Most people know a bit about attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, such as how it impacts our ability to focus, stay still, and control our impulses. But there is so much more to it than the name suggests!

The name “attention-deficit disorder” is quite misleading— it suggests we experience a lack of attention when really we have an overabundance! The real issue is that we find it challenging to direct and control where our attention goes.

I also don’t think of ADHD as a disorder- it’s not a disturbance of “normal functioning.” It’s normal for people to have differences— and there are a lot of people out there with ADHD and other forms of neurodivergence! People like us have always been around, but we’ve only just recently been categorizing people with this particular label and diagnostic criteria. We are not the problem. The problem is that we exist in a culture and world that isn’t well-designed to accommodate differences, period.

Now, while we aren’t a problem, we still live in a world where differences aren’t well-supported, so we need to be aware of how we tend to exist, struggle, and thrive here. Let’s look into some of the specific differences we experience as people with ADHD.

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects executive function, which are a group of mental skills that are like our brain’s directors in that they are responsible for our self-regulation and cognitive control. They cover areas like working memory- an example could be your ability to remember a 10-digit telephone number someone has just said aloud while you get out your phone to add it to your contacts.

Another area is cognitive flexibility; an example could be that you planned a party for your friend’s birthday, but at the last minute, the cake decorator calls and says the cake won’t be ready in time. Your degree of cognitive flexibility would determine whether you can pivot to strategize something else to celebrate with or find another solution instead of getting upset and stuck.

The third primary area is inhibitory control. An example of it in action is your ability to resist interrupting in conversations or to resist your impulses to overspend online.

When people struggle with their executive function, it can look like many things. If you have trouble starting an assignment or find wrapping up the loose ends of a project super tricky, that’s an executive function thing.

If you have trouble keeping track of your things and lose your phone or your keys, this is also related to executive function!

Always late despite trying hard to be on time? Trouble following a recipe or a set of directions in order? Feeling completely overcome with your emotions when you’re upset? Difficulty prioritizing your to-do list? Panic when rules or routines change all of a sudden? All of these things could be signs of differences in executive function.

Kids aren’t born with their executive function already in place. It’s believed that our executive functions happen in the pre-frontal cortex, which is the last part of the brain to finish developing. In folks with ADHD, it takes even longer to develop, meaning it can be tough and slow-going for us to build skills in these areas.

Everyone with ADHD experiences issues with executive functions, though we all have our own unique flavours. By this, I mean that some of our executive skills may be weaker or stronger than those of the next ADHDer. One of the reasons for this might be that the brain is incredibly plastic and capable of learning, so we can develop and improve our executive skills through strategies and practice over time. ADHD coaching can help you discover which executive skills are causing you the most frustration in your life. Together we can hone in on them and start establishing new strategies and paving fresh neuropathways that reduce frustration and beef up your skills for navigating and thriving in this world.

We also have incredible strengths on account of our particular brain styles. We’re innovators, creatives, risk-takers, and big picture thinkers. Sally Shaywitz, a professor and researcher at Yale said “the restlessness of ADHD can be a motivator for action, and the curiosity and adventurousness it brings can propel entrepreneurs to take bold chances and ignore naysayers in developing truly unique products and services.”

Want a shortlist of some incredibly successful people with ADHD? Here are just a few: Paul Orfalea (founder of Kinko’s), Jamie Oliver MBE, Ingvar Kamprad (IKEA founder), Richard Branson (Virgin founder), Charles Schwab, Michael Jordan, Michael Phelps, Simone Biles, Scott Kelly (astronaut), Solange Knowles, James Carville, Dave Grohl, Ty Pennington, Adam Levine, Justin Timberlake, Robin Williams, Paris Hilton, Zooey Deschanel, Emma Watson, Ryan Gosling, Will Smith, Woody Harrelson, Jim Carrey, Channing Tatum, Johnny Depp, Mel B, Caitlyn Jenner, will.i.am, Hilary Duff.

Though not diagnosed (obviously) it’s thought that Walt Disney, John F Kennedy, Mozart, Albert Einstein, and Agatha Christie had ADHD.

Want to find out more? Let’s set up a call!

Here are some great resources on this topic if you’d like to learn more:

• How I explain the relationship between ADHD and executive functioning by Thomas E. Brown, PhD

• What is cognitive flexibility and why does it matter? by Lauren Miller

• ADHD and emotions by Thomas E. Brown, PhD

• ADHD and the brain by Julie Rawe

• What is sensory overload? Know how to deal with overstimulation by Erin Eatough, PhD

• What is neuroplasticity? by Kendra Cherry