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Devon Autism and ADHD service Not to be reproduced without the permission of the authors

Coping with Attention Deficit

Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD/ ADD)

A booklet with information and ideas to help you to

live a good life with ADHD.

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Devon Autism and ADHD service Not to be reproduced without the permission of the authors

Contents

A note for people using this book

Tips and advice before you start

What is ADHD?

Tips for difficulties with:

Concentration/ Keeping attention and dealing with

distraction

Time Management

Procrastination

Relationships

Impulsivity/ Risk taking/being led by emotions

Forgetfulness and losing things

Organisation and completing

tasks

Work and Education

Sleep

Strengths

Other sources of advice and support

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“And yet their capacity to hope and to dream is immense. More than most people, individuals with ADD have visionary imaginations. They think big thoughts and dream big dreams. They can take the smallest opportunity and imagine turning it into a major break. They can take a

chance encounter and turn it into a grand evening out.” (Driven to Distraction by Hallowell and Ratey, p.215)

A note for people using this book

Many people find that they have difficulties with attention, concentration, organisation and

planning. We have put this book together to give you ideas of strategies that might be helpful.

This has been through gathering ideas from people who have a diagnosis of ADHD and talking

to them about what they find helpful. By strategies we mean plans or tactics that might make

your day to day life a bit better. You can read this book as a whole or dip in and out.

Other people in your life may like to read it and try and help you with some of the strategies.

These strategies are designed to be used whether you are taking medication or not.

We have put these ideas together from our experience of working with people with ADHD and

some books for people with ADHD. There is a list of these books at the end. If you wanted more

ideas then look these up.

A note for professionals, family and friends

This book could be used alongside the person you know with ADHD. Your support to use these

strategies could be really helpful.

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Tips and advice before you start

Learn as much as you can about ADHD. The more you know, the better

you’ll understand yourself and what may work for you.

Try and talk to others with ADHD, e.g. through websites, support groups

etc. It can be really useful to get other people’s perspectives and ideas

and to know that you’re not alone.

Acceptance is key!

Struggling with denial or not wanting your difficulty can be exhausting.

Acceptance of your difficulties means that you can find space to try and tackle them.

Remember that change will be difficult and progress might not be as fast

as you’d like. Stick with it, it takes time. Be ready for times when things

might be harder and not to give up – everybody has periods like this.

While ADHD can mean you have some difficulties it also means that you

have

Many strengths!

Remember ADHD is biological, not a weakness or a personality flaw.

STRUCTURE and notepads can be your best friends!

Allow yourself time where you can do whatever you like or not do

anything at all.

Exercise regularly. This helps to burn off energy & can calm you down.

Make it fun and interesting so that you stick with it.

Not every strategy will work for you, find what works and stick to it.

If you practice skills often and regularly they should become automatic

and just part of everyday life.

You may want to pick just one or two strategies that you think will work for you and give them a go.

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What is ADHD?

ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Research suggests

that perhaps up to 4% of adults have ADHD. It starts in childhood.

What is attention?

Attention refers to how well you are able to concentrate/ focus. This could be

concentrating on a task you are doing at university, work or home, another

person, a hobby etc.

What is Hyperactivity?

Hyperactivity refers to being over-active or restless. This may mean you move

around a lot, fiddle with things or have constant racing thoughts. ADD means

Attention Deficit Disorder. This means that you are experiencing the same

difficulties as someone who has ADHD but without the hyperactivity.

What difficulties do people with ADHD experience?

Difficulties with attention and

concentration

Impulsivity/ restlessness

Poor organisation and planning

Forgetfulness/ memory difficulties

ADHD/ ADD

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Everyone has difficulties with their concentration and restlessness at times.

People with ADHD find that this interferes with their day-to- day lives.

People with ADHD may find that they have other difficulties like remembering

things, organising, planning, solving problems in their lives and acting

impulsively. It may be that people blurt things out in conversation or have fast

mood swings.

Quite often people may have been seen as ‘naughty’ or underachieving in

school.

What other support is there?

People have often developed many strategies to help them manage these

difficulties like; keeping a diary, planning, setting reminders and writing lists.

Finding out more strategies that help can help people manage day to day.

Some people with ADHD may have problems with anxiety/ worry and feeling

low at times. They can also result in frustration, anger, low self-esteem and

difficulties with relationships If you are finding that you have a lot of difficulty

with your mood and self-esteem you may consider going to your GP to talk to

them about what further support there is for you.

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---------------------Concentrating and Keeping attention--------------------

Everyone has difficulty concentrating at times and on different tasks. We all find

it easier to concentrate on activities that we find interesting but for people with

ADHD this may make it really hard to complete tasks. Here are some ideas

which may help you concentrate.

What is the easiest way for you to take in information?

­ Think about whether you prefer information that is visual (like pictures and diagrams) or written text?

­ Do you need to hear instructions before you can actually do them?

­ Do you need to be moving about and being active? ­ Do you prefer practical tasks? ­ Or logical activities?

Figuring out what works best for you can be really beneficial in trying to target your day to day activities so that you are most likely to keep your

concentration.

Think about the Environment - some people find when trying to concentrate that they need total silence and lack of distraction. However

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others find that they need some music on in the background so that their mind can work. Find out what works best for you.

Motor tasks – some people find moving around helps them to

concentrate. If you need to do this, try to move to help concentration, for example:

Fiddle with a pen

Chew some gum

Use an inflatable ball to sit on

If you are at work or University, you may need to get permission to do this from someone.

Switching tasks - become aware of when you are getting bored and try to switch activities before you get distracted. People often put a lot of

pressure on themselves to keep on one single task. Give yourself permission to switch tasks. You may find this holds your interest better

and in turn feel more productive

Try not to spend a long time on one task – if you’re not getting anywhere,

move on and come back to it. Make sure you make a reminder to return to the task though.

If you find it difficult to concentrate on two things at

once, then make sure things like televisions and background noise are turned off when your concentration

is needed elsewhere, for example if you are having a conversation.

Asses your environment

Arrange your environment to help you concentrate and reduce

distractions, e.g. turn your phone off, face your desk away from the

window, clear your desk space, and work away from other people if you

need to. Play around with your environment and find what works for you.

Try and figure out whether your concentration gets worse when you eat/

drink certain things. For example products with ‘E’ numbers, carbohydrate, sugar….

= or ?

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Build in breaks – Allow yourself to take breaks. Most people’s

efficiency to complete work decreases after about an hour at that point we need a break. Make sure that when you are working on something you set regular breaks: but also

remember to set an alarm so that your break has a beginning and end.

Seek support and understanding from others. This may include telling

people what you find difficult or what you need some help with, e.g. asking others to check you are listening.

Try not to feel guilty

Check your understanding – e.g. using a person’s name in the

conversation to help you remember it

Form habits and use reminders

Holidays and breaks are really helpful

Recognising and rewarding successes

Use eye contact to help you focus on what people are saying

If you find yourself getting distracted by websites you could set yourself up an igoogle account. This allows you to only have one browser open

and you could use this to only allow yourself to look at certain websites you need for work. You need a Gmail account for this.

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---------------------------------------Time Management--------------------------------------

Some people find that they are unable to judge how long activities may take or

are late for appointments. If this sounds like you then below are some ideas

about what might be helpful.

Set alarms and reminders for important things. Be careful not to set too many, as you could be tempted to ignore them or get confused.

Plan in advance how long something will take - be generous, over-

estimate the time something will take or how long it will take to get somewhere.

Write short and manageable to-do lists. This will mean that you won’t get overwhelmed by them and put –off.

Prioritise the tasks you have to do. You could rate each one depending on

when they need completing and how important they are. Do the ones that are most important first.

Pattern planning- set fixed weekly times for your regular

tasks/appointments

E.g. Thursday at 18:30 = time to clean the kitchen Monday and Wednesday at 17:00 = gym.

Put these in your diary or weekly schedule and eventually they’ll become

automatic.

If you plan these everyday things in advance, it should mean that you don’t have to spend time worrying about when you can do them or how you can fit everything in.

Make things interesting, e.g. colour code schedules

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-----------------------------Procrastination and Distraction ------------------------------

Procrastination means putting things off until the last possible minute. Do you

remember in school putting off essays and doing them the night before or getting

them in late? Do you find that people are always asking you whether you have

yet finished a task? Getting tasks that you need to get done completed will give

you a good sense of achievement and mean that you do not have to worry so

much about things you haven’t done.

Check with yourself regularly if what you’re doing is actually important

or if it is just more enjoyable/ interesting than what you should be doing.

Estimate how long you will be able to work on the task you are meant to

be doing and before bored/distracted & divide your day/task into chunks accordingly.

Use a notepad…

If things pop into your mind

that distract you, write or

draw them down but

continue with the task you’re

supposed to be doing

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Once you’ve reached a break time, look at the list and decide if you want to deal

with the things now or later. Return to what’s left in your notebook at the end of

the day and do the things that are important.

Mindfulness can be a useful technique

for managing distractions. Have a look into local courses there are many around in local community centres, colleges,

sports centres. There are also loads of resources on the internet, for example:

http://www.freemindfulness.org/download

This has lots of MP3 files you can listen to. There are mindfulness Apps which you can use on your phone to help you to incorporate mindfulness into your day to day life. We have recommended a book on mindfulness

and ADHD at the end of this book.

Set an alarm to go off at regular intervals.

When it goes off, ask yourself:

“Am I doing what I’m supposed to be doing, or did I get distracted?”

If you were distracted, return to what you’re supposed to be doing

immediately, without beating yourself up because of it.

Reward yourself! Doing something that you don’t enjoy is hard work make sure you reward yourself with whatever you like, a walk in the

park, your favourite TV show etc.

Avoidance is a key human trait, but try to deal with things as they come, for example if you get a bill in the post deal with it there and then.

Avoid Avoiding !!

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----------------------------------------Relationships--------------------------------------------

ADHD can affect relationships in many ways. Your partner/ family or friend may

think that you are doing things like forgetting appointments and not listening on

purpose. People may misinterpret your behaviours as irresponsible, lazy and

disorganised, selfish or uncaring. You may find yourself saying ‘sorry I’m late…..

again’, ‘I don’t know where the time went’ ‘ I forgot’ ‘I got caught up’.

Both of you learning about ADHD is really important. Your family or friend may find that this helps them to explain your behaviour rather

than taking it personally.

It is important to communicate about the difficulties that you are having. Although there may be a lot of shame and embarrassment about these

difficulties the more that you can communicate about what is realistic for you the better understanding you will build and the more you will be able to work together.

Work together and try to work towards the same goals

Although it is important to try to develop skills to help yourself manage it

is also ok to rely on someone else (as long as it’s ok with them). Your family member or friend may not mind sending you a text to remind you

of an appointment, writing things on a calendar or setting an alarm in good time for you to catch a train. Often if people understand why you are asking for their help and what you think would be helpful they don’t

mind helping out.

At times people can find that they hyper-focus on certain activities, this

can make others feel ignored, forgotten and unimportant. If you explain when this happens to you and what may be the best way to interrupt you

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or how long to leave you to do this activity this may help your family member or friend feel less ignored or unimportant.

If you find that you are always talking over people or blurting things out

try chewing gum or at least recognise when this is happening.

Talk to people about the best times to get and hold your attention, e.g. particular environments, times of day, when you are not doing something

else.

Discuss with people how long you are normally able to listen and take in

information for.

Write things down when people tell you them!

See the funny side of things and use humour with your symptoms as

this can help people be more forgiving.

Seek encouragement from others as this can be particularly motivating.

Make sure you listen to feedback from other people too.

Schedule activities with friends and stick with them. It is important to keep these contacts and scheduling things might help you to neglect

friends less.

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---------------Impulsivity/ Risk taking/Being led by emotions----------------

You may find yourself being impulsive in that you do things without necessarily

finding yourself thinking through the consequences of what you are about to do.

Or you may find that you are easily led by your emotions, being happy one

minute and angry the next.

Before acting:

o Ask the opinion of someone you trust o Take time to think it through

Perform a simple action to allow yourself time, e.g. put your hand over

your mouth for a few seconds or breath in and out and say a phrase to yourself like “let me think about this”.

Learn from

experience

Are there are certain

people you are more

likely to be impulsive

with?

Is there a certain

environment (Pub,

supermarket…)?

Is there a certain

place?

Is there a certain

time of day?

Are you feeling a

certain way (e.g.

already anxious/

agitated)?

Are there other

things that make

you more likely to be

impulsive? (e.g .

food, alcohol)?

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Write your ideas down and add pros and cons to work out whether

they’re good or not.

Some impulsive behaviour can be driven by emotions. Learning about

your emotions can help you to more easily recognise when you are feeling a certain way and therefore to not react so emotionally. An example of some support with this is:

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/eq5_raising_emotional_intelligence.htm

Learn what helps you to change an emotion you don’t want, for example,

distraction, watching a film which gives you a different emotion etc.

Pay attention to your emotions

Ask for feedback and try to listen to it

Exercise and let out frustration

Develop ‘red flags’

o Look out for words or phrases that you use that signal that you are

going to do something impulsive

E.g. ‘it’ll be ok’ or ‘I’ll just…’

This may give you some space to be able to stop and think about

what you are about to do.

Try to consciously make judgements about what you are going to do

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-----------------------Forgetting and losing things----------------------

People can find that they frequently forget items that they need everyday. Some

ideas to help you remember are:

Get into the habit when you are going out of checking that you have the

essential items before you stand up and leave. So check; keys, wallet phone and notebook do this over and over and it will become a habit.

Repetition and rehearsal- Repeating and practicing recall of information, e.g. through self-talk.

Create a visual cue- Pairing a verbal task with a visual image can help

you to remember. The more bizarre and exaggerated the image, the easier it will be to remember. For example, if remembering to pay a water bill,

think of white-water rafting to the bank!

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If items are “out of sight”, in a drawer or in a cupboard, write a list of the contents and tape it inside (or outside, whichever is more effective).

Mnemonics- Learning cues or mnemonics can be a useful method of

condensing information for later recall and can appear less overwhelming for someone with ADHD. For example, S.T.O.P. = sausages, tomatoes,

oranges, potatoes

Make a specific place to keep

essential things such as keys,

wallet, diary etc.

Put them in an obvious, clear

place where they can easily be

seen.

Get into the habit of putting

the things straight there and

checking there before you

leave the house.

Tell others in the

house to remind

you of this.

If you see the things

anywhere else in

house, make sure you

put them back in their

set place immediately.

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Problem solving- A good method for finding lost or mislaid possessions is

to mentally retrace steps in a systematic way. This can be done by asking a series of questions such as:

'when did I last have my keys?'

'where did I go when I got in?'

'where would I put that key now?'

Use reminders, 1 day before and 1 hour before

(Or whatever works for you)

Use attention grabbing items; for example a shiny/ colourful object on your key rings, or the end of your car aerial or a diary/ phone that will

really grab your attention.

It might be easier to remember funny things

Tell people what you find hard

If you lose your car, there are some apps which help you to remember where you parked. Search ‘find my car’ in your app store.

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--------------------Organisation / Completing tasks---------------------------

Trying to organise yourself so that you can do things like pay bills, plan a

holiday. Here are some ideas:

Use a calendar

o Get used to writing appointments in the calendar. o Keep using it and checking it everyday. o If you check it at the same time everyday you are more likely to

remember.

Use reminders on your phone or alarms that tell you what you are meant

to be doing at certain times.

Use a diary/ notebook that is small enough to carry with you. It should preferably be a bright colour (red, yellow etc. rather than

black/brown/dark blue) so that it can be easily seen if you put it down. Often the very act of writing something down, because it involves effort

and concentration, enhances the chance of remembering the information.

Read the diary two to three times a day to remind yourself of things you need to do.

When using a notebook put the date that you wrote something down to

help you to remember and help you to decide whether it is a priority.

Write in it appointments or specific tasks or notes about conversations you have just had, or something you heard on the TV or radio, or just

something you want to remember. By writing it in on the day it happened you anchor the event in time, which further helps prompt your memory.

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Set a regular time and place for sorting boring things like bills. Put it in

your diary/schedule and make sure you stick to it.

Break big tasks down into manageable steps, making sure they’re

realistic and give yourself deadlines for these tasks.

Pin up a note, or notes, in obvious places (for instance, on the kitchen door, on the fridge, etc.) to remind you

of what you need to do or appointments etc.

Remember that it’s ok to do two things at once if that works for you.

Set yourself realistic deadlines and try to stick to them.

Prioritise tasks according to importance, not what seems more fun or

interesting.

Be ready not to see some of your ideas through and try not to punish yourself for this.

Label things – like files

Colour code your ‘to do’ list.

o Important must-do-today things are one colour. Less important things another etc…

1. Pay water bill

2. Book doctors

3. Phone Liz

Double check things, even if you are sure!

Use mindfulness to help you stop and realise where you are and what

you are doing

Recognise and reward success!

Form habits and use reminders

Keep a pin board for vital information

Set yourself a weekly time to have a sort out

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You can get apps which help you to stay organised with a things to do

list:

www.rememberthemilk.com

www.play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.anydo

---------------------------------Work and Education ------------------------------------

Aim for jobs that suit your personality, energy, and nature. Do what you’re good at.

Be creative in the way you do things in order to find the methods that

suit you.

Check emails and messages only at set times of the day to stop yourself being distracted from other work.

Leave time between tasks, appointments etc to gather your thoughts.

This can help you with the transitions between different things so you’re not still thinking about the meeting you had five minutes ago instead of the one you’re in now.

Resources for students

Some people find that computer software that helps people with dyslexia

organise their essays helps; for example it gets you to brainstorm your ideas and then every idea becomes a paragraph

Make a checklist of all the things you need in the piece of work (including an introduction and conclusion and check them off at the end)

University libraries have rooms that you can hire out, book one for a few

days before your essay is due. Some people find this reduces them getting distracted by things in their day to day life.

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Try sitting at the front of a lecture hall to avoid distraction

This website has some good resources for helping you plan and execute

your work: http://www.neuroknowhow.com/

--------------------------------------Tips on Sleep ----------------------------------------

Avoid:

Daytime napping and long periods of inactivity

Eating late at night

Alcohol and caffeine in the evening. Things which have caffeine in them include: chocolate, coke, coffee and tea.

Strenuous mental activity before bed time: for example working on the

computer

Exercise before bed time

Loud noises

Helping you sleep:

Having the temperature right; not too hot, not too cold

Keeping the bedroom dark, quiet and well ventilated

Going to bed at a regular time

Doing something relaxing before bed/ sleeping (e.g. having a bath or

listening to relaxing music)

Have a hot milky drink

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Try getting up the same time every morning, regardless of when you got

to sleep

----------------------------A reflection on strengths ------------------------------

It is important to recognise that while you may struggle with certain things in

your life people with ADHD have many strengths. Albert Einstein is now

thought to have had ADHD!

Here are some strengths that we have noticed in the people we have worked

with who have a diagnosis of ADHD, which ones do you think apply to you?

Able to do many tasks in short

timeframes

Ability to hyper-focus

Dynamic

Sociable

Strengths

Positive attitude

Spontaneous

Resilient

Entertaining

Insightful

Outgoing

Imaginative

Compelling

Vibrant

Enthusiastic

Learning via

osmosis

Inventive Creative

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--------------------Where can I get further help and support? --------------------------

There are surprisingly few good websites or information sources about ADHD.

However there are some good books which might be of help to you.

UK websites

http://www.adhd.org.uk/

A less well organized website. Takes some going through to find useful

material.

http://aadduk.org/

A more comprehensive website about ADHD in adults, with links to support

groups (none locally). Ideas of strategies that may be helpful and information

about your rights and policies.

http://ukaan.org/index.htm

A Website for adults with ADHD, currently it’s a bit sparse

American websites

www.addresources.ork This website is primarily for Childhood ADHD, but it has a link for Adults.

Contains some information on; women with ADHD, coping resources, dealing

with work, building skills and personal resources.

http://adderworld.ning.com/

This is a social network site, set up by the author of one boys struggle (see

books) for people with ADHD. Please note that we have not tried this network

and therefore cannot comment on its helpfulness.

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Books

We are in the process of reviewing these books, but here are some that look

helpful:

Your life can be better: Using strategies for adult ADD/ADHD. Douglas Puryear.

Talks in an informative yet informal way about his experiences of living with ADD and provides ideas about what

strategies you can use to help.

The complete idiots guide to Adult ADHD. Eileen Bailey and Donald Haupt.

This gives an overview of understanding ADHD, the treatment of it and what impact it may have on your life.

The mindfulness prescription for adult ADHD. Lidia

Zylowska

Mindfulness is a method that you can learn to help get control you’re your thoughts and to help you to live in the moment. This books outlines mindfulness skills and how you can apply

them to ADHD.

Your Life can be better; Taking charge of adult ADHD

Some people with ADHD find they also feel low and anxious at times.

These resources may help:

http://www.ntw.nhs.uk/pic/selfhelp

This is an NHS website which has many self-help booklets including: to

obsessions and compulsions, sleep, depression and anxiety.

http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/consumers.cfm

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This is an Australian website and it also has self-help booklets. It covers

difficulties such as putting things off (procrastination), perfectionism and

coping with your feelings.