11 ADHD Coping

Mechanisms
Treatment and Living Techniques
That Work with ADHD Brains

From the ADHD Experts at

 A trusted source of advice and information for families touched by attention-deficit disorder
and a voice of inspiration to help people with ADHD find success at home, at school, and on the job.

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 11 ADHD
Coping
Mechanisms
Your life will change when you understand the ADHD
nervous system and why the treatments youve used
havent worked. The treatment and living techniques
outlined below uniquely work with ADHD brains.
BY WILLIAM DODSON, M.D.

Most people dont understand how an ADHD brain is wired. Well-meaning

parents, teachers, and spouses suggest organization or concentration
techniques that work for them and then theyre surprised (even angry)
when we dont see the same results. They might admonish us or insist we
re-try, suggesting our lack of success is tied to some fundamental flaw and
implying, Youre lazy! or You didnt really try. In reality, though, were
setting ourselves up for failure because neurotypical techniques just dont
work for ADHD brains.

So what strategies do work? ADHD-specific treatments arent inaccessible

or particularly hard to follow. Its much harder, in fact, to unlearn habits that My ADHD made me
have been built up over a lifetime. However, once you commit to giving up different from other people.
the old neurotypical techniques that never worked, you can start a treatment Once I recognized that,
plan thats tailored to you. Heres how: the self-imposed pressure
and stress lifted. I could
handle almost anything.
1. Find Your Cheerleader Jennifer Koretsky, an
The key to being successful and happy is having a cheerleader who unshakably adult with ADHD
believes that you are good, intelligent, and loving. The most successful adults
with ADHD were loved, supported, and valued as kids by a parent, teacher,
brother, or even a sports coach. A cheerleaders chief job is to distinguish
between the childs worth and his achievements. from the editors of

3
2. Know Thy ADHD
ADHD therapy should start with understanding and realistically
evaluating what is possible for a person to achieve, and what is not.
Parents should not hold kids with ADHD accountable for things they cant
accomplish right now (though they may be possible later). Accountability
and responsibility are good things, but only if they lead to success. Every
family member must be part of the treatment team knowing all about
ADHD and how to contribute to the solution.

3. Level the Playing Field

The right ADHD medication at the right dosage can take a patients attention
span, impulsivity control, and motor movements to higher levels. If youve
tried ADHD counseling or coaching without ADHD medication and didnt
get the outcome you expected, try it again with medication. Most people
with ADHD who take medication feel as if they are competing on a level
EXPERT WEBINAR
playing field, often for the first time in their lives.
Healing the ADHD
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4. Get Things Done with ACT Strategies That Work
Meeting a deadline or doing something your boss thinks is important http://additu.de/1a1
isnt enough motivation for people with ADHD. ACT Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy helps focus and motivate a person with ADHD
when rewards dont. With ACT, patients reflect on what matters most to
them family, setting a record or gaining fame, faith in God to motivate
them by asking the question, Am I doing something that matters to me?

5. Document Your Successes

Once you are on the right medication at the right dosage, carry a pen and
small pad with you and make an inventory of solutions that work for you.
Think about those times when youre in the zone, when youre engaged,
productive, and energized. When did it happen? What took you out of
the zone and what got you back in it? After a month, youll have 20 or so
techniques that you know will work for you when you procrastinate.

6. Spark Interest When You Need It Most

To access their full abilities, people with ADHD have to create interest where
none exists naturally. Example: A medical student with ADHD was flunking
gross anatomy. His ADHD coach had him imagine he was the ER doctor
treating President Kennedy the students idol and his inspiration for
going to med school after he was shot. He had to know anatomy to save
Kennedys life. With this imagined urgency, the student mastered anatomy 11 ADHD Coping
and graduated second in his class.
Mechanisms
from the editors of

4
7. Change the Format
A person with ADHD may find it hard to demonstrate what he knows. So
he needs to look for novel ways to showcase his talent. Example: A young
man with ADHD struggled with writing assignments in English class. He
was bored by the books he was assigned to read. He talked with his teacher
and, instead of writing book reports, he persuaded the teacher to let him
write parodies of the books. He zipped through assignments and received
the top prize in English.

8. Grab the Reins at School

Adults and kids with ADHD want someone else to make things interesting,
but were best off doing it ourselves. Example: If you have five English
courses to choose from, find out which instructor is bright and engaging.
Sit in on classes and ask students for their opinions. Take the course that Those who have a hard
engages you the most. If youre a parent, make sure that your child gets in time getting motivated,
the course by writing an accommodation into his IEP that allows him to organized, or sorting out
register ahead of his classmates. their career might find
coaching extremely helpful
and even vital. Other
9. Create Competition to Avoid Boredom people put into place the
People with ADHD are able to master new jobs and activities quickly, only supports that enable them
to lose interest in the blink of an eye. Challenge and competitiveness can to succeed without the
help. Trying to beat a personal best, or imagining the task as a video game need of a coach. Sandy
with more difficult ascending levels, holds the interest of many people with Newmark, M.D.
ADHD.

10. Find a Nudge to Stay On Task

Body-doubling is a technique used by tutors, but it can also help people with
ADHD at work. Example: An attorney with ADHD was tired of always meeting
deadlines at the 11th hour. He cleared his desk of distractions and asked his
assistant to bring him one case at a time. They discussed what he needed to do
and she checked up on him. At a set time, she took away the original file and
ushered him into the next task.

11. Stack the Deck in Your Favor

ADHD treatment is likely to fail unless a trusted significant other gets involved
and stays involved. For at least the first year, the motivation for treatment
and the ability to see the benefits will reside primarily in someone other than
the patient.
11 ADHD Coping
Mechanisms
from the editors of

5
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