Unmasking Neurodiversity in Football with Dr. Fleur-Michelle Coiffait
Meet Dr Fleur-Michelle Coiffait: clinical psychologist, founder and advocate for neurodiversity.
With nearly two decades of experience, Fleur has worked across the NHS, private, and charitable sectors, specialising in autism, ADHD, and learning differences. She’s also neurodivergent herself and a parent to a neurodivergent child, bringing both professional expertise and lived experience to her work.
Fleur has led national assessment services, lectures on doctoral training courses, and regularly shares her insights through publications and media, including TV appearances on the impact of COVID-19 on families.
In this episode, we explore the challenges and opportunities for neurodivergent athletes, the importance of creating inclusive environments and the need for a proactive approach to support.
The discussion covers a wide range of topics, from the emotional toll of masking and rejection sensitivity to practical coaching strategies and the generational impact of neurodiversity.
You can find Fleur at: https://www.coiffpsych.com/
Key Discussion Points:
Meeting Format and Authenticity: Danny and Fleur-Michelle discuss the conversational nature of their meeting and the importance of comfort and authenticity, even in professional settings, particularly when discussing neurodiversity in sports.
Worrying About Others' Opinions: The conversation delves into the significant impact of worrying about others' opinions, especially for neurodivergent individuals, and the internal exhaustion it can cause.
"Fight or Flight" Mode in Neurodiversity: They explore the constant "fight or flight" mode experienced by many neurodivergent individuals and how it affects performance in sports and daily life.
Anxiety in Young Athletes During Transitions: The discussion highlights heightened anxiety among young academy players during transitions like preseason or contractual changes, and how an "overactive mind" can exacerbate these worries.
Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (RSD): Fleur-Michelle describes RSD and its impact on individuals, including chronic lateness and dwelling on perceived negatives.
Harnessing Analytical Thinking: The conversation shifts to how the analytical thinking often associated with neurodiversity can be positively harnessed to analyse past situations and brainstorm future approaches.
Filtering Out Noise and Seeking Support: Danny and Fleur-Michelle discuss the difficulty neurodivergent brains have in filtering out "noise" and the crucial role of external support (friends, coaches, family) in managing an overactive mind.
Identifying Neurodiversity in Athletes: They explore how coaches can identify signs of neurodiversity, noting the challenge of "masking" where athletes conceal their struggles.
Stigma and Disclosure in Football: The discussion addresses the stigma surrounding neurodiversity in football, the defensive reactions of parents, and the importance of framing conversations around support and well-being.
Football's Lag in Inclusivity: Danny asserts that football lags behind society in addressing neurodiversity and other inclusivity issues, particularly in the men's game compared to women's football.
Generational Neurodiversity and Family Journeys: They discuss how a child's diagnosis can often trigger a parent's own journey of self-discovery and understanding of neurodiversity.
Clubs' Duty of Care and Potential Litigation: Danny warns professional clubs about the risk of litigation under the Equality Act if they fail to make reasonable adjustments for neurodivergent players.
Recommendations for Clubs: Fleur-Michelle proposes that clubs publicly commit to understanding neurodiversity, implement strategies, provide staff training and have specialist advisors.
Neurodiversity Inclusion in Football: The conversation highlights the perceived lack of focus on neurodiversity within football's inclusion efforts and the need for dedicated leadership.
Addressing Neurodiversity and Addiction: They discuss the potential link between neurodiversity and addiction, and the importance of early identification and support.
Grassroots and Online Training Initiatives: Danny and Fleur-Michelle talk about proactive initiatives at grassroots levels, including accessible online training courses for understanding neurodiversity.
Proactive vs. Reactive Approaches to Support: The importance of proactively addressing mental health and neurodiversity issues rather than waiting for them to escalate is emphasised.
Coaching Players with Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD): Fleur-Michelle provides strategies for coaches to support players with RSD, focusing on positive framing of criticism and reflective conversations.
Understanding ODD and PDA: The discussion covers Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) and their manifestations in a football context.
Effective Coaching Strategies for ODD and PDA : Fleur-Michelle offers coaching strategies that focus on understanding the underlying reasons for oppositional behaviours and providing a sense of control.
Societal Expectations and Broad Education: They discuss how societal expectations can hinder effective responses to challenging behaviours and the importance of educating the entire team about neurodiversity.
