The Pervasive Nature of ADHD

As we mentioned in an earlier post, ADHD is a neurological disorder impacting parts of the brain related to executive function. As an executive function deficit disorder, anyone with ADHD will have difficulty with most, if not all, seven executive functions associated with self-regulation. This makes it pervasive through all areas of their life.

The extent of these deficits differ from person to person and vary from one situation to another - context matters.

For a person with ADHD, the impairment of executive function impacts their life daily, and many times over. Pretty much anything they think, feel, and do. The challenge people with ADHD have is doing what they know, when, and where they need to. As such, ADHD is a disorder of performance. It is not a sign of low intelligence; in fact, people with ADHD can be highly intelligent.

So, what does this mean in real terms? Let's look at the executive function clusters most impacted by ADHD.

Activation is the ability to organise tasks and things, to estimate time, and get started. People with ADHD can be disorganised on many levels, notorious for running late or losing track of time, and can find it super hard to get moving on a task. Prioritising what needs to be done when, then doing it, is a challenge. This can have a real impact on work performance, home life, and stress levels.

Focus is an interesting one as ADHD can make people lack focus and be hyper-focused.  What's needed here is the ability to shift focus as the need requires, then find it and sustain it again...if they can.  Managing distractibility is important.

Effort. This can be hard for everyone at times, but being able to keep alert, motivated, and maintain brain power is particularly challenging when you have ADHD. Even listening requires effort. The result can be unfinished tasks, missed appointments, and misunderstandings.

Emotion. The inability to self-regulate emotions successfully is huge for people with ADHD. Difficulty modulating feelings and managing frustration can cause some of the biggest damage as it's central to communication and relationships. And impulsiveness can bring about a range of problems. Think shopping, eating, dangerous behaviours...

Memory is another area significantly impacted by ADHD. Here we are focusing on difficulties with using working memory and recalling information. Feeling like you need to re-learn things multiple times because you can't remember what you did last time is very real.

Action is about the ability to monitor and regulate physical activity. From doing nothing through to restlessness and hyperactivity.  Fidgeting and sleep issues are very common with ADHD.

The ability to self-manage is important. The busy, fast-paced world we tend to live in can be overwhelming and stressful for anyone and learning how to balance personal and professional demands is hard.  Having ADHD makes it harder.

So, what’s the good news here?

The brain is a system of systems so no one part of the brain manages an executive function. A professional evaluation and diagnosis of ADHD opens doors to appropriate treatments and support.

This may mean medication to help with the physiological aspects to improve brain functioning, and there is very effective medication available. Or it may mean seeking help for the psychological and behavioural aspects, and this is where coaching and behavioural therapy play an important role. Often it means both approaches - everyone is different.

The bottom line is, when ADHD is impacting someone, they can do something about it. They can improve their systems to help them optimise ways of thinking, feeling, and acting. They can better understand their strengths and how to use them. They can improve their performance and subsequent quality of life. And, let's face it, who doesn't want that?

In our next post we will look at the persistent nature of ADHD and the consequence of facing executive function challenges daily.

As you've likely seen, whether we have ADHD or not, there is usually one or two executive function areas that create the biggest problems for us.

So, we're curious, what is your kryptonite? We'd love to hear from you.