Workplace & ADHD

  • Why does it take me so much longer than others to complete my work assignments?
  • Open work cubes? Noisy and distracting; what am I going to do?
  • Should I tell my employer I have ADHD?
  • What kind of accommodations should I ask for if I do tell?

Recently as the last ten years the medical community believed that ADHD does not follow a child into adulthood. November of 2013 the Center for Disease Control (CDC) published a report. The report shows that up to 11 percent of children aged 4-17 have been diagnosed with ADHD at some point in their lives. In 2003 that estimate was only 7.8 percent. Boys are nearly three times more likely to have been diagnosed with ADHD (13.2 percent) than girls (5.6 percent). In adults, the rate is much lower (about 4 percent), but experts caution that since adults who were not diagnosed in childhood are more likely to remain undiagnosed, the true prevalence of adult ADHD may be significantly higher than reported.

If you are an adult that has ADHD and was not diagnosed as a child with ADHD then you know how it can wreak havoc in your life. I am one of those adults, I always had to work harder than my peers. Friends would tell me I had no filter when I spoke. Teachers told me I was lazy, others called me an airhead, ditzy blonde etc. No one seemed to take me seriously because my emotions were so strong. I always knew I was intelligent but just couldn’t depend on my brain to show up when I needed it. I hid my shame and embarrassment with my sense of humor. This worked for me while I went to school, raised my children, held jobs and with my friends. I finally got to the point where I had a “career”. The ADHD traits got so much worse in the corporate environment.

Don’t get me wrong, plenty of ADDers that work in the corporate world do just fine. I didn’t I have the resources or tools I needed. I would have done much better if I had an ADHD coach, the right medication and the knowledge of how ADHD affected me. I finally got a coach and took ADHD classes and that was the beginning of my new passion.

As an ADHD coach I will help employees find their strengths and build on them. I will introduce many tips, tricks, and simple modifications of your workday that will make your life so much better.