ADHD: How to support it

ADHD is often referred to as a condition of weaker Executive Functioning (or EF) of the brain. EF refers to the brain’s ability to do what you’re supposed to be doing in any particular moment that benefits you in the longer-term. For people with ADHD, it’s not that they can’t do this, just that they can’t do this as often as people without ADHD. In the following video, Ari Tuckman refers to this as a lower “batting average”. He also talks about how the brain’s EF can be supported or scaffolded so that you can improve your batting average. ADHD or no ADHD, I think we can all benefit from boosting our brain’s EF “batting average”. A client of mine, recently devised an ingenious idea that illustrates these concepts. His issue was saying “No” to his boss when called in to do overtime. My client‘s idea for scaffolding was to place his phone in an envelope for Sunday mornings (when his boss would typically call) on which, He wrote the following prompts: “What was I hoping to do/looking forward to doing on my days off this week?; When was the last time I took time off work?”  He predicted, these simple questions would prompt him to consider his personal needs at the critical decision making point, helping him to say “No” more often, and would ultimately cause him to feel less resentful towards working overtime, and feel more recharged in life. I thought this was a brilliant idea he’d come up with. I can’t wait to hear how well it worked for him.

ADHD and Executive Functioning: strategies to support well-being