Live ADHD Free

Can you tell me about your background and your company’s services?

I’m Carol Gignoux, ADHD Coach and former educator. Through my company Live ADHD Free, I offer self-improvement programs to students, adults, couples, families and businesses, to get the best talents and innovations out of people with the ADHD brain type. My work started with ADHD students in the Boston school system back in 1972, and I’ve seen this brain type go through many labels and definitions since then! One thing stays the same: the great contributions my clients make to their communities.

Just so we’re clear, what’s the real definition of ADHD?
ADHD is believed to be caused by a decrease of dopamine in the brain, making it process the executive functions differently than other brains. The differences show in abilities like paying attention, sustaining self-directed work from beginning to end, managing time, controlling temper, and communicating effectively.

That being said, I have found that pathologizing the ADHD population doesn’t help anybody. Behind all of those “disordered” and “dysfunctional” labels are unique, sensitive individuals with highly creative minds. The traits of this brain type are more closely aligned with those of history’s innovators than any other group. Both in the past and in today’s society, people with ADHD lead the way in the fields of medicine, music, art, science, technology, politics, business and more. They are natural inventors, bringing original problem solving to the world. In fact, in my own practice I prefer to refer to it as the innovator gene.

How does ADHD impact students?
The externally visible issues of ADHD in middle and high school students revolve around sustaining attention, absorbing lecture-style lessons, completing homework, managing impulsivity, and completing long-term projects. Internal issues often include intense distress at inconsistent academic performance, the struggle of the social life at school, and unhappiness from feeling bored so much of the time. There can also be physical issues, like a problematic sleep routine, and relying on adrenaline or “all-nighters” to complete work by a deadline. This behavior can lead to burnout, thus making it even harder for the student to stay focused.

What does an ADHD Coach provide for students?
An ADHD Coach works with students on every aspect of their lives to improve academic performance, personal well-being, social life, long-term ambitions, family relationships, and sense of self. In very basic terms, the purpose of coaching is to work with the student to identify strengths and weaknesses so they can call on strengths to problem solve in moments of struggle.

Specifically, this often includes a lot of work on issues such as time and task management, taking responsibility for a personal schedule, outsmarting distraction, taking control of impulsivity, and improving social interactions with both the people they like and the people they dislike. The strategies are always customized to the student.

What are the results of ADHD Coaching for students?
After working with an ADHD Coach in middle and high school, any student can become a solid performer in academics and, more importantly, will be a young adult ready for college. They will understand how to play to their strengths, manage their time, and use healthy coping mechanisms to deal with stress. The goal of my work with my clients is self-reliance.

When a student’s support network isn’t adequate, they can suddenly fall too far behind to catch up, panic, and shut down. The worst result from this behavior can be failing out of college. At Live ADHD Free, we prepare our students so this does not happen. We prepare them for real college readiness by helping them achieve the grades they need to gain admittance into their top colleges, and the life skills to succeed when they get there.

Can the lessons of ADHD Coaching be applied to LD (learning disabled) students, and students in general?
LD students can end up in situations similar to those of ADHD students, not responding to a lecture-style teaching method and feeling frustrated. I often see these students getting emotionally stuck, very discouraged that they’re “stupid” or “abnormal.” LD students can absolutely benefit from the customized strategies of self-reliance we use in ADHD Coaching, and in many ways every student can. Even the most popular student has moments of embarrassment, self-doubt and misdirection in school. Coaching teaches the student to figure out where they thrive and where they stumble, and how to advocate for themselves.

How can students and their families find the right coach?
As an unlicensed field, I too often see other professionals stretch their scope of practice to include some sort of coaching service, without ever participating in a day of coach training! I firmly caution any student or parent about this, and highly recommend that only certified and credentialed coaches be hired, that way you’ll know you’re getting the real thing.

Personally, I have worked to help create an infrastructure for coaching certification in the ADHD field, and I am recognized by the ADHD Coaches Organization, Attention Deficit Order Association, and Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. I work primarily with clients in New England, especially the Boston Metropolitan area. I also work with college students remotely, using Skype and FaceTime which can be just as effective. For those in other parts of the country who want to find a coach nearer to where they live, I would be comfortable recommending an ADHD Coach certified by one of those three organizations.