Photo by Giulia May on Unsplash
There are so many stigmas.
The name doesn’t help. We now know that people with ADHD don’t have a deficit in attention but an attention regulation issue. This regulation issue is partly because of a difficulty creating and processing dopamine. Naturally, we seek out dopamine, very like how a person with diabetes might need extra sugar when their insulin is too low. If what we are working on doesn’t provide the dopamine boost we need, we will gravitate to other sources. A source like TikTok, where this creator has suggested a new name for ADHD, Dopamine Attention Variability Executive-Dysfunction. https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMR14Hctj/
When we first start a job, it can feel like a lot of handholding.
Many of us need very hands-on training when we first start, no matter how much experience we have. Part of it is because we are adjusting to how this team/ manager/company does things compared to places we’ve worked in the past. One way to help with situational context is explaining tasks as an if/then statement. For example: “If Paula asks us to work on a task, then all other projects shift down in priority.” “If you can’t find the latest version, then reach out to Abdul by email, and he can help.”
We’re already conforming most of the time … and we’re tired.
The majority of the world is built for people who are considered neurotypical. Just like a wheelchair user has to adapt to an urban setting, neurodivergent people spend a lot of their time and energy adjusting. It can be exhausting. Suppose employers and colleagues can meet employees part of the way by contributing a small effort. In that case, it could significantly impact their neurodivergent co-workers and free up energy for the work at hand.
We’ve had a lot of negative reactions at previous jobs, like being told that we are difficult, unable to cope, etc
Please don’t add your judgment to the long list of negative self-talk we have going on. The chances are that many people haven’t supported our differences. Unfortunately, those experiences stick with us. In many cases, it’s taken a toll on our confidence and self-esteem. While constructive feedback is helpful, criticism can sink us. Especially because many of us also deal with Rejection Sensitivity Dysmorphia.
Asking for help is tough.
Asking for accommodations can make us feel selfish or difficult. Sometimes we don’t know how to ask for help. Consider offering accommodations and assistive technology to all employees as a standard onboarding practice.
Asking you to help us breakdown a project into smaller parts does not mean that we’re trying to make you do the work
Doctors believe that people with ADHD often have trouble visualizing the end result, making it nearly impossible to figure out what it will take to complete a project and forget about starting it. You can help a lot by talking this through with us. It doesn’t mean that we are passive-aggressive and trying to make you do it instead. Ideas on how to help: if you’ve seen a version of a report that you like, share that with us. Help us create a checklist or to-do list. Set milestones of what elements are needed at what point. Then leave us to it. We are happy to dive right in once we can wrap our heads around what needs to be done.
Sometimes we need you to be the organized one
If you can’t keep track of what’s going on, neither can we. There’s not much to add.
Make the most out of our creativity
Let us have our passion projects – and help us figure out boundaries to it. Because we are out-of-the-box thinkers, we can often see opportunities before they fully form into something. Let us develop them. The dopamine that we will get from working on our project 5% of the time will easily power the other 95%. Do they always end up being useful? No, but they do more often than not.
Please don’t expect us to sit still during meetings
We just aren’t naturally still people. And the more energy we spend on holding still, the less we are paying attention. Additionally, studies have shown that people who move when they talk make faster connections between ideas.
Having headphones on doesn’t mean I don’t want to talk to you
Some people see a co-worker turned away with headphones on as standoffish or unapproachable. It is really easy to get distracted by all of the noises in a work environment. Interesting conversations are happening all around us. Additionally, if they have an auditory processing disorder, they might have difficulties not hearing background noises like printers, construction, or the lights overhead. Headphones can cut down on the temptation to spend the day chatting with everyone or drown out the jackhammer down the block.
Why we ask for a later start time
It’s not because I’m lazy, I swear. No neurodivergent people are more likely to struggle with insomnia. Some suffer from Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder. So, if an employee can’t fall asleep until 2- 3 AM regularly, having them start the day at 8 AM is a recipe for failure. On the other hand, having them work a 10-7 workday could improve their productivity immensely.
Be patient if we say “What?” a lot
We are listening, but our brain isn’t always processing. It could be because of an auditory processing disorder or a nearby distraction. If you vary it up, changing pitch, speed, or the order of the words, that helps.
MarketingMichelle 