Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or more commonly known as ADHD, is a cognitive disorder that impacts focus, time management, object permanence, and emotional regulation. ADHD includes3 different types, hyperactive, inattentive, and combined., Each type relates to the symptoms and behaviors that are most prevalent in the individual. Gender also plays a role in ADHD, not in prevalence, but in symptoms and rate of diagnosis. Young boys are 3 times as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than young girls, where women are more likely to be diagnosed later in life due to the way symptoms present. While ADHD can be incredibly frustrating for those experiencing it, it also takes an emotional toll on the individuals around them.
How does ADHD impact daily functioning?
One of the main symptoms of ADHD relates to executive functioning, which includes thought processes related to planning, organization, and impulse control. This means that children or adults with ADHD can struggle with:
Starting tasks or projects creating habitual procrastination
Keeping track of personal items, or organizing workspaces
Impulsivity, or not thinking through the consequences of their words and actions
May have excess energy expressed through fidgeting actions or failure to sit still
Difficulty remembering or using specific information to complete tasks
Adjusting to changes in routine or new plans/situations
Rejection sensitivity
If you are reading this as someone who is struggling with ADHD or know someone struggling with ADHD, you have seen this list before, and you will probably see it again throughout your internet search. This information is helpful, but knowing how these manifest in daily life can alter how you interact with the ADHD mind.
What are some ways the impacts of ADHD can be seen in individuals?
Symptom | Child | Adult |
Difficulty starting tasks or projects | A middle school student has troubles beginning or staying focused when completing their homework after school. They may be distracted by their hobbies or television, and may begin their homework late at night before bed. | A stay-at-home mom may struggle with initiating household chores such as washing dishes, doing laundry, or straightening up the household. They may become easily distracted by child needs, television, or other less important household tasks. |
Struggles with keeping track of personal items or organizing workspaces | A highschool student may often forget pens or books needed for school. They may often lose things like keys, or misplace smaller everyday items. They may also have a disorganized locker or backpack in which notes and other worksheets are hard to find. | An adult may often lose track of when bills are due, or appointments and deadlines. They may regularly forget a previously made plan and lose important documents. It often affects both job performance and household chores. They may misplace money, or their phone often. |
Having a hard time managing their time and priorities | A senior football player in highschool may struggle with different social commitments leading their grades to fall. They may struggle between managing practices, college applications, and schoolwork time commitments. They may often overschedule themselves. | An individual who works in project management may struggle with delegating larger high priority tasks and focus on minor details. They may struggle with work-home life balance, or often put things off till later. |
Impulsivity | An elementary student may often interrupt teachers or blurt out answers quicker than others. They may react to their peers quickly without thinking about consequences. | An adult at an office job may impulsively send emails when frustrated or interrupt colleagues in meetings.They may be predisposed to hasty judgements that can affect professional relationships. |
Difficulty with using specific information to complete tasks | A middle schooler may struggle with complex math problems and remembering specific steps to complete the problem. | An employee may struggle with remembering multi-step tasks or comments from meetings. They may need to refer often back to notes or reminders. |
Struggling with adjusting to new routines or plans | A child starting kindergarten may struggle with a new routine of going to school everyday. They may act out or become resistant to the new schedule. | An individual who receives a promotion, may struggle with the new workload, or specific tasks needed to complete the job. This may show in the form of excess stress or decreased productivity. This could also include at home routine changes, or work schedule shifts. |
Issues with self regulation and rejection sensitivity | If an elementary student overlooks mistakes in school they may become frustrated or angry when corrected by a teacher. If a young child is corrected in the way they are completing an at home task, or reminded of a task before they get to it, it may cause frustration, anger, resistance, or rejection sensitivity. | A person who has done the same job for 20 years, may become defensive when asked to correct errors in their work. They may experience rejection sensitivity because of their age or experience. |
These scenarios can help you acknowledge the behaviors that fall within these categories to understand better how you or your loved one is affected by ADHD. While the struggles and difficulties that come with ADHD are often similar to those faced by others, however, they are often more pronounced and impactful than commonly understood. Now that we understand how these symptoms manifest, lets look at what you can do for yourself, or someone you care about to further help manage these difficulties.
How can you help manage your own, and your loved ones' ADHD symptoms?
Managing ADHD symptoms comes in teachable skills to better allow yourself to be as prepared as possible. Some key factors to promote manageable change are reassurance, patience, and consistency. Reassurance is often necessary for individuals experiencing rejection sensitivity, by creating a safe space and challenging negative thoughts to receive feedback in a constructive way. Patience is incredibly important to have with yourself if you have ADHD, or have a child or loved one with ADHD. ADHD is far from a standard thought process, it is constantly changing and often includes other aspects like sensory issues, anxieties, and even depression. Lastly, Consistency is super important with ADHD, seeing that often time management is a struggle, creating routines that work for you may take time to learn.
“Reset days” are incredibly helpful for keeping consistency. One example of how to use a reset day is at the beginning of every week, your appointments and deadlines are acknowledged, you may prepare your home for the week or meal prep, and may go over any assignments or tasks you would like to get done this week. Another example would be planning out your month on the sunday before the month starts. This allows you to gain an overview of what your time looks like and what changes to your routine may occur this month.
If struggling with initiating tasks, some helpful changes may be:
Having a structured routine
Creating visible checklists and schedules
Breaking tasks down into smaller steps that are more manageable
Keep open communication about what may be preventing them from completing their tasks
Use methods such as the Pomodoro method to break work up into manageable pieces
This may look like setting a timer for 25 minutes after deciding on a task
When that timer rings take a 5-10 minute break away from the task
Repeat this cycle for 4 times, then take a 20-30 minute break away from the task
Set clear or early deadlines to create urgency
For difficulties related to organization and prioritization, some helpful changes may be:
Labeling folders and schoolwork
Keeping backpacks and desks organized with visible labels, and designated spots for each item or subject
Create daily schedules that include time for all activities
Have a reset day, take this day to reset all calendars, planners, and homelife
Use color coded organizational systems
For impulsivity, some helpful changes may be:
Teaching/learning deep breathing exercises or other mindfulness techniques
Reward and encourage positive behavior to prevent interruptions
Encourage thoughtful responses, and listening behaviors
When struggling to adjust to new routines, some helpful strategies may be:
Use visual schedules, and discuss big changes often before they occur
Reinforce positive reactions to change
Develop strategies to maintain flexibility, and stability during unplanned disruptions
Practice resilience and expose yourself to uncomfortable situations
If they are struggling with self-regulation and rejection sensitivity, some helpful strategies may be:
Incorporating self-soothing strategies with sensory elements (smells, textures, designs)
Encourage self reflection of behaviors and feelings as well as problem solving
Reassurance of the individual receiving feedback
Identifying and labeling emotions or emotive behaviors
Keep track of daily feelings, moods, thoughts or actions and use scaling techniques to gauge progress in self-regulation strategies
Use mindfulness strategies to assist in emotional regulation
When it comes to having a child or loved one that deals with executive dysfunction, it can be challenging to understand why something so easy for you is difficult for them. One of the most important things you can do for your child or loved one is to be patient with them. They are trying their best and it's helpful to remember it's the two of you against the problem, rather than against each other. The main point for you to remember is that whether you are experiencing ADHD symptoms, or know someone that does, try to be open to their experiences and to understand that it is manageable through conscious skills work.
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