ADHD brains enjoy novelty and spontaneity, the archnemeses of routine. The consistency and stability of a routine can transform the task of sticking to that routine into a monotonous, unsatisfying chore. Schedule opportunities for fun. Who says you can't bring spontaneity and joy into routines?
Establishing and maintaining routines can be difficult for individuals with ADHD. They are also especially prone to being thrown off easily by deviations from routine, and often experience increased trouble getting back on task.
Dopamine levels in the brain are positively correlated with our level of interest in a task. If a task is inherently boring to someone with ADHD, dopamine levels are so low that their brain is unable to “activate” to do the task. They can't pay attention even if they want to. They are in a state of hypofocus.
Having a routine can benefit your child with ADHD and the rest of the family. Structure is beneficial for several reasons: Provides external control: The symptoms of ADHD lead to problems with self-control. As a result, children with ADHD need more external controls (i.e., structure) to help them manage symptoms.
It's because of sensory sensitivity, one of the many ADHD symptoms. Sensory sensitivity or simply hypersensitivity is a common characteristic of people with ADHD. It occurs when we are more sensitive to things.
Symptoms of predominately hyperactive-impulsive ADHD may include: fidgeting, squirming, or difficulty staying seated. extreme restlessness, or in children, excessive running and climbing. excessive talking and blurting out.
Kids with ADHD are very curious by nature. They cannot wait to see or do interesting things, and they resist boring or repetitive things. This can be stressful for parents, since it turns things like homework and bedtime into battles. Kids with ADHD may argue or throw tantrums to get out of boring things.
But many kids and adults with ADHD are the opposite — they're messy most of the time. And it can cause problems at home, school, and work.
Research has shown that people with ADHD have less reliable executive functions, so they are less consistent with doing the right thing at the right time, despite good intentions and good ef- fort. This certainly applies to organizing, a task that requires strong executive functions.
Struggles with reading, writing, and math are common among students with ADHD.
Common ADHD-Related Problems
Impulsive spending or overspending. Starting fights or arguing. Trouble maintaining friendships and romantic relationships. Speeding and dangerous driving.
Sensory overload can trigger meltdowns easily, especially when we cannot do something about it. When we are faced with intense or too much external stimuli, breakdowns can be hard to avoid.
ADHD brains struggle to maintain attention. This means that they struggle to remain engaged with something, and when we aren't engaged, our brains are less stimulated and we get bored. Novelty Seeking: ADHD brains are intrigued and stimulated by novelty, interest, competition, and pressure.
Usually, the most difficult times for persons with ADHD are their years from middle school through the first few years after high school. Those are the years when students are faced with the widest range of tasks to do and the least opportunity to escape from the tasks that they struggle with or find to be boring.
A lack of self-acceptance. Prohibitively expensive medications. Here, commiserate with fellow ADDitude readers as they share some of their biggest challenges of managing life with ADHD or ADD. > Creating rituals to keep track of things.
Symptoms of ADHD can have some overlap with symptoms of bipolar disorder. With ADHD, a child or teen may have rapid or impulsive speech, physical restlessness, trouble focusing, irritability, and, sometimes, defiant or oppositional behavior.
Due to attention problems and difficulty staying focused on what they are doing, children with ADHD may be unable to perform regular routine activities such as tooth brushing effectively. Significantly, higher levels of bacterial plaque were observed in the ADHD group than in the control group.
Differences in emotions in people with ADHD can lead to 'shutdowns', where someone is so overwhelmed with emotions that they space out, may find it hard to speak or move and may struggle to articulate what they are feeling until they can process their emotions.
Those with ADHD may be especially prone to dehydration due to hyperfocus, forgetfulness, and lower self-awareness. Stimulant medications can also lead to dehydration. Adults should drink between 9 and 13 cups of water a day to stay hydrated.
Sensitive to Rejection
People with ADHD are exquisitely sensitive to rejection and criticism. They can experience hopelessness and demoralization because they try to succeed by imitating the paths to success of people without ADHD, and then fail over and over again because the same paths don't work for them.
Best Occupations for People with ADHD
Because of their unique ability to solve problems and create systems when interested in their work, Roberts says many people with ADHD do well as entrepreneurs, computer programmers, and within creative industries.
The Emotional Side of ADHD. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can trigger certain emotions. For example, you might feel guilty or ashamed because of the way you think other people see you. You may get stressed if your loved ones say you don't listen and you feel you've let them down in some way.
Sometimes, being argumentative or even saying mean things can stem from an inability to slow down and recognize how other people are reacting or feeling. This again falls into impulsivity and hyperactivity. But if you were to call out someone with ADHD as rude, they may respond by being defensive.