy, mood, and executive functioning.
We build a shared language over time.
This approach aligns with research in disability justice and neurodiversity-affirming practice: the most effective support is individualized, flexible, and co-designed.
Texting support and session recordings are not “extras.”
They are access tools.
They are equity tools.
They are trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming practices backed by research and years of client experience.
They ensure that clients—especially autistic and ADHD individuals—don’t lose the gold of their own insights, don’t drown in auditory overload, don’t revert to shame, and don’t have to do the hardest parts alone.
This is why I offer them. Because everyone deserves support that works with their brain, not against it.
