Business Brilliance, an organization dedicated to helping entrepreneurs with ADHD, spoke with AbilTo CEO, Michael Laskoff, about his experience going public with ADHD and tips to effectively manage the condition.
Listen to Michael’s interview here.
ADD / ADHD
11
Apr 11
Making Peace With Adult ADD Diagnosis, Symptoms
If you’ve long dealt with frustrating symptoms, an adult ADD/ADHD diagnosis can be empowering. But when improvement seems impossible, inconsistent, or gradual, how do you stay motivated about treatment?
Knowledge is power, which is why I felt positively super-heroic when my attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) was first diagnosed. I was 39 already, tired of struggling against forces that I didn’t understand, and entirely ready for actionable alternatives. My diagnosis led to exciting treatment options — medication, behavioral therapy, and codification of useful behaviors — for relief and betterment. As I brought these approaches to bear, I started to feel genuinely powerful and capable of doing everything. But then, over time, that sense of mastery began to recede. To use an apt metaphor, I fell off the horse.
Falling off the horse is a normal part of dealing with ADD/ADHD. It’s what happens when our natural optimism collides with the restraints of the ADD/ADHD brain. Unfortunately, the harder you strive to control the condition, the more disappointed you will feel when you cannot do it successfully. The resulting jolt can leave you disoriented, disheartened, and profoundly frustrated.
When this happens, you have an obligation to yourself to get back on the horse — to take measured, purposeful actions to keep working on symptom management and treatment. But before you can undertake such activities, you probably need to adjust a few of your attitudes about ADD/ADHD. Stated another way, better control over your condition starts with changing your thinking.
‘Til death do you part. You were born with ADD/ADHD, and it has stayed with you into adulthood. If it’s hung on this long, then it’s absolutely not going anywhere. In effect, you and the condition are together for life — ’til death do you part. Your first reaction is likely to be, That’s depressing. Actually, it’s not. Having ADD/ADHD is an immutable part of who you are, so you might as well learn to embrace it. Once you do, you’ll fret less and find it easier to manage the realities of the condition.
Progress, not perfection. When I discovered all that I could do to battle the undesirable aspects of ADD/ADHD, I came to expect that I would be able to purge the unwanted completely — no more careless errors, goodbye to forgetting names, so long to being late. In reality, I reduced the impact these symptoms had on my life but could never fully eliminate any of the behaviors. But because my expectations were too high, I saw failure instead of progress. To say the least, it was demoralizing. Finally it dawned on me: Total elimination of unwanted behaviors was an unrealistic goal. Progress, not perfection, is the key.
Take the medicine that works. I’m compulsive about some kinds of organization. For example, I leave my keys, wallet, and phone in the same place every night. If I don’t, I’ll walk out of the apartment without them in the morning. It’s a simple and effective approach that prevents all kinds of problems. On the other hand, I have tried and failed to use a number of ADD/ADHD coping strategies that others swear by. My lists are terrible, my time-planning skills still stink, and I’ve wasted silly amounts of money buying into methods like Getting Things Done and project-planning software. What’s worse, when I would try a new treatment option and it wouldn’t work for me, I would feel guilty — like I was doing something wrong. And so I’d refuse to abandon them without actually quite using them either. It was like taking medicine that had been proven to help others but which actually made me sick. Eventually, I considered the old adage that anything that isn’t part of the solution is actually part of the problem. That realization made it easier to move on with life.
If you’re serious about not letting ADD/ADHD limit your career, then you already understand the wisdom of getting back on the horse. Slip-ups are inevitable; don’t read too much into them. Think pragmatically, act effectively, and whatever you do, don’t let your ADD/ADHD hold you back.
How do you get back on the horse? How do you overcome setbacks as you work to treat your ADD/ADHD?
By Michael Laskoff
for ADDitude Magazine
26
Oct 10
Psychological Interventions for Adult ADHD
by Dr. David Teplin, Clinical Psychologist
The following was derived from a presentation given by Dr. David Teplin for the 2010 ADHD Awareness Week
ADHD is a highly genetic neurological disorder. However, its impact on functioning can create significant psychological effects. Thus, when we talk of treatment and interventions, we need to emphasize an integrated approach, including that of psychotropic medication, as well as a combination of psychological interventions.
Although the focus of this article is on the psychological interventions of adult ADHD, it would be remiss of me if I did not acknowledge the useful and helpful role that psychotropic medication (in particular, stimulant medication) can play for many in the treatment of adult ADHD.
Of course, such medication is not a panacea either. In fact, among those with adult ADHD, drug therapy alone is often insufficient. Current literature suggests that it is insufficient for over half of the adult ADHD population. As such, this is yet another reason why we need to emphasize an integrated treatment approach with respect to adult ADHD.
Having said that, it is really essential that we recognize that even with the identical diagnosis, and the identical treatment regimen, no two adult ADHD patients look, present or respond to treatment in the identical manner. For that reason alone, an individualized treatment plan must be always be emphasized.
This is especially important as only about a third of adult ADHD patients have what we call pure ADHD and no other co-existing psychiatric disorders. Two thirds, however, have co-existing psychiatric disorders, often including various forms of depression, anxiety, addictions (e.g., alcohol, drugs, gambling, sex), insomnia, eating disturbance, and personality disorders (particularly Borderline and Antisocial Personality Disorders).
While there are clearly several forms of psychological interventions, perhaps the one that has been most studied over the past number of years is Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy (CBT). Here, the term, “cognitive” refers to one’s thinking, attitudes, or beliefs. Those may involve either the present and/or those that are more longstanding from childhood. In traditional CBT, one looks at the person’s automatic thoughts, the nature of those, and how those impact how the person then feels and acts.
In another form of CBT, one looks at the person’s longstanding schema’s or core beliefs about him/herself, others, the world, as well how those influence the person’s coping and problem solving styles. Of course, over time, those become quite reinforced and maintained. In adults with ADHD this is particularly apparent as many have experienced a lifetime of difficulties, often feeling like failures, defective, incompetent, inadequate and socially undesirable. These, in turn, lead to low self-esteem, poor self-image, and self-doubt.
CBT has been shown to be rather effective in the treatment of Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Substance Use Disorders, Eating Disorders, Pathological Gambling, Primary Insomnia, adult ADHD, and Personality Disorders. This becomes especially important because, as already mentioned, many adults with ADHD have one or more such overlapping disorders, and which also requires psychotherapeutic treatment.
When we use CBT in everyday clinical practice for the treatment of adult ADHD, in many instances it is not traditional CBT. One may need to modify some aspects of traditional CBT because not everyone with adult ADHD can tolerate more traditional forms of therapy, such as exploring one’s longstanding schema’s and core beliefs.
One of the other reasons why CBT may not be suited for everyone with adult ADHD is that traditional CBT relies a lot on things like homework assignments, keeping logs, etc., and for some adults with ADHD it is just too difficult. Some may be non-compliant, not necessarily in an oppositional manner, but due to either difficulty keeping focused, or remembering to bring in the homework from the last session.
With respect to CBT, often times we are also looking to give the adult ADHD patient some day-to-day practical skills because in many ways, untreated and unmanaged, we know that this is a serious impairing disorder. Such impairment is on a continuum, and can impact one’s academic setting, work setting, occupational setting, as well as relationships with partners, family and friends, as well as one’s ability to parent.
This is where the behavioural aspects of CBT can be so important, practical, and beneficial for adult ADHD patients. Under the behavioural umbrella would include social skills training, anger management, relapse prevention, coping skills, problem solving skills, time management skills, organizational skills, and learning how to both deal with, and better manage, one’s problems with procrastination.
Relapse prevention may be particularly beneficial for those adults with ADHD who also have co-existing problems with substance use, gambling, eating, and/or sex. Such an intervention is geared toward teaching patients a wide range of cognitive and behavioural coping skills to avoid or deal with a brief return to such problems, or a full-blown return to previous levels of such problems, following a period of abstinence. Of particular importance here is to help patients recognize their various high-risk situations that can lead to potential problems, and do something about them.
Anger management issues often centre around low frustration tolerance, temper outbursts, and being easily angered. Again, this too, highlights adult ADHD as having to do with deficits in the frontal lobe with respect to executive functioning (i.e., self-control and self-regulation).
Of course, anger control problems can also be readily witnessed in persons with other diagnoses besides adult ADHD. For example, persons with a mood disorder, an anxiety disorder, a substance use disorder, or a personality disorder can also be rather aggressive, irritable, explosive, agitated, and highly volatile.
Social skills training is a big piece with respect to the behavioural aspects of CBT. Adults with ADHD can be really good and really skilled at reading into nuances and feelings of other people, but at the same time, may have limited insight into their own behaviour, or how their ADHD related behaviour impacts other people around them. In particular, many adults with ADHD misread social cues, and many also have a tendency to blame others rather taking responsibility for their own behaviour.
Another form of treatment that can be helpful for the adult with ADHD is couples therapy. This form of therapy may also need some modification from a more traditional approach to such work for those with adult ADHD. One of the issues here is that if one or both of the couple has adult ADHD, it becomes important to sort out what is specifically ADHD-related that such couples have to face, versus what is “garden variety” dynamics and issues between couples; period.
Having a diagnosis of adult ADHD diagnosis does not mean that the condition is responsible for every aspect of a person’s life. Like others in the general population, the adult with ADHD may also benefit from addressing personal growth issues, or dealing with certain lifespan issues or life events in psychotherapy.
Psycho-education is also key in the treatment of adult ADHD. Patients with adult ADHD should be strongly encouraged to educate themselves as much as they can on their condition. These days there are several sources that are readily available, including workbooks, articles, magazines (e.g., ADDitude), workshops, virtual conferences, as well as webinars and podcasts via the Internet. In addition, there are also adult ADHD associations that provide several resources for their members.
Finally, family therapy may also be of benefit for some adult ADHD patients and their families. Of course, we know that genetics plays a huge role in ADHD, and as such, ADHD runs in families. Thus, either one or both parents may have ADHD, as well as one of more of their children, too.
However, this is highly individualized, and therefore for some families, this may or may not be contra-indicated. In some cases, it may also be difficult to tease out whether such familial issues and dynamics are systemic in nature, related to the impact those members with ADHD may have on the family unit as a whole, or due to a combination of such factors.
In conclusion, untreated and unmanaged, adult ADHD remains a serious impairing disorder.
Dr. David Teplin is: a Licensed Clinical Psychologist; Adjunct Professor at Yorkville University-Faculty of Behavioural Sciences; a member of the Professional Advisory Board of the Attention Deficit Disorder Association and the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Attentional Disorders. Dr. Teplin is also a member of the AbilTo board of advisors.
5
Oct 10
ADDitude Magazine: You Can’t Overcome ADHD, But You Can Manage It: Three Workplace Strategies That Work
I run a company, but I have not overcome attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD). I cannot; the condition is incurable, with me for life. Instead, I wage a daily contest for control of my unproductive andpotentially destructive behaviors on the job. Some workdays are better than others, but the trend continues in the right direction.
I’m not alone: Every person living with ADD/ADHD has had to overcome the same or similar challenges — even the “successful” ones. Many books are filled with guidance on this topic, but for the sake of simplicity, I think that being able to manage ADD/ADHD at work can be reduced to three simple concepts: avoid, acknowledge, and account.
Avoid.
There are positions that people with ADD/ADHD can secure — by guile, wit, and charm — that they should not accept: namely jobs that require so much more effort for someone with ADD/ADHD than a candidate without the condition. You’ll know you’re in one when workplace accommodations don’t help and working overtime is the only thing that does. For example, I meet people who aren’t very good at minding details who nevertheless become auditors, a profession in which precision matters. As a result, they perform less well than their coworkers, even when they work harder. That’s a recipe for frustration, not success.
Rather than try to adapt to your job, it is far better to identify a career that more closely aligns with what you do well. This may seem like common sense, but many of us dream about jobs for which we aren’t really suited and pursue them anyway. In my case, doing just that once led me to accept a job as an associate in an investment bank. It was a disaster because my natural skills were not particularly valued while my natural deficits became real liabilities. Eventually, I had to leave the job. I would have been better off seeking out an entirely different position.
Acknowledge.
Admittedly, people with ADD/ADHD should avoid some jobs at all costs. It’s also true that there isn’t anADD-friendly job out there that renders ADD/ADHD irrelevant. There are no perfect careers for anyone, including ADD/ADHDers. There will be areas in which your condition causes you to struggle more than those around you. Left unaddressed, these deficits could become employment-threatening problems. But if you acknowledge your own deficits as well as your strengths, you can pick a dream job with relatively few issues to which you will have to learn to adapt.
In the past, when faced with my own ADD/ADHD-caused deficits, I have had a tendency to minimize the problem. I hoped that if I didn’t value a skill set or think much of a particular task that my attitude would infect everyone else: No one would care, and I would be absolved of any obligation. Of course, that has no basis in reality; it’s actually denial, and it leads nowhere good.
It is far better to acknowledge ADD/ADHD-caused deficits — at least to yourself — and to invest necessary extra effort to overcome them. This doesn’t mean that you have to be perfect in every way, but it does mean that all employers have expectations that everyone — adults with ADD/ADHD or not — will meet. The trick is to pick positions with the lowest number of potential problem areas.
Account.
In the simplest terms, make sure your efforts matter. People with ADD/ADHD find it easy to stay busy, but all that effort does not necessarily translate into getting something done. At work, effort has no value unless it results in accomplishments that have recognized value. In most cases, your boss is more than pleased to give you priorities and goals to work toward.
If you can find ways to measure your progress against such outcomes, it will be easier to be certain that you are doing work that will be deemed useful. As basic as all of this may sound, I would be even more successful today and could have saved myself a great deal of headache and heartache by simply avoiding bad situations, acknowledging areas in which success was mandatory, and holding myself accountable by measuring my progress against expected outcomes. Now that I understand all of this, I act accordingly. Hopefully, as you search for the best job for your skill set, you can learn to do the same.
This article first appeared on ADDitude Magazine.
15
Sep 10
Manage ADHD Motor Mouth at Work
By Michael Laskoff for ADDitude Magazine
Use adult ADD/ADHD verbal skills to your advantage on the job.
As an adult with, until recently, undiagnosed — and untreated — attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD), predictably, my big mouth got me into a lot of trouble earlier in my career. I spoke too much, too often, and sometimes unconstructively. This was a problem for which there was a simple solution. Somebody senior would simply “suggest” that I stop speaking. This was often bruising to my ego, but it worked.
Today, I have the big chair, albeit at a small company (AbilTo). In theory, I can speak whenever and however long I’d like. In reality, I try very hard not to indulge in this freedom. A manager who spends too much time talking doesn’t listen and doesn’t learn. Moreover, he or she is sending a message that the opinions and insights of others are irrelevant. That’s very discouraging and bad for business.
Controlling my mouth is therefore a critical skill; it starts with self-awareness, but often that’s simply not enough for a manager with ADD/ADHD. Actual behavior change is required, which is why I’ve implemented a few simple rules for myself. These are not universal guidelines, but hopefully they will get you thinking about what you can do to communicate effectively on the job.
Rule #1: Tell People You Like to Talk
At AbilTo, I interview a lot of therapists. They are trained to listen; I like to talk. It’s all too easy to spout monologues instead of creating and sustaining dialogues. To prevent the wrong outcome, I often tell people when we first meet them that I have a tendency to be long-winded. Then I encourage them to interrupt me with questions, particularly if I have wandered off on a tangent. Stated simply, I admit that I have a problem and ask for assistance dealing with it. So long as this is done with some charm and humor, it tends to work out well.
Rule #2: Create an Entertaining Environment
Some organizations — the military, for example — rely on strict hierarchy. In such a setting, as someone at the top, I’d have free reign to talk forever. Information would certainly travel down, but nothing of value would move back up. To prevent that, I try to keep things informal: People are encouraged to speak, joke, conjecture, and engage in some verbal horseplay. That keeps meetings and conversations engaging and entertaining, which diminishes my compulsion to take over. As a result, it’s much easier for me to listen rather than speak. Others are able get a word in edgewise, and everyone benefits.
Rule #3: Clock It
Once a week, we have the dreaded staff meeting. We call ours the 60 MOB, which stands for 60 minutes of bliss. As the name implies, the meeting has a hard stop at the end of an hour. That’s not necessarily much time to cover everything, so a good deal of focus is required. Thus, we plan the meeting in advance, circulate an agenda, and ask people to come prepared. Invariably, I hijack bits and pieces of the meeting, but I also watch the clock and try to stay on topic. As a result, our staff meetings are quite a bit less dreadful than they are elsewhere.
I still talk too much. I do, after all, have ADD/ADHD, and I still do a lot of my thinking out loud through dialog. But these simple rules help me to tone it down enough so that other voices can be heard. That makes me a better manager and AbilTo a better place to work.
15
Sep 10
AbilTo Sponsors ADHD Week in New York City
(New York, NY) AbilTo, the leading provider in face-to-face therapy programs for behavioral disorders using video chat, has planned events in New York City for ADHD Awareness Week 2010, September 13th-18th. Events are listed as follows:
Monday, September 13: ADHD Meetup/Tweetup
The company will sponsor an ADHD Awareness Meetup and Tweetup, planned in conjunction with the Missing Manual for ADD and Mood Issues Group of New York City. The event is scheduled to take place from 5pm-8pm at Fiddlesticks Pub, 56 Greenwich Avenue. The hashtag for the Tweetup portion of the event is #ADHDWeek2010.
Tuesday, September 14: ADHD Awareness Expo 2010
AbilTo will be front and center at the ADHD Awareness Expo 2010, with the company on exhibit for attendees to see. An interview and presentation with AbilTo CEO Michael Laskoff will also be a part of the evening’s events, and will be re-broadcast throughout the week.
Wednesday, September 15th: [TBD]
the ADHD Awareness Expo will continue to showcase AbilTo and sponsor live chats and events celebrating ADHD Awareness.
Thursday, September 16th: Manhattan Adult ADD Support Group Meeting + Closing Event
The Manhattan Adult ADD Support Group (MAADDSG) will be hosting an ADD and Bipolar presentation with Dr. Kathryn Galanter at the West End Collegiate Church, at 245 West 77th Street, from 6:15-9:00pm. Immediately following the event, AbilTo will be hosting an ADHD Awareness Week Closing Party/Networking event for all at Dublin House bar, 225 West 79th Street, beginning at approximately 9:15.
About ADHD Awareness Week 2010
Four national organizations – ADHD Coaches Organization (ACO); Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA); ADDitude magazine; and Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) – are issuing a joint call to the public to assist children, adults, and families who are affected by ADHD. On the occasion of ADHD Awareness Week, September 13-17, they’ve compiled evidence-based information and links to available resources and supports at www.adhdawareness2010.org.
About AbilTo
AbilTo (http://www.abilto.com) offers face-to-face therapy programs, using video chat, to help individuals manage prevalent behavioral disorders and difficult life transitions. AbilTo programs utilize scientifically proven techniques; provide clients with both a qualified therapist and coach; and differ from traditional therapy by offering a single price and set duration. Current offerings address adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD/ADD), panic attacks and helping new mothers confront the difficulties of returning to their careers. AbilTo is privately held and based in New York, NY.
10
Aug 10
AbilTo Demos at August Health 2.0 NYC Meetup
AbilTo LLC delivers a live demonstration on August 18th, 2010 at MultiVu, 350 Hudson Street, Suite 300, NYC.
(New York, NY) On Wednesday, August 18th, 2010, AbilTo LLC, the leading provider of team-based, face-to-face online therapy, will be holding a live demonstration of their user platform at the August edition of New York’s Health 2.0 meetup, held at MultiVu at 350 Hudson Street, Suite 300, NYC. The event begins at 6:30pm and will also be simulcast live online at http://www.livestream.com/faircaremd.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in four adults have a behavioral disorder; many lack access to private, convenient and effective assistance. To overcome these hurdles, AbilTo programs connect a team, consisting of a qualified therapist and coach, with individuals suffering as a result of: common behavioral disorders, such as adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD) and Panic Attacks; or life transitions, such as those experienced by new mothers returning to work. Each program offers clients a set price for a fixed duration program delivered on a convenient schedule, including evenings and weekends.
CEO Michael Laskoff will demonstrate how the company uses Web 2.0 applications to eliminate geographic barriers and fundamentally change traditional approaches to therapy. Using the full suite of APIs available via the TokBox Platform, AbilTo has been able to seamlessly integrate video communications into their web experience. The intuitive video chat capability allows AbilTo clients to meet virtually with a therapist, coach or both without having to download software.
This event is part of a series of monthly meetups organized by The New York Healthcare Technology Meetup Group. This group, which functions as the New York Health 2.0 chapter, is focused on discussing technological innovations that focus on the patient. Meetups contain a live demonstration followed by a moderated discussion on relevant topics. Questions regarding the event can be directed to organizers Alex Fair and Eugene Borukhovich, who can be contacted by visiting http://www.health20nyc.com/suggestion/.
For additional information on AbilTo and The New York Healthcare Technology Group – Health 2.0 NYC, visit www.abilto.com and http://www.health20nyc.com/
About AbilTo LLC:
AbilTo (http://www.abilto.com) offers face-to-face therapy programs, using video chat, to help individuals manage prevalent behavioral disorders and difficult life transitions. AbilTo programs utilize scientifically proven techniques; provide clients with both a qualified therapist and coach; and differ from traditional therapy by offering a single price and set duration. Current offerings address adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD/ADD), panic attacks and helping new mothers confront the difficulties of returning to their careers. AbilTo is privately held and based in New York, NY.
About The New York Healthcare Technology Group – Health 2.0 NYC:
The New York Healthcare Technology Group – Health 2.0 NYC (http://www.health20nyc.com) is dedicated to discussing technology innovations that focus on the patient. They look for start-ups and individuals to present technologies such as e-prescribing, social healthcare, innovative use of devices, consumer driven health, data mining, process enhancements using technology and more. Group membership is not limited to technology professionals, and they are proud to have industry professionals such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists who actively participate in the group’s activities and monthly meetup events.
Contact: AbilTo LLC at info@abilto.com
10
Aug 10
How ADHD Assets Can Become Workplace Liabilities
By Michael Laskoff for ADDitude Magazine
If left unchecked, positive adult ADD/ADHD traits, such as creativity, high-energy work productivity, and honesty, could backfire on the job. A lesson on controlling impulses when your career is on the line.
I spent four decades on this planet before being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD). I always knew that I had a “problem,” but I managed to graduate from business school near the top of my class without finding or addressing the cause.
When I started working full-time, however, I realized I had a huge problem. I literally wrote my book –Landing On The Right Side Of Your Ass — to try to make sense of all the great jobs that I had found, secured, and lost at a laundry list of top companies. It would be inaccurate and unfair to pin all of this on untreated ADD/ADHD, but many of my good, but ultimately destructive behaviors, seemed to have sprung from that source. What follows are a few positive-sounding traits, sharpened by ADD/ADHD, that always accelerated my career demise.
Creative: Like many people with ADD/ADHD, I positively churn out new ideas — some good, some awful, most of which leave me feeling indifferent when I slow down to think about them. To this day, I am generally unable to judge the quality of an idea until I say it out loud. I literally need to hear it to process it. As a result, I tend to over-communicate. At first, this can make me seem wildly ingenious, but inevitably, people find it exhausting. It’s no wonder that my name so frequently found itself at the top of the list when someone needed to get the axe.
Honest: I’m honest to a fault, literally. Most people have a thought, consider its implications, and then speak. I tend skip the filtering process and blurt. At first, (some) people like the fact that I’m “refreshingly” direct, particularly if it ruffles some feathers. Key people — former employers — always got irked; some patient bosses would urge me to be more politic in my approach. This was and remains good advice, and I do my best to follow it. Often, however, I revert back to old bad habits — expressing my “troublemaker” opinions.
Workaholic: I work hard; I always have. That helps on the job. Unfortunately, since ADD/ADHD makes some things — such as being prompt, focused, and respectful — that are simple for others, challenging for me, this work ethic doesn’t apply to all tasks. I can tackle assignments that require these skills, but doing so costs me far more time and energy than average person.
My vain attempts to try and pass off or over this kind of unrewarding and mundane work have led me to waste many days arguing with my bosses. My point? They were asking me to do something inane. Theirs? The work needed to be done regardless. Naturally, I always lost. And at what cost?
I wouldn’t dare to generalize my personal experience — work circumstances and ADD/ADHD behaviors are simply too diverse — but I will offer the following observation: There’s a fine line between being a creative, honest workaholic and turning into a scatterbrained procrastinator with a big mouth. Even when I couldn’t tell the difference, my soon-to-be-former employers always could. You need to make sure you’re on the right side.
So, if you know, or suspect, that you have ADD/ADHD, do something. Medication and behavioral therapy changed my life, but if you’re not ready, or able, to explore these avenues, you can still benefit from a greater self-awareness of your impact on the workplace. Success often isn’t measured by heroic deeds, but by daily positive contributions. Put your energies into the latter, and your good qualities will be more appreciated while your professional prospects improve.
9
Aug 10
This Just In: ADD Adults Are Stupid, Lazy, and Evolved
By Michael Laskoff for ADDitude Magazine
http://www.additudemag.com/adhdblogs/9/7533.html
Contrary to what many of us with the condition might like to think, plenty of people with adult ADD/ADHD are also lazy and stupid. But we should rejoice at this because it means that we’re just like everyone else.
4
Jun 10
Client Perspectives: AbilTo’s ADD/ADHD Program
Jennifer is an intern/client of AbilTo’s ADD/ADHD program.
I struggled with the affects of my undiagnosed ADHD in high school. The problems were even more frustrating in college. I would start out a semester strong, yet would finish with only a whisper. I barely maintained the GPA necessary to keep my partial academic scholarship. Teachers knew I was capable, as did I. Yet, I felt trapped. The constant struggle with disorganization, procrastination and lack of focus became crippling. I could no longer function at work, school or in my life in general. As a result, I sought psychological counseling through my school to inquire about my ADHD symptoms. However, my general distrust for psychiatrists, therapists and the behavioral health profession kept me from pursuing a formal medical diagnosis.
After beginning my internship with AbilTo, I finally decided to swallow my fear and pride. A psychiatrist diagnosed my ADHD and prescribed medication, but that was it. Around this time, it just so happened that AbilTo was seeking to perform beta testing with their ADD/ADHD Program. AbilTo’s CEO and founder, Michael Laskoff, asked if I would like to take part. Eager to finally find the elusive solution to my problems, I graciously accepted.
AbilTo’s ADD/ADHD program could not have provided a better solution. With my incredibly busy schedule and varying availability, videoconferencing allowed me to easily schedule sessions with both my therapist and my coach conveniently. I saved so much time not having to travel to an office. I also know the stigma and stereotypes associated with ADHD. Staying in my apartment allowed me to keep my ADHD private, and ultimately reveal it on my own terms.
My coach and therapist were nothing short of amazing. They helped me transform my life miraculously in 10 short weeks. In a true team effort, my therapist helped me to change the way I think about myself, my abilities and the world around me while my coach enhanced my scheduling and time management skills for completing homework and tasks. I saw immediate improvements week after week. Those improvements made me even more eager to succeed with the program. Things I had been struggling with my entire life were no longer problems– some of them were vanishing even just halfway through the program. It was clear that AbilTo’s approach worked for me.
Thanks to AbilTo, my professors no longer were frustrated with me anymore. In coupling the program with medication in my last college semester, I earned the high GPA that I should have had my other seven semesters. I even made Dean’s List! Through the help of AbilTo’s ADD/ADHD program, I showed my professors just how capable I was. I was finally living up to their expectations. After earning various academic honors awards at graduation, I finished school feeling more positive and accomplished than ever. Thanks to the tools AbilTo’s ADHD program has equipped me with, I have the confidence to succeed at school and work.
I cannot thank everyone at AbilTo for all they’ve done for me—as a client and intern. I have now gained the invaluable tools to positively manage my life with my ADHD. I will always be grateful to those at AbilTo for deciding to reinvent therapy when I so badly needed it.
