How Corporate Wellness Coaching Can Support Neurodivergent Colleagues

Before we dive into looking at how corporate wellbeing coaching can help, it’s important to remember: no two people with the same diagnosis will have identical strengths or challenges. Coaching focuses on the individual, identifying strategies that support their challenges in ways that work for them, while recognising common patterns or traits that tend to show up within each neurodivergent profile. In this post, we explore how coaching can support colleagues with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and other invisible differences – including practical steps for managers and HR professionals.

Neurodivergent colleagues – those whose neurological functioning differs from the ‘typical’ – bring incredible value to organisations. But without the right support, they can face hidden barriers that impact wellbeing and performance. Corporate wellness coaching is a powerful tool to help these individuals thrive, while also creating a more inclusive workplace culture.

For more about my approach to neurodiversity coaching, see What Does a Neurodiversity Coach Do?.

Part 1: ADHD

Can coaching help with ADHD?

Yes. ADHD coaching helps individuals manage challenges such as distractibility, impulsivity, and executive functioning difficulties, while leveraging strengths like creativity, energy, and hyperfocus. Using a strengths-based approach, we co-create strategies that are practical and personalised, helping the individual perform confidently and sustainably.

How can workplaces support colleagues with ADHD?

Practical ways include:

• Providing structure and clarity: checklists, visual prompts, and clear routines.
• Adjusting the environment: minimising distractions and allowing flexible working.
• Aligning roles with strengths: ADHD colleagues often excel when tasks match their natural talents.
  While these strategies reflect common challenges, the specific approach should always be tailored to the individual. For further insights, see Managing Stress and Anxiety as a Neurodivergent Individual: Tools That Work

What is the structure of ADHD coaching?

1. Discovery session – we explore how ADHD shows up for the individual, identifying challenges, strengths, and current coping strategies.

1. Manager and HR collaboration – Where the individual feels comfortable, managers and HR can be involved to ensure strategies are understood, supported, and embedded effectively in the workplace. This collaboration helps make coaching practical and sustainable, though the individual always retains control over what is shared.
2. Coaching sessions – alongside optional manager/HR collaboration, we co-create personalised strategies for identified challenges such as organisation, prioritisation, time management, and self-advocacy, all aligned with the individual’s strengths.
3. Embed and review – we revisit strategies regularly with the individual and, where appropriate, with managers/HR, ensuring that practices remain effective as roles, tasks, and responsibilities evolve.

My approach to coaching someone with ADHD

I start by understanding how ADHD shows up for the individual and identifying their unique strengths and challenges. Together, we focus on co-creating practical strategies that make tasks and workflows more manageable while maximising strengths. Optional manager and HR collaboration helps embed strategies in the workplace, making them sustainable in practice, while the individual retains full control over what is shared and applied.

Part 2: Autism

Can coaching help people with autism at work?

Yes. Autism coaching helps individuals navigate challenges such as social communication or sensory sensitivity, while leveraging strengths like attention to detail, pattern recognition, and deep focus. Each profile is unique, so strategies are always personalised.

How can workplaces support colleagues with autism?

• Use clear, direct communication and provide information in multiple formats.
• Offer low-sensory environments and allow regular breaks.
• Provide predictable routines and advance notice of changes.
• Promote neurodiversity awareness across teams.

What does autism-informed coaching involve?

1. Discovery session – Explore how autism manifests for the individual, identifying strengths, challenges, and preferred working styles.
2. Manager and HR collaboration – Optional involvement to ensure adjustments are understood, supported, and embedded..
3. Coaching sessions – Co-create strategies to support communication, workflow, sensory management, and social interaction, aligned with strengths.
4. Embed and review – Revisit strategies with the individual and, when appropriate, with managers/HR to make refinements as roles or responsibilities change

My approach to coaching someone with autism

I focus on understanding each person’s unique profile, including communication preferences, sensory sensitivities, and strengths. We co-create practical, personalised strategies for workflow, social interactions, and sensory management. Optional manager/HR involvement helps embed these strategies in practice, while always empowering the individual to implement them in ways that feel comfortable and sustainable.

Part 3: Dyslexia

Can coaching support people with dyslexia in the workplace?

Absolutely. Dyslexia coaching identifies strengths such as creativity, problem-solving, and verbal reasoning, while supporting challenges like reading, writing, and organisation. Coaching focuses on strategies tailored to the individual, rather than one-size-fits-all solutions.

How can workplaces support colleagues with dyslexia?

• Provide assistive technologies: text-to-speech, dictation, mind-mapping tools.
• Adapt written tasks: templates, multisensory formats, and extra time when needed.
• Sharing agendas in advance: enable preparation for contributions, and follow up individually after meetings, giving more time to process information.
• Support workflow and task design that aligns with thinking styles.
• For more, see Dyslexia and Mental Health: 5 Top Tips for Employers

What does dyslexia-informed coaching look like?

1. Assessment – We map the individual’s strengths and challenges related to reading, writing, and organisation, identifying areas where practical support is most needed.
2. Manager and HR collaboration – Where the individual is comfortable, managers and HR are involved to ensure that strategies and adjustments are understood, applied, and embedded in practice.
3. Coaching sessions – Alongside optional manager/HR involvement, we co-create personalised systems and workflows that match the individual’s strengths and preferred ways of working.
4. Embed and review – Strategies are revisited with the individual, and where appropriate, with managers/HR to ensure they continue to be effective as tasks, roles, or responsibilities change.

My approach to coaching someone with dyslexia

I focus on identifying both strengths — like creativity and problem-solving — and challenges, particularly around reading, writing, and organisation. Coaching is highly personalised, with strategies that leverage strengths while supporting specific needs in practical ways. When the individual is comfortable, managers and HR are involved to embed adjustments and make the strategies sustainable in practice. The approach emphasises empowerment, confidence, and creating workflows that truly suit the person’s preferred thinking style.

Part 4: Other Invisible Disabilities

How can corporate wellness coaching support other invisible disabilities?

Invisible disabilities, such as dyspraxia, chronic illness, or mental health conditions, present unique strengths and challenges. A common thread across many of these conditions is managing fluctuating energy levels and capacity. Coaching helps colleagues leverage their strengths while developing personalised strategies that accommodate changes in energy, focus, and workload, supporting sustainable performance and wellbeing.

How can workplaces support colleagues with other invisible disabilities?

• Collaborate to identify adjustments and supports that account for variability in energy, focus, or capacity.
• Ensure managers and HR understand and maintain these adjustments, recognising that needs may change day-to-day.
• Foster a flexible, open culture where differences are respected and employees feel safe to communicate their needs.

What does coaching for invisible disabilities involve?

1. Holistic intake – We assess strengths, challenges, role requirements, and patterns of energy and capacity to design personalised, practical strategies.
2. Manager and HR collaboration – Where the individual feels comfortable, managers and HR are involved to embed strategies and adjustments in practice, maximising support while respecting autonomy.
3. Coaching sessions – We co-create strategies that leverage strengths and accommodate fluctuations in energy and workload, ensuring the approach is tailored to the individual’s working style.
4. Embed and review – Strategies are revisited with the individual, and when appropriate, with managers/HR, to ensure they remain effective and adaptable as tasks, responsibilities, or capacity change.

My approach to coaching someone with an invisible disability

My approach starts with understanding the individual’s unique strengths, challenges, and patterns of energy and capacity. I focus on tailoring strategies to help them manage workload, energy, and focus, while building on their natural strengths. Ideally, manager and HR involvement ensures any agreed adjustments are embedded in practice, without compromising the individual’s autonomy. The goal is to create sustainable strategies that adapt as roles, responsibilities, or energy levels change, supporting wellbeing and performance over the long term.

A note on individual differences

It’s important to remember that a formal diagnosis is not required for someone to benefit from corporate wellness coaching. Every individual is unique, with their own combination of strengths and areas that can be energy-draining. Coaching focuses on identifying and leveraging strengths, while creating practical strategies to support challenges in ways that work for the person. It also empowers individuals to advocate for their needs, particularly aspects of their work or experience that may be invisible, misunderstood, or unsupported by colleagues. This philosophy underpins all coaching, whether someone has ADHD, autism, dyslexia, or another invisible difference.

Closing Thoughts

Corporate wellness coaching combines strengths-based approaches with strategies tailored to each individual’s unique challenges. Across neurodivergent colleagues and those with invisible disabilities, a common thread is managing fluctuating energy levels and capacity, and coaching helps create strategies that accommodate these variations while building on strengths.

Manager and HR involvement, when the individual feels comfortable, is key to embedding strategies effectively and ensuring support is applied consistently in practice. This collaboration helps make adjustments sustainable and practical within the workplace.

By focusing on what each person does best, alongside the personalised adjustments they need, organisations can create high-performing, inclusive teams. Because no two colleagues are the same, coaching is always tailored — and when done well, everyone benefits.