By staff writer Kathy Bussewitz
NEW YORK (AP) — Jeremy Didier took her son to a psychologist and found an article about a woman with the condition, and was likely to have an ADHD rating. When she read it in the waiting room, she thought to herself: they’re describing me.
“There’s a lot of very impulsive behaviors that take a lot of risk,” Didier said. As the magazine explained, she was excellent at school, but she was struggling to talk too much. As an adult, she had accumulated too many speeding tickets. She turned to her husband and said, “I think I might have ADHD.”
Didier is currently the board president of the Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyactivity Disorder, a non-profit advocacy and support organization. Her perceptions reflect the experiences of other adults wondering whether they have ADHD after the child’s diagnosis.
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, or a combination of the two. Common symptoms such as difficulty in focus and sitting can cause challenges at work.
Andrew Sylvester, a psychiatrist at Uchealth, a hospital in Longmont, Colorado, said people with ADHD are often taken over for promotion. Difficulties with caution can foster the mind during meetings and cause someone to miss out on the nuances of an important discussion. This obstacle may interfere with the organization, plan and remember details.
However, some adults see ADHD as a source of personality strengths and a mindset that benefits employers. The diagnostic manual might call it a barrier, but it could also be a superpower, they said.
“Our brains function differently, so there’s a high chance that we can think outside the box and come up with different things, because we had to do that to survive,” Didier said.
Here are some ways to deal with and channel ADHD in the workplace.
Find a community
A diagnosis of ADHD does not necessarily lead to a quick fix. Although doctors often recommend drugs and treatment, not everyone can take the medication, and those routes do not necessarily rule out all symptoms.
Didier bumped into lots of screams as the messy house and four of her five children were diagnosed with ADHD. She experimented with medication, diet and reward charts and discovered what helped her most. It is a community of parents with children with ADHD.
“There’s nothing to talk to other people who are going through what you’re experiencing what you’re feeling… it means you’re not alone,” she said.
Didier eventually became a social worker and now runs a support group for adults with ADHD, teaching skills that can be used in the workplace.
Some organizations have employee resource groups around Neurodiversity to provide friendship and support to adults with ADHD, autism, dyslexia and other conditions.
Brain GPS
People with ADHD often struggle with executive functioning. Executive functions are a set of mental skills that include planning, time management, and flexible thinking. It also includes working memory. This helps us track what we’re doing.
To avoid getting off track, experts recommend splitting big tasks into chunks, writing a detailed list of to-dos, and taking a break.
Private chef Bill Collins, 66, who was diagnosed with ADHD two years ago, writes a structured list while cooking meals for his clients. He creates categories for kitchen areas such as counters, stoves, ovens, and other things, and lists tasks such as “chopping carrots, boiling water for pasta” under each category. He then numbers each task to know exactly what to do, where and what to do.
“That’s how I avoided unknown ADHD early and just put together a list,” Collins said. “If that’s something I don’t want to do, I can put it at the top of the list and use it to do it.”
Another technique is called “body doubles.” This includes a pair of work colleagues you meet either Zoom or in person to focus on completing the project. Two can choose to perform individual tasks – one may build a presentation deck and create other file tax reports, but it will help each other stay accountable.
“You just sit there during that dedication time and get things done,” Didier said.
Insurance company Liberty Mutual will provide AI tools that break down large projects into manageable tasks and provide deadline reminders, helping employees with ADHD stay concentrated and organized, says Verlinda Dimarino welfare organization.
Passing the meeting
For people with ADHD, meetings are difficult if they feel the urge to lift up or get up from their chair. They may also struggle with impulsive control and find it difficult to wait for their turn.
Nicole Clark, CEO of Adult and Pedia Trick Institute, a mental health practice in Stuart, Florida, suggests that you ask people to meet topics and write about topics in advance. If you have any questions during a meeting, write them down.
Some employers use text services from voice and project what the speakers are saying on the screen, helping people who have difficulty paying attention to keep them focused, Clark said.
Psychiatrist Sylvester recommends practicing active listening by repeating what someone said in their head and doing a short timeout from the meeting.
“I need five minutes, I’ll be back soon.” Get up and do what you need to do,” he said.
Mariel Parallis Morales, chief medical officer at the Institute of Adult and Pediatrics with ADHD, sits near someone to talk to him to get attention.
“Having something in my hand helps,” said Paralitici-Morales, who sometimes holds a fidget spinner. “If we had to talk, I felt it would be the first one and break the ice would be easier,” she was able to protect myself from guessing from a second time what she was saying.
Find a accommodation
Those with an ADHD diagnosis can request accommodation at work through the Americans with Disabilities Act. Noise cancelling headphones may be useful. Consider seeking the ability to take a break every 20 minutes, Sylvester said.
“Set the timer for 5-10 minutes. Get up and walk around. Make some coffee. Play with your dog,” he said. “When that timer is turned off, you’ll be back to a 15-20 minute hard productivity cycle.”
Employees can also require flexible schedules and the ability to work from home. This allows for treatment and self-care time.
Antoinette D’Amico, 23, who coordinated events at an executive search company in San Francisco, said he practices meditation and writes daily goals in his diary, maintaining short form media to improve focus.
Celebrate your strengths
Having ADHD can be an asset in the workplace, and many CEOs and entrepreneurs are ganglia, Didier said.
“We bring all sorts of unique talent to the workplace: hyperfocus, lots of energy, resilience, multitasking ability,” she added. “There’s something about people with ADHD that seems to have greater creativity and innovation capabilities.”
Damico also believes her ADHD offers several benefits. When she is interested in a topic, she can talk about topics which are very focused, read extensively and are traits of others who have ADHD reports.
“It can create a real passion that’s a little unique,” she said. “It creates this grit for me when I really want to achieve something. There’s this energy boost.”
Share your workplace health stories and questions at cbussewitz@ap.org. Follow AP coverage with a focus on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health at https://apnews.com/hub/be-well.
