CAA CAA Client Goal Setting and Accountability Systems 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which goal-setting framework is most recommended for ADHD clients due to its concrete, structured nature?
- HARD goals
- SMART goals (Correct answer)
- BHAG goals
- OKR framework
Correct answer: SMART goals
SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) provide the concrete structure that helps ADHD clients overcome vague intentions.
Question 2: When helping an ADHD client plan a goal, a coach should prioritize:
- Long-term vision over immediate steps
- Identifying the very next concrete action step (Correct answer)
- Setting multiple ambitious goals simultaneously
- Avoiding time constraints entirely
Correct answer: Identifying the very next concrete action step
ADHD clients are better served by identifying the next immediate, concrete action rather than focusing primarily on distant outcomes.
Question 3: External accountability structures are especially critical for ADHD clients because:
- They lack intelligence
- Internal accountability is neurologically harder to maintain due to executive function deficits (Correct answer)
- They are less motivated than neurotypical people
- They need constant supervision
Correct answer: Internal accountability is neurologically harder to maintain due to executive function deficits
ADHD brains have reduced capacity for self-monitoring due to executive function deficits, making external accountability structures essential compensatory tools.
Question 4: What is an 'implementation intention' and why is it valuable for ADHD clients?
- A vague motivational statement
- A specific 'When X, I will Y' plan that creates automatic responses to cues (Correct answer)
- A journaling technique for reflection
- A reward system for completed tasks
Correct answer: A specific 'When X, I will Y' plan that creates automatic responses to cues
Implementation intentions create automatic behavioral responses to specific situational cues, bypassing the ADHD brain's task initiation difficulties.
Question 5: Progress monitoring for ADHD clients is most effective when it is:
- Weekly written self-assessments only
- Infrequent to avoid pressure
- Frequent, visual, and externally structured (Correct answer)
- Solely based on long-term outcome measures
Correct answer: Frequent, visual, and externally structured
ADHD clients benefit from frequent check-ins, visual trackers, and external accountability because self-monitoring is often neurologically impaired.
Question 6: The 'minimum viable effort' approach in ADHD coaching helps clients primarily by:
- Permanently lowering standards
- Reducing activation energy by setting a very low initial starting bar (Correct answer)
- Eliminating all deadlines
- Avoiding difficult tasks indefinitely
Correct answer: Reducing activation energy by setting a very low initial starting bar
Setting a minimal starting commitment (e.g., 'work for just 2 minutes') helps overcome initiation paralysis by reducing the activation threshold.
CAA CAA Client Goal Setting and Accountability Systems 1
Which goal-setting framework is most recommended for ADHD clients due to its concrete, structured nature?