Coaching Neurodiversity

I have recently completed my Neurodiversity Inclusive Coaching qualification, and I wanted to share what it has changed in how I show up as a coach.

The biggest shift for me has been learning to sit more fully in non-assumption. Coaching already asks us to be curious, but this course expanded this awareness. It has taught me to question the small, automatic judgements I might otherwise make without noticing. What does it mean if a client needs longer to answer a question? What counts as a normal stress response, and for whom? I am learning to hold these questions more lightly, and to let my client tell me rather than deciding for them.

This, in turn, has opened up something which I apply to all my clients: a much deeper sense of co-creation in the coaching space. When I stop assuming I already understand how someone thinks or processes, there is more room for an honest, collaborative conversation about what actually works for them. The session becomes something we build together, rather than something I lead based on my own default expectations.

Perhaps the most important lesson is this. If an adjustment needs to be made in how I coach, that responsibility sits with me, not with my client. It is not their job to fit themselves into my usual way of working. It is my job to notice, ask, and adapt, and of course to be open and vulnerable and transparent in that process. This co-creation is empowering for both my coachee and myself, as together we decide what good neurodiversity coaching looks like.

This awareness now sits alongside my somatic and nervous system-informed approach. Emotions and stress are not universal experiences. They show up differently in each person, and the more I learn, the more I want my work to reflect that.

I would love to hear from other coaches on this. What has shaped how you think about neurodiversity in your own work, and has training played a part in that for you?

Bryony