Living an ADHD-Friendly Life

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Erika McDonald
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1 Living an ADHD-Friendly Life

2 Who am I? Trained Professional Organizer Chronic Disorganization, Hoarding, Aging Specialist Certified Coach Masters of Counselling candidate

3 Why ADHD? Why am I here? Why are you here? Teaching experience Adult clients with ADHD Education with ICD Currently working in coaching and counselling with youth & adults You wonder if you have ADHD You know what you have to do but can t do it You ve hit a wall You just can t get it together

4 What is ADHD? PRIMARY FEATURES DEMOGRAPHICS CAUSES SYMPTOMS

5 What is ADHD? Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Brain-based neurodevelopmental condition that affects executive functioning abilities in multiple areas of life: - Motivation (Dopamine) - Memory (Working and Perspective) - Mental Flexibility - Behaviour: Attention, Activity, Impulsivity Delay of 3 to 5 years in brain development Subtypes: Inattentive, Hyperactive, Combined Type

6 ADHD & the DSM Persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity that interferes with functioning or development (6 or more symptoms) Symptoms present before age 12 Symptoms present in 2 or more settings Clear evidence that it impacts quality of social, academic, occupational functioning Symptoms not attributable or better explained by another condition (schizophrenia, mood disorder, addition withdrawal)

7 Executive Function 1. Activation getting going; organizing, planning, prioritizing & activating to work 2. Focus attention and concentration; sustaining focus, and shifting focus 3. Effort mental alertness, sustaining effort, and following through over time, ability to delay gratification 4. Emotion frustration tolerance, self-regulation, flooding (Dan Siegal hand model), response inhibition 5. Memory working memory, forgetting and losing things 6. Action hyper-activity, putting on the breaks, selfawareness

8 Causes Heritability of ADHD averages approx. 80%; genetic factors account for 80% of differences among individuals in this set of behavioral traits. This figure rivals that for the role of genetics in human height. Several genes associated with the disorder have been identified. In instances where heredity does not seem to be a factor, difficulties during pregnancy, prenatal exposure to alcohol and tobacco smoke, prematurity of delivery and significantly low birth weight, excessively high body lead levels, as well as post-natal injury to the prefrontal regions of the brain have all been found to contribute to the risk for the disorder in varying degrees. No research showing caused by excessive sugar intake, food additives, excessive viewing of television, or poor child management by parents.

9 Who has it? Approx. 3-7% of children; 2-5% of adults. Gender ratio is approx. 3 boys:1 girl for children; for adults 2:1 Found to exist in countries in which it s been investigated; may not be referred to as ADHD and may not be treated the same as in North America. More likely to be found in families in which others have the disorder. More likely to occur in those with conduct problems, delinquency, Tourette s Syndrome, LD, history of prenatal alcohol or tobacco-smoke exposure, premature delivery or significantly low birth weight, or significant trauma to the frontal regions of brain. Often co-occurs with anxiety and depression.

10 Famous ADHD-ers

11 ADHD Myths We re all a bit ADHD People with ADHD are unable to focus ADHD is over-diagnosed You grow out of it Distracted by one thing

12 Diagnosis & Treatment DIAGNOSIS RED FLAGS WHY TREAT TREATMENTS COACHING

13 ADHD Diagnosis By doctor, psychologist, or psychiatrist Education vs. Healthcare Family History Complete Medical History and Physical, including vision and hearing Complete psychiatric history (4/5 have a cooccurring condition) Interviews with child, teacher, and parent for youth; with adult and spouse for adults Psycho-educational testing (ex., Connors)

14 ADHD Red Flags Your desktop is chaos What did I come in here to get? Your taxes aren t done You can t say no You have so many interests You cut the tags off all clothes When someone asks what you re thinking... You re great in an emergency Where s my... You can focus for hours on one thing You have no time limits on drinking coffee You have tons of great ideas...you just don t do anything about it Screens are magnetic You have a million glasses of water around the house The word just is a constant: just focus, just get it done, just one more thing But first I ll...

15 Impact of ADHD Why Treat Many struggle with substance abuse and risk-taking behaviours Many struggle with school performance/completion; more likely to be undereducated relative to intellectual ability and family educational background Likely to experience difficulty with work adjustment, and be under-employed relative to their intelligence, and educational and family backgrounds; tend to change jobs more often than peers Difficulty with all relationships; higher rates of divorce Higher rates of driving violations and accidents

16 ADHD Treatments Medication (Stimulants vs. Non-Stimulants) Behaviour Therapy Parent Coaching Support groups Natural treatments: exercise, herbal supplements, time in nature, yoga, meditation, acupuncture, mindfulness (Awareness, Acceptance, Action)

17 Strategies to Manage ADHD ADHD IS NOT A DISORDER OF NOT KNOWING WHAT TO DO, BUT OF NOT DOING WHAT YOU KNOW. -DR. RUSSELL BARKLEY

18 Lies People with ADHD Tell Themselves... I'll remember that. I'll do it later. I'll be done in 5 minutes. I don't need to write that down. I'm just going to check my . I'll just do one more.

19 Strategy of Movement Exercise Move Around Change Positions Fidget

20 Strategy of Self-Acceptance Is it me or ADHD? Self-Acceptance: Instead of asking, Why am this way?, use productive questions such as, What is needed to and How can I to engage problem-solving brain instead of critical brain Learn to expect & tolerate intense moods and mood changes Sense of Humour

21 Strategy of Mindfulness What am I doing right now? vs. What should I be doing? What will future me want? Meditation:

22 Create Specific Systems for... Time Procrastination has no benefits. It is selfregulation failure Memory Input Processing Motivation

23 Obstacles to Time Management for ADHD Perception of Time - Time blindness (Now vs. Not Now) - Time Boundary Collapse future and past have more weight than present Transitioning thoughts to actions, actions to thoughts, events to events, place to place Black and White Thinking: - Keep everything! or Throw it all away! - Skewed evaluation: Total Success! or Total Failure!

24 Time Strategies: Externalize, Tangible Do What You re Doing NOW! - What I m doing NOW - Wrong, NOT what I m doing now - Important, but NOT what I m doing now Use a timer: Stay on schedule, avoid hyper-focus, judge of time Time calculator: retentioncouncil/exhibits/ study_time_calculator.htm Lights on a timer Work in Bursts & Chunks Clock in bathroom Bedtime alarm Set boundaries 1 thing at a time seriously. Analyze where you lose time Use calendar to link tasks to time Wear a watch

25 Time Strategies: Use a Schedule Write out a daily schedule (then check it) the more you use it, the better it works. Schedule in time to get ready/transition, clean up, or travel. Actually look at your schedule when circumstances change and move things around. Break up large chunks of time e.g., for the morning routine, put up post-its with the time that you should be making each transition. Build in buffer time. Do key tasks during peak energy & schedule hyperfocus.

26 Memory Reminders: ask people, smart phone (location specific) Do it out loud (read out loud vs. silently; says steps) Review tasks at beginning and end of day Use colour-coding (ex., for each child, university subject, items on calendar, etc.) Before you leave lists Use labels A place for everything and everything in its place Use photos as memory aids

27 Input Capture it now ask question later. How to capture: write down, voice dictate, photo, sticky note/notebook, calendar, tell someone

28 Processing Reduce visual distractions: Everything Out of sight OR Store in transparent, labeled containers; effective lighting; eye masks Reduce auditory distractions: noise cancelling headphones or ear plugs, white noise, music/tv Reduce media distractions: macfreedom.com; antisocial.cc; selfcontrolapp.com; getcoldturkey.com Environmental issues temperature, comfort

29 Motivation Recognizing emotions am I giving in to feel good? Switch tasks Take breaks that include movement Look for non-work outlets Look for ways to make tasks stimulating (music, competition, etc.) Use body doubling Use approach not avoidance goals to feel competent, in control, increased satisfaction Prioritize tasks Am I doing the right thing at the right time in the most effective way possible? ; high priority earlier in week/day

30 What Does ADHD in the Workplace Look Like? Problems with: BUT it also looks like: 1. Distractibility 2. Impulsivity 3. Hyperactivity 4. Poor short-term/working memory 5. Boredom 6. Time management 7. Procrastination 8. Managing long-term projects 9. Paperwork/details 10. Interpersonal/social skills 1. Creativity 2. Spontaneity 3. Passion 4. Energy 5. Entrepreneurial skills 6. Humour 7. Drive 8. Risk-taking 9. Caring 10. Multi-tasking 11. Resilience 12. Focus!

Work Strategies Look for work that provides necessary stimulation fast-paced, multitasking, variety Daily top 3 Work that provides structure

31 Work Strategies Look for work that provides necessary stimulation fast-paced, multitasking, variety Daily top 3 Work that provides structure Break projects down Use external alarms and reminders Handle routine tasks reward yourself, do it first Write things down; take notes in meetings

32 Work Strategies Distinguish between high and low priority activities: check bottom line impact first Delegate! Remind yourself of your ultimate goals is this moving me toward it? Monitor your time to see how long activities really take Schedule project start times Check your tendency to procrastinate yank the leash

33 Further Reading Russell A, Barkley Writing by Sari Solson, John Ratey, Ari Tuckman, Russell Barkley CBC Doc The Organized Student by Donna Goldberg

www.aprilmillerprofessionalorganizing.com Contact Me! hello@aprilmillerprofessionalorganizing.

34 Contact Me! The / AprilMillerProfessionalOrganizing imag e cann ot be displ The / group: Organized on the Rock imag e cann ot be displ / AprilMillerPO / apriltheorganizer / aprilmiller Phone /

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder How to manage these disorganized and inattentive children.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder How to manage these disorganized and inattentive children. One of the leading authorities on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Russell Barkley, PhD., defines