The AD/HD Resume. Part II

Continued from here.

One way to solve the problem is to find a job that requires a certain level of distractibility. It would also have to have enough novelty to be consistently stimulating. One example that springs to mind is software programming or any job that requires a lot of problem solving and creative thinking in order to get a major task done. The distractibility is often channeled into creativity. An AD/HDer may break the big project down into bite sized chunks and hack away at it piece by piece so it doesn't overwhelm them. Eventually, someone with treated AD/HD could get the job done just as well as any equally skilled programmer.

The AD/HD Resume. Part I

Easily distracted, rarely finishes tasks, often late for appointments, chronic procrastination, often fails to follow instructions, is often forgetful in daily tasks, constantly seeking external or internal stimuli, often loses things necessary for tasks and activities...

These are some common AD/HD symptoms (mostly associated with inattentive subtype, so it only covers half of the combined type spectrum - I am combined). It reads like an anti-resume, doesn't it? Kind of an employment binary-opposite. Having AD/HD does make it look a lot like you're wired for unemployment.

Wearing Da Vinci's Genes?

Late last night, an associate of mine managed to peak my curiosity long enough to get me to download an ebook named after something called "The Da Vinci Method". Apparently its the next big thing among AD/HDers. Its even endorsed by Ph.D. holder Dr. Shane Perrault, who is the head psychologist at Entrepreneurs with ADHD. I'm not familiar with his work, but he has a very marketable headshot (and no, American readers, it has nothing to do with the colour of his skin - and that's how we spell "color" in Australia).

I only really skimmed through it, but I read enough to be really put off. It read like the The Secret for people with ADHD, and thats not a good thing. Mostly because The Secret reads like a big American advertisement more than anything else.

Kindergarten.

Just before we all moved on to primary school, our kindergarten teacher gave each of us kids picture books that she thought we could relate to.

I got given a book called "Michael". I haven't been able to track it down anywhere online. I'm pretty sure it might be somewhere in my parents' roof. If I ever find it, I'll scan it.

It was about a kid who didn't pay attention to his parents, dressed like a punk, and didn't do well at school. He had this obsession with drawing rocket ships.

Whirling Dervish.

I've been unemployed lately, and so I've had the chance to watch myself go against no imaginary structure whatsoever. And having been more aware of my AD/HD lately, I thought I'd make a quick post listing some of the rapid cycling 'phases' or 'obsessions' I've gone through in the past six weeks (off the top of my head of course):

The Kitchen.

What's it like being an adult with AD/HD? If I'd forgotten my medication, I'd have started this blog earlier when I was meant to be cleaning the kitchen. Instead I mostly finished the kitchen and planned this first paragraph.

I can't answer that question in one quick post. I doubt anyone could. I'm not really the best at living with it either. I'm still learning and I have a way to go. I suppose thats kind of strange because I've always had AD/HD. I actually showed my first clues at around fifteen months when I began showing abnormal sleep difficulties. Of course, they couldn't diagnose it then. I was first diagnosed at six, and again at twelve. My family and I didn't accept the diagnosis - both came during Sixty Minutes AD/HD hysteria.

Eventually I was diagnosed again at seventeen and I've been on medication since. I'm twenty one now, and I'm finally starting to get some understanding about the disorder. I live in Australia, so the information isn't quite as readily available as it is in the United States.