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The Positive's of ADD. The Advantages of Attention Deficit Disorder

Participant Ideas from Pete Quily's Practical Success Tips for Adults with ADD Seminar. CHADD Vancouver, October 21, 2003

Reproduced with kind permission from Pete Quily.

Positive Characteristics of People with Attention Deficit Disorder

Challenges for People with Attention Deficit Disorder

How to Deal with the Challenges of Attention Deficit Disorder

"ADD adults are definitely creative, and have a lot of positive characteristics. Please note the ratio of positive aspects to challenges. Here's the list of the ideas that everyone came up with at the meeting.

Thanks to everyone for showing up and participating. I had a great time and learned a lot from you."

Pete Quily

Positive Characteristics of People with Attention Deficit Disorder.

151 Positives.

Ability to find alternate paths to overcome obstacles
Able to take on large situations
Adaptive/collaborative
Adventurous, courageous, lives outside of boundaries
Always finding alternate routes to any given location.
Always willing to help others
Ambitious - you want to be everything when "you grow up"
Artistic
Attractive personality - magnetic due to high energy
Being able to see the big picture
Being able to see the patterns in the chaos.

Being intuitive towards others' difficulties
Broad focus - can see more, notice things more
Can create order from chaos
Can do many projects at once
Can make people feel they are heard
Can see the big picture
Can talk about several things at one time
Can think on my feet
Career variety
Centre of attention

Comfortable talking in front of groups
Comfortable with change and chaos
Compassion for others and for themselves
Conceptualizes well
Confidence
Constantly evolving
Courageous
Creates connections easily
Creative
Creative writing

Creative - musical, artistic, "dramatic"
Good in a crisis
Good at customer relations
Dedicated
Detail-oriented
Determined to gain more control
Eager to make friends
Eager to try new things
Empathetic, sensitive
Energetic

Entrepreneurial
Excellent organizers using journals and reminders (notes etc.)
Flexible - changes as the situation requires
Fun guy to be around
Goal-oriented
Good at conceptualizing
Good at motivating self and others
Good at multitasking
Good at problem solving
Good at public speaking

Good at understanding others/mind reading - empathetic
Good conversationalist
Good delegator and good at organizing others
Good in emergency situations
Good listener
Good looking and aware of it
Good people skills
Good self esteem, energetic
Great brain-stormer
Great multitasker

Great self-company
Great sense of humour
Great storyteller
Great with kids (central figure around kids)
Hands-on workers
Hard worker
Has friendly relations with their family
Has the gift of gab
Helpful
Helps others who are also in trouble

High energy - go, go, go
Humour, very healthy, quick picking up ideas
Hyper focus !!
Hypersensitive - very empathetic and good at non-verbal communications
Idea generator
Imaginative
Impulsive (in a good way) not afraid to act
Initiators
Intelligent
Intuitive

It's ok to not finish everything
Learning as much as I can to help children and others with adhd
Less sleep is good (midnight to 6 am)
Like to talk a lot
Likes learning new things
Look at multidimensional sides to a situation
Lots of interests
Loves to cook and be creative
Magnetic
Master idea generator

Mentoring others/helpful
Mentoring people with low self esteem
Modesty
Move on fast - never hold a grudge
Multitasks well
Never bored and rarely boring
Never intimidated to try new things
Non-linear, multi-dimensional/edge of chaos
Not afraid to speak mind
Not contained by boundaries.

On stage and ready
Optimistic
Outgoing
Passionate
Persistent
Philosophical
Holistic thinking
Playful
Pragmatic
Problem solver

Profound
Quick thinking
Quick witted
Relates to people easily
Resistant
Resourceful
Saves money in the short term by forgetting to efile tax returns
See and remember details - recount them later
Sees the big picture
Socially adaptive and flexible.

Spontaneous
Stabilizer during difficult situations
Stable
Successful
Takes initiative
Tenacious
Theoretical
Think outside the box
Thinks 2 meters ahead of the world
Thinks big, dreams big

Thorough
Tolerant
Unconventional
Unlimited energy
Unorthodox
Versatile
Very creative, able to generate a lot of ideas
Very hard working to compensate - workaholic
Very intuitive
Very resourceful

Very successful
Visionary
Visual learner
Willing to explore
Willing to take risks
Willingness to help others
Witty
Won't tolerate boredom
Works well under pressure
Worldly

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Challenges of Attention Deficit Disorder. 26 challenges.

Blurting things out
Clutter-physical leading to mental and emotional
Daydreamer
Defensiveness
Depression
Emotional self-flagellation
Forgetting things
Getting lost
Hypersensitivity
Hypersensitivity in relationships

Impatient, impulsive, distractive
Lacking attention/ wandering mind
Losing concentration during conversation
Losing things
Messy
Negative self-talk
Never finishes jobs
Often occupied with self or easily distracted so difficult to maintaining Concentration
One-upmanship
Organizational problems

Over talkative
Pessimistic
Procrastination
Time management
Undisciplined
Unfocused, disorganized, forgetful

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How to Deal with the Challenges of Attention Deficit Disorder

Four possible ways to deal with the negative aspects/challenges of ADD

1. Deal with the problems yourself
2. Delegate the problem
3. Ignore it
4. Partner with someone to assist you in dealing with the challenge. i.e. coach, therapist, professional organizer, friend, family member, work colleague etc.

Specific examples of how to deal with the challenges of Attention Deficit Disorder.

62 ideas

Acupuncture
Analyze the situation
Ask for feedback
Medication
Be somewhat vigilant - try not to go overboard
Brain storming, being visual
Break down into tasks and schedule time
Calm down
Carry a map
Cheery things help.

Day timer - write down what needs to be done and when needs to be done
Double check directions
Emotional alchemy
Exercise always helps.
Give another reminder - on door, bed, and chair before going out
Go to course offered by Paul Talbot clear the clutter
Have a list
Have someone call to, remind me to go, or to say how long it takes to travel to a Place.
Have two garbage bags #1 keeping #2 not keeping start sorting!
Hire a coach

Hire a clutter consultants (delegate)
I need an assistant but not a pushy, driving type.
I need to stay calm to keep moving to get ready for appointments.
Invisible clock
Learning to listen to your wife
Leave early
Let people know the challenge and to try let them know what will help (not to Interrupt).
Let them know when you've lost your train of thought
Listen (don't judge)
Listen (not wait to talk, truly listen)

Listen and make people feel they are heard (non-verbal communicator)
Listening, not judging, not getting bored
Make sure to turn off all other distractions.
Make a list of things to be done and when
Meditation
Minimize distraction
Music helps.
Organize projects, plans, ideas
Organizing and removing clutter
Pause, check in with self before speaking

Plan conversation, topics during meeting
Plan out subjects/goal for conversation
Relax
Remove distractions
Schedule in rewards/fun
Schedule what you need to do and when you need to do it
Set clocks fast
Slow down
Start with one thing at a time
Stop, pause, breath, act.

Supplements also help; they're natural and nutritional.
Talk about adhd so others can become better informed
Tell yourself to wait without interrupting
The invisible clock.
Therapy
Tie string to hand
Timer
Try medication
Use day timer
Use rewards when getting goals

Using calendar and getting in habit of checking it regularly
Yoga classes

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Reproduced by kind permission Pete Quily

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