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Workplace Adjustments for Autism, ADHD and Dyspraxia: Where Coaching Can Help.

jbotuk
Sep 26
4 min read
Split illustration: Neurodivergent Coaching, and workers on a ladder for Workplace Evaluations and Reasonable Adjustments

Neurodiversity coaching and workplace adjustments: making work more accessible.


Neurodivergent employees bring a huge range of unique skills to the workplace, but are more likely to experience burnout or struggle to maintain employment. What happens when someone is doing their job well, but the effort required to keep doing it is becoming unsustainable?


An autistic, ADHD or dyspraxic employee may meet deadlines, attend meetings and appear to be coping. Behind that visible performance, they may be managing sensory overload, uncertainty, the physical effort of coordination, competing priorities or the strain of constantly adapting how they communicate. Good support looks beyond whether a task was completed. It asks what the task cost, what helped and what could make work more sustainable. My specialist workplace assessments can support greater workplace understanding, reduced burnout, improved staff illness rates, and better staff retention.


At J.B.O.T. UK Ltd, I offer specialised workplace evaluations and neurodiversity coaching, using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and occupational therapy-informed support for adults navigating work with autism, ADHD, and dyspraxia, also known as developmental coordination disorder (DCD). I hold the Certificate in Neurodivergent Strategy Coaching in the Workplace and can help identify and describe workplace adjustments that respond to the person’s actual role, environment and priorities. 


What can neurodiversity coaching help with?


Coaching gives you space to understand how you work and to test strategies that fit your life. The focus is practical and collaborative. Depending on your goals, we might explore:


  • Managing competing demands, planning and task initiation


  • Recognising sensory, cognitive and physical demands across the working day


  • Preparing for meetings, changes in routine or difficult conversations


  • Finding ways to record, prioritise and follow through on information


  • Understanding the effects of masking, fatigue and recovery time


  • Communicating what support you need in a way that feels safe and useful to you



For one person, a shared written action list after meetings might make the difference. For another, predictable notice of changes, a quieter workspace, speech-to-text software or protected time for focused work may matter more. A dyspraxic employee might benefit from a clear workstation layout, extra time to learn a new process or instructions broken into manageable steps. The right approach is shaped with the individual and reviewed in practice. Acas gives examples of neurodiversity-related adjustments and encourages employers to listen to workers and review what works.


For HR and people teams, this is why workplace support needs to look beyond visible performance and increase understanding. An autistic, ADHD or dyspraxic employee may benefit from clearer instructions, a more predictable workflow, changes to the sensory environment or time to learn a new process.


Coaching and workplace adjustments work together


It is possible to build useful personal strategies while still facing barriers created by the workplace. Coaching can help someone develop their own ways of working; a workplace adjustment changes a process, expectation or environment that puts them at a disadvantage. Sometimes both are needed.


In the UK, employers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled workers where the legal conditions apply. An adjustment might involve changes to communication, equipment, the physical environment or how work is organised. It should be considered in relation to the person and their job, rather than selected from a standard list. Acas explains the duty and the adjustment process.


An assessment or coaching programme can help translate a broad statement such as “I struggle with work” into specific, usable recommendations: what happens during a typical day, where barriers arise, what strengths are available and which changes are worth trying. With your agreement, a written summary may help you discuss these recommendations with an employer.


Access to Work may provide funding for additional practical support, depending on eligibility and individual circumstances. It can include certain forms of specialist equipment or support workers, including a job coach. It does not pay for the reasonable adjustments an employer is legally required to make. We can discuss the support you may wish to explore without assuming that any particular service or cost will be funded.


Why work with me?


Building on my first-class BSc in Occupational Therapy, postgraduate qualifications in advanced occupational therapy and sensory integration, specific coaching and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy training, I hold a Certificate in Neurodivergent Strategy Coaching in the Workplace. My work includes neurodevelopmental assessment of autism, ADHD and DCD/dyspraxia, alongside experience in mental health, sensory processing and the practical demands of everyday occupation. I also bring lived experience as an AuDHD person.


Occupational therapy helps me look at the whole picture: the person, the work they need and want to do, and the conditions in which that work takes place. This means we can consider performance alongside energy, wellbeing, autonomy and the parts of life that happen after the working day ends.


I offer assessment and coaching and related services remotely across the UK, with face-to-face work subject to location and travel arrangements. You do not need to have everything worked out before making contact. If you are an individual seeking support or an employer wanting to make work more accessible, get in touch to discuss what would be useful.


Workplace Adjustments for Autism, ADHD and Dyspraxia: Where Coaching Can Help


 
 
 

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