Neurodiversity!

Apart from the absence of hyperfocus, now a well known possibility in ADHD, this is a very interesting video.

Of course these labels are attempts to understand and categorise behaviours that may not stem from the same causes and may indeed be better understood in a completely different way but they are a better understanding than naughty lazy and rude.

A virtual friend of some years has a very interesting blog about autism, 'What is Autism Anyway", she brings her experience to the discussion of the labelling and naming involved and the sources of our assumptions and categories.  These cautions will apply to all neurodiversities, ADHD included.

And from the comments, and so true, one thing both have in common is anxiety.

This one is informative too, the answer to the first question is so spot on, but the doctor's humility and understanding are not always present.

ADHD

Two of my kids have an ADHD diagnosis (after 10 years of trying) and I have just had mine confirmed as primarily innatentive type.  I am trying to explore in a less desperate way than I did when seeking diagnosis to see if I can learn little things that can make a big difference.

Getting diagnosed was a traumatic struggle (and that is no exaggeration), the cards are stacked against you if you have ADHD due to the incompetence and tendency to lose things of the NHS.   I may blog about in another post if I find I can without endangering my blood pressure, not there yet.

One of the items I watched at the beginning of my journey to diagnosis was this Horizon episode from from 2005.



It both helped and hindered as it is mostly about hyperactive types and although one son has that I and my other son present very differently. I find the single mother with two kids charming in this, to have kept such an open attitude despite the unfair blame she has been subject to for most of her life is wonderful.  Maybe I had it once but it has been totally knocked out of me at the moment due to the intense struggle and lack of support and understanding I have experienced in getting this far.

We are going around the houses with the NHS at the moment for a diagnosis for my last child, she presents unusually as well but is almost as a carbon copy of me.  But it wouldn't do to really listen to the parent would it so on with the endless tests we go.  And I have to say it is an improvement on the blame the parent attitude I experienced first time round.

Anyway, I am going to go looking for a video on innatentive type although that may be less easy to find as wandering round the house saying why am I here, what am I looking for, makes far less dramatic TV.

There must be a way!

I have been on my own since about 11 yesterday as Bruce and Beth set off to collect Will from Scotland and I had high hopes that without the feeling of responsibility for Beth and taking Ritalin I would be able to power through my list.  This is very necessary as it is Jo's birthday tomorrow and we are hosting the meal and Beth has met a friend who lives in Loughborough so we may be hosting a school family in the near future and normal chaos is enough to get one's head around if HE is new.

Well I have never hyperfocused on the wrong thing or procrastinated so much, I was so mad with myself that I couldn't sleep and ended up watching watch again into the early hours and sleeping on the sofa - not a hardship, it is large and very comfy.  I am only beginning with Ritalin and the dose is the starting dose and not expected to solve all problems but it is becoming very clear to me  that when the books say that more than medication is needed they are right.  Thinking about this this morning I suddenly thought about my to do list and how it is just a muggy blur in my mind when I am not looking at it and even when I am looking at it it doesn't do much for me.  Now I am quite a visual person and in my sorting have uncovered a mind map type list that I made some time ago but that hadn't really worked so I thought what about drawing it.

So here it is and it is really helping so far, it is like it delivers information to my brain in a more accessible way, could be the novelty of course but I am blogging it so that I don't forget that I did it and am able to make a considered decision about whether it works.

Looking at it, I think it helps that it is in no particular order, hmmm!