ADULTS WITH ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER DO WELL ON DEADLINE AND LOVE A CHALLENGE

Kansas City Star

BY DIANE STAFFORD

Want an employee who performs best on deadline? Hire someone who has trouble staying on task.

That's the not-so-facetious recommendation of William Dodson, a medical doctor who spoke recently to about 50 Hallmark Cards employees.

Dodson, who specializes in treating patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (also known by the older, shorter ADD name), said adults with the neuropsychiatric condition generally respond well to urgency and fast pace.

''Workers with ADD need to be challenged or feel competitive,'' Dodson generalized. ``They like the new, the novel, the fleeting. They need ADD-friendly jobs -- not accounting.''

DON'T FORGET GIRLS

Much attention is directed to the hyperactive behavior of young boys diagnosed with ADHD. But, Dodson said, girls are equally likely to have the disorder. Through some quirk of nature, though, girls with ADHD are more likely to ''space out'' than act out, and thus often miss diagnosis.

About 8 percent of the adult U.S. population is diagnosed with ADHD or ADD, but he said the disorder is probably underdiagnosed.

Most symptoms can be controlled with the proper medication at the proper dose, Dodson said, but many sufferers aren't diagnosed or treated correctly, and that means some have trouble on the job.

Blythe Gross, who has a doctoral degree in organizational psychology, also specializes in ADD treatment. After working with or interviewing hundreds of adult ADD patients, Gross wrote Making ADD Work: On-the-Job Strategies for Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder.

The book, published this year, shares examples and suggestions from workers with ADD. There is no ''typical'' case, but rather an array of manifestations.

Symptoms can range from an inability to get started on a task, to an inability to follow through on a task, to perfectionism that makes a project drag on forever because it's never good enough.

ADULT SYMPTOMS

Rarely is the fidgeting that's the hallmark of young male sufferers the prime problem for adults. Adult manifestations are more likely to include a tendency to speak before thinking things through, emotional overreaction, or hypersensitivity to criticism -- any of which can have obvious workplace ramifications.

The experts in ADHD treatment say it's important to find doctors who have knowledge and experience in the field.

At Hallmark, in response to several questions, Dodson reiterated the need to adjust medications if there are side effects such as lack of energy or inability to sleep.

While many of the employees at his lecture came because of questions about their children, Hallmark health committee organizers said there is a recognized need among some employees to get better information about the disorder.

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/miamiherald/business/personal_finance/12488976.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

Interesting article Andrew. Thanks

I tend to think my whole generation of woman are underdiagnosed.

Interesting article -- thanks for share it! It definately fits!

Scattered

Rarely is the fidgeting that's the hallmark of young male sufferers the prime problem for adults. Adult manifestations are more likely to include a tendency to speak before thinking things through, emotional overreaction, or hypersensitivity to criticism -- any of which can have obvious workplace ramifications.
If the shoe fits...it must be mine!

Thanks for the article...

Eric

The Book "Making ADD Work" by Blythe Gross is great! I got a review copy of it. The book goes on sale sept 6th.

Thanks Andrew. I know my job is ADHD friendly or I wouldn't still be enjoying it after eleven years, but the deadline issue in this article made me realize one of the reasons why I love my job. I have deadlines all through the day and no two days are exactly the same; heck, no two hours are exactly the same.

I work very much better with hard deadlines - and I'm good in chaotic, all-hell-breaking-loose situations too.
I've just started school - a B.Ed. - & met my faculty advisor yesterday and was secretly happy about the fact that she is an old school teacher who won't tolerate incomplete work (lesson plans) or shoddy work or late assignments and most certainly would have heard every excuse in the book - knowing this will keep me "honest" and I know my marks will be higher and I'll be more prepared for class. I just hope I don't get hit with a ruler ;-)

Greg, you have just reminded me of a conversation I had with my son this evening. He is going to learn a new trade and today was day two with his new boss. My hyperactive son asked if he was doing o.k. and his new boss told him, "Hell, yes!" I guess he likes someone who is always looking for something to do.

"Hyperactive" at age six is "Energetic" at age fifty. :D

I'm like that too - why just stand there when you can be doing something? Most little tasks - emptying the trash, lending a hand, ect. don't really require much real work - yet so many won't so much as get up off their chair. A new job is perfect for a bright ADHDer (as long as he/she likes what they are doing) since everything is new, novel, ect.
I'm not sure who wrote "they also serve, who only stand and wait", but they weren't refering to hyperactive people.

Adult manifestations are more likely to include a tendency to speak before thinking things through, emotional overreaction, or hypersensitivity to criticism
I have never seen this "hypersensitivity to criticism" comment before in regards to ADHD... gave me a little slap of familiarity. Very interesting... I have been trying to figure out where my sons ADD came from... perhaps its becoming more clear.

In my family, the chicken was diagnosed before the egg, but because ADHD symptoms change over time, it isn't always so obvious in the chicken. :D

Roosters are a whole 'nother story! :rolleyes:

I am a Product Development Manager and I have some of the most intense deadlines you can imagine. In addition to managing the projects I also wear many other hats like course designer, content reviewer, technical writer, instructional designer, quality control analyst, and probably 5 things I can't think of now.

My primary focus is managing external development teams that are mostly in India so they are at least 10 hours ahead of my time zone. This makes it especially challenging. If you miss something and it affects a team in the same time zone you might lose a day or less. With the difference in time zones missing something would be more than a day delay and with the schedules I work on missing a day could kill a project.

But guess what? I DON'T miss days. In fact, some of my projects come in early. All of them have increased quality levels.

So, I am proof positive that Dr. Dodson knows what he's talking about.

The two main reasons I am successful in this role are:
1. To manage time I use all of the skills I was forced to acquire to make life work before I ever knew that I had ADD.

2. Since I've worked in many different fields, for whatever reason, I have a wide range of experience and skills which are called upon frequently in this role since I wear SO many hats.

The cost of finding out that the the word is getting out about our abilities? $0.

Figuring out how to STOP freaking out when I first find out I have to resolve a mission critical situation? ...priceless. :D

I work very much better with hard deadlines - and I'm good in chaotic, all-hell-breaking-loose situations too. it's most likely b/c you have so much experience. You know?

Exactly, chaos is my "natural state"! It's where I do my best work. Where I'm most comfortable.
When I go scuba diving, I wear big fins and can swim pretty fast, but fish zoom right past me - 'cus they are in their natural state. When all hell breaks loose, I zoom right past everyone else!

Deadlines often represent urgency......and urgency can be very motivating. I know I work better with a deadline than a "whenever or as soon as you can get to it" request or a ballpark timeframe. It's probably not the healthiest, but I seem to thrive on stress and pressure. I become bored otherwise.

Symptoms can range from an inability to get started on a task, to an inability to follow through on a task, to perfectionism that makes a project drag on forever because it's never good enough.

Adult manifestations are more likely to include a tendency to speak before thinking things through, emotional overreaction, or hypersensitivity to criticism -- any of which can have obvious workplace ramifications.


Thank you for this information! I have all of those! I have been told I have these behaviors or symptoms by a good therapist, and I have worked on trying to "get over" these problems for many years. This is very surprizing to me that it may be my brain and not the fact that I am "oversensitive or wierd" that causes these problems.

I am a new member reading old posts, and I love this information, so wanted to update your post. Thank you Thank You Thank You :cool:

Yup.....thats me.....just give me a tight deadline and a next to impossible brief and stand back.

Its the standing back bit that most people don't get......so they get bitten.....which isn't so great when you bite the CEO!

Lol! Standing back is definitely key. My self-imposed adrenaline rush helps me get stuff done. My boss's panic sends me over the edge.

Oh yeah, on the "stand back" thing!

I work best under pressure of deadline, but (and this is a BIG but) don't expect me to do any productive work any time before right on the edge of that deadline! I could be told on January 1 that a project is due on March 1 and I still won't start on it (though I'm working on it in my head, usually) 'til February 28!

Although I do tend to shift into high gear during a crisis, I find that the biggest roadblock for my ADD in the workplace has been the stigma of having it--how I am treated by some of the "normals", kills my morale and efficiency.

I find that co-workers who are parents of "behavior challenged" children themselves, are the most understanding, the least judgmental, and help to create an environment that is conducive to good, quality work. When I am around these types of co-workers, I am the most productive and just shine!

And I discoverd this recently, but those in the workplace that are the most judgmental, resentful, and will not budge one bit to give the tiniest accomodation to a co-worker with ADD, tend to be those who have behavior challenged siblings...usually goes something like this: "My lazy, drug-addict, living at home, sister is EXACTLY like you! I've had to pick up the slack in my family because of her ADD excuses and I'm CERTAINLY not going to do it here! I don't fall for her ADD bullsh-t any more than I fall for yours!" Don't even try to defend yourself. It doesn't matter if you support yourself, live in an aparment, completed a post-graduate education, don't abuse drugs, etc. And any articles you quote or studies you mention to try to educate them about recent discoveries about the brain, they dismiss as psychobabble.

For me, I found the best is to keep the ADD hidden, otherwise I will get even more abuse.

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Wow! That article hold true with me. I'm a deadline person all the way. I'm slow when it comes to finishinga task but when it comes to dealines I complete and I do very well! :)

Through some quirk of nature, though, girls with ADHD are more likely to ''space out'' than act out, and thus often miss diagnosis.



Oh, how true!

What a great article. Thanks for posting it!

that is me too! I will put something off and put if off, but once the pressure is on it is crunch time, I come out with flying colors. That's part of my job that really helps me. I am the office manager of a chiropractic office and a licensed massage therapist. Nothing is ever the same for very long and our practice prides itself on getting patients their treatments and out as fast as possible. We never have patients wait more than 5-10 mins if that. So there is always a deadline I guess, never thought of it that way. My whole day is a series of quick deadlines, lol