Sometimes, remote work can be a good thing for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). For one thing, there are no noisy cubicle mates or shoulder-tapping co-workers to distract you. But to get your work done at home, you need to have good focus, organization, and time management skills.
For some people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), remote work can be a good thing – no more noisy office or co-workers showing up at your desk just after you got into the groove of working on a task. But for many, working (or studying) from home full-time is particularly difficult.
You can do any job you want, but often individuals with ADHD do well with flexible or non-traditional schedules. They also tend to be calm under pressure and thrive in fast-paced environments, such as classrooms, hospitals, or restaurants.
ADHD affects job performance in a number of ways. If you can't sit still and have trouble with organization and focus, you may find meetings excruciating. Keeping track of multiple projects and deadlines is enormously challenging.
WFH with ADHD: the cons
Many ADHDers experienced worse ADHD symptoms during the transition to remote work, including: Difficulty focusing. Feeling bored, understimulated, or unmotivated. Distractibility or overstimulation.
Sometimes, remote work can be a good thing for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). For one thing, there are no noisy cubicle mates or shoulder-tapping co-workers to distract you. But to get your work done at home, you need to have good focus, organization, and time management skills.
What you might not realize is how they can be an asset in the workplace. Research shows employees with ADHD can be more curious, creative, imaginative, innovative, and inventive.
"Although many adults with ADHD have very successful careers, others struggle with a variety of challenges, including poor communication skills, distractibility, poor memory, time management issues, lack of interpersonal skills, procrastination, hyperactivity and difficulty managing complex projects."
ADHD Assessment & Treatment Centres
To legally protect the rights of people with ADHD in Australia, under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA), a person's ADHD must be classed as a disability according to the criteria as specified in the DDA. DDA disability definition criteria relevant to people with ADHD: 1.
People living with ADHD may have a variety of skills and abilities beyond those of their neurotypical counterparts. These may include hyperfocus, resilience, creativity, conversational skills, spontaneity, and abundant energy.
Because of their strong need for stimulation, some adults with ADHD become easily bored at work, especially with detailed paperwork and routine tasks.
To their colleagues, workers with ADHD may appear to be irresponsible, disorganized, or downright lazy. In fact, people with ADHD often work harder than their colleagues in a desperate attempt to keep up.
Research has found that people with ADHD have more creativity and idea generation than people without the disorder. 3 This can lead to outside-the-box thinking that is so important for innovation. Hyper-focus: Many people with ADHD become hyper-focused on things that interest them.
People with ADHD have less diffusion of dopamine in the brain's synapses than do people without ADHD, so they do not get the same degree of satisfaction from doing ordinary tasks.
Slow processing speed is common in people with ADHD. Your processing speed is the time it takes you to process information and respond to it. Psychomotor is the connection between your muscle and mental functions.
How NDIS Responds to ADHD. Since you can treat and manage ADHD with medication and psychotherapy, the organisation doesn't list this disorder as a disability. Currently, the National Disability Insurance Scheme doesn't consider ADHD a permanent disability or impairment.
It is against the law for an employer to discriminate against a job applicant because of disability. If a pre-employment form asks for information about disability or illness, you have no legal obligation to disclose and can write 'not applicable' for any disability that will not impact on your work performance.
As most people are aware ADHD does not appear on the list of disabilities supported by the NDIS, which means that unless there is another disability which could be a primary disability, the ADHD cannot be considered by the NDIS.
ADHD burnout is often something a little deeper. It refers to the cycle of overcommitting and overextending that leads to fatigue in people with ADHD. It involves taking on too many tasks and commitments, and then the subsequent exhaustion that happens when we're unable to fulfill all of our obligations.
“Employers should prioritize support for employees with ADHD because each individual possesses a unique skill set and strengths that other employees might not have. In general, people with ADHD tend to be highly creative and often work well in high-pressure situations.
In adults, the main features of ADHD may include difficulty paying attention, impulsiveness and restlessness. Symptoms can range from mild to severe. Many adults with ADHD aren't aware they have it — they just know that everyday tasks can be a challenge.
If all else fails, disclosure may be your only option. One thing you should know: An ADHD diagnosis alone, does not entitle an employee to services and/or accommodations. You must disclose your documented diagnosis, and show that ADHD "substantially limits a major life activity" — in this case, your job.
Perception/observation/curiosity
The ADHD brain is hungry for novelty and dynamic activity. It sees and tolerates/appreciates new ideas, new movements, new visualizations, new concepts. Individuals with ADHD often perceive (intuitively) connections or “flows” that are not appreciated by others.
This viewpoint might lead you to think that taking breaks is not as important as it really is. When you have ADHD, taking intentional breaks is an essential part of cognitively refueling so that your brain works at work.