Neurodiversity Celebration Week
Q&A with Dan Adams - LDN Skills Coach
As we come to the tail end of Neurodiversity Celebration Week we wanted to take the opportunity to shine the spotlight on LDN Skills Coach, Dan Adams who kindly shared his personal experience with ADHD.
As someone with two adopted children with neurodiversities and a neurodiversity coach in his spare time, it’s fair to say he knows a thing or two about this subject and we were very grateful to hear from him!
What is the most challenging thing with your role as someone who is neurodivergent?
Choosing one challenging thing is a tricky one here as with my ADHD, it doesn’t always follow rhyme or reason…or consistency…. I would have to say that organisation is something that I have always struggled with, knowing that you need to get something done doesn’t always mean it is easy to just get it done. I would probably say I have to be 4 or 5 times more organised than someone without ADHD to feel like I am on top of things and be rigid with my time. Other things also play a part such as overthinking/analysing, trying to make sure you are getting points across in a way that the neuro majority understand and accepting that you don’t always get things right first time!
How has LDN supported you with your neurodiversity?
I could write a book on this – I have had many jobs and career paths over the years but teaching, coaching and mentoring have always been a bit of a golden thread throughout all my roles. When this job came up, it felt like it was written towards all of my strengths and very few of the things I struggle with and I remember leaving my interview and thinking for the first time ever ‘I really hope I land this job’ everything just felt right about it and the support of my line manager, colleagues and everyone has genuinely allowed me to be myself without pretending that I don’t have ADHD and I can’t tell you how incredibly empowering that has been and in return, I always try to give as much as I can to LDN to thank them for allowing me the opportunity to be here.
Are there any words of wisdom you can offer to a neurodiverse person considering an apprenticeship?
Other than ‘go for it?’…. I suppose a few things spring to mind, one is if the apprenticeship is in a field you enjoy, you’ll absolutely love it as you can get qualified whilst gaining experience which is something I see on pretty much every job advert at the moment. On top of that, if you come and join us at LDN, the way we manage our caseloads and coaching sessions really helps to support you, keep you on track and work with your neurodiversity rather than expecting you to fit into a box that is not designed for you. Apprenticeships can be a great way into an industry and LDN are the most supportive provider I have ever worked with to get you there.
Do you feel your neurodiversity has any particular strengths that positively impact your role?
I would like to think my creativity, ability to adapt to different people and enjoyment of trying to make people feel comfortable/entertain them – equally, I also appreciate this may come across as annoying sometimes but generally, I do my best to support my learners as much as possible on an individual basis and I feel my neurodiversity helps me to be able to do that effectively (hopefully they agree)
What changes would you like to see in the world, in terms of supporting neurodiverse people in their careers?
I think the world is slowly getting there – I think currently, more training around the understanding of neurodiversity and how to support people with it as employers and line managers is really important. At the end of the day, Someone’s Autism, ADHD or any neurodiversity isn’t going away, it can’t be and doesn’t need to be ‘cured’ it needs to be understood and managed with empathy, encouragement and flexibility. That is just my two pennies worth.
Dan, thank you for being so open with your experiences and for continuing to fly the flag for the neurodiverse community!