Adult ADHD can have a massive impact on your life. But this doesn't apply to everyone with ADHD. Many ADHDers are high achievers.
One study found that adults with significant ADHD/ADD symptoms who achieve professional success do so largely thanks to compensation strategies. Because these people are high achievers despite their symptoms, they may not even realize that they have ADHD/ADD.
ADHD can make completing tasks such as school work, homework, or work projects much more difficult. However, there is no clear link between ADHD and IQ. A person may have a high, average, or low IQ score and also have ADHD. ADHD may cause a person to interrupt in class or perform poorly on tests.
Perhaps because our brains are so often firing off, many ADHDers are very ambitious. Dr. Russell Barkley speaks powerfully on ADHD and motivation by noting that most people with the condition are unable to attain their dreams because they struggle with sustaining action towards a future goal.
Leaders with ADHD may also have higher energy levels, which can be great for generating a positive atmosphere at work, and boosting morale within teams. It is important that we recognise that individuals with neurological differences such as ADHD can have multiple talents and strengths that contribute to success.
1- Leonardo Da Vinci:
The difficulty of focusing on one single thing due to ADHD caused him to be interested in many different subjects. He was an artist, sculptor, inventor, scientist, musician, architect, anatomist, astronomer, and a mathematician.
Why Are There So Many Successful People with ADHD? It is known that people with ADHD have specific strengths, as a result of their brain functioning difference. They are more spontaneous, creative, energetic, intuitive, imaginative, and inventive.
A recent review of findings on ADHD and FFM personality suggests that, in general, ADHD has associations with the FFM traits of Neuroticism (positive), Agreeableness (negative) and Conscientiousness (negative).
Creativity: Creative problem-solving is instrumental for success at school and work. Research has found that people with ADHD have more creativity and idea generation than people without the disorder. 3 This can lead to outside-the-box thinking that is so important for innovation.
Executive functions have other roles which affect how someone thinks. In people with ADHD, these executive dysfunctions impact thinking in numerous ways. People with ADHD don't really think faster than people without it, but it can sometimes seem like they do. People with ADHD do think differently though, in a sense.
High IQ may “mask” the diagnosis of ADHD by compensating for deficits in executive functions in treatment-naïve adults with ADHD.
For instance, among the 18 studies under scrutiny that did not explicitly state an IQ cut-off point the mean range of IQ among individuals with ADHD reported in the studies is from 102 to 110. Given that lower IQ is associated with ADHD this suggests that individuals with ADHD may be inaccurately represented.
ADHD AND GIFTEDNESS are sometimes described as having the same or similar characteristics. However, one diagnosis is considered a disability and one, a gift. Neither assumption is ideal in supporting the child identified with either ADHD, giftedness, or both, often referred to as twice exceptional or 2e.
High-functioning ADHD could mean: you experience severe symptoms but have developed “work arounds” to carry on with daily tasks and responsibilities. your symptoms are mild, and you're able to function with minimal impairment. symptoms are greatly impairing in some areas but you're highly functional in others.
We've talked a lot about the negatives. But ADHDers can achieve good grades or be considered “highly gifted”, which is often referred to as being 'twice-exceptional' or '2E'. But it's important to note that a high IQ score doesn't lessen the impact that ADHD can have on your life.
The Gift of ADHD: They say that adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have almost a sixth sense about people. My sharp sense of intuition is the one personal attribute that I've always been proud of. Since I was little I've been able to smell a two-faced person from a mile away.
Inattention, which occurs more frequently in those affected with the disorder, likely leads to mind wandering, or the drifting of thoughts from an activity or environment. Such drifting can lead to new, useful and creative ideas.
Research shows that in people with ADHD, some brain regions become “hyperactive,” whereas other brain regions are “hypoactive.” This suggests that there may be a problem with the brain's computing capacity to appropriately meet the cognitive demand of the task.
ADHD adults are often stereotyped as outgoing, high energy and talkative individuals. While extroverted traits like these are part of the ADHD experience for some people, they're not everyone's experience. In fact, many people with ADHD identify with introverted traits.
ADHD isn't just about difficulties, there are many positive sides to ADHD. It can often mean a person is very charismatic, sensitive, passionate, creative, outcome focussed and have unique ways of solving problems.
Indeed, 60 per cent of self-made millionaires have ADHD. This may make you think that we need these unique brains as a normal part of society. It may come as a surprise that various household names have overcome the societal and educational barriers put up against those who have ADHD and similar conditions.
There are many successful CEOs who have ADHD. Some of these individuals include Indra Nooyi from PepsiCo, Howard Schultz from Starbucks, and Alan Mulally from Ford.
ADHD can make you forgetful and distracted. You're also likely to have trouble with time management because of your problems with focus. All of these symptoms can lead to missed due dates for work, school, and personal projects.