Mixed-methods pretest-posttest
Self-report measures are administered at the beginning and end of the six-week program, alongside qualitative participant reflections.
WORKING PAPER
STUDY IN PROGRESS
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Evaluating the Authentic Life Approach for Employed Neurodivergent Adults
A mixed-methods study of a six-week workplace coaching program combining Adaptive Ikigai, Adaptive Kaizen, and adapted SMART goals for employed neurodivergent adults.
Research status
This paper describes an active study. Data collection and final analysis are not complete.
The manuscript discusses anticipated outcomes only; these should not be read as confirmed findings.
What the study is asking
RESEARCH QUESTION 1To what degree does participation in the six-week Authentic Life Approach coaching program change neurodivergent adults’ self-reported ability to manage planning, task initiation, organization, and follow-through?
RESEARCH QUESTION 2How do participants’ levels of job satisfaction and intentions to remain with their employer change after completing the coaching program?
RESEARCH QUESTION 3How do participants perceive the contribution of Adaptive Ikigai, Adaptive Kaizen-based action steps, and adapted SMART goals to personal meaning, workplace alignment, and the ability to sustain change?
Method
Workplace-focused outcomes
The study focuses on executive-function self-management, job satisfaction, intention to remain with the employer, meaning, workplace alignment, and sustainable change.
The intervention
Weekly coaching integrates Adaptive Ikigai mapping, Kaizen micro-experiments aimed at workplace friction points, and adapted SMART goals tied to participant insights.
Analysis
Planned analysis combines paired comparisons of pre/post quantitative scores with thematic analysis of qualitative reflections.
Why this matters
The study is designed around a gap the paper identifies in workplace neurodiversity research: relatively little evaluated work combines executive-function support, meaning-centered self-understanding, workplace fit, and a structured goal framework inside one short-term intervention.
Keywords
Neurodiversity · ADHD coaching · executive function · Ikigai · job satisfaction · workplace inclusion · Kaizen · SMART goals · Authentic Life Approach