By Edwin Morales & Brenda McDermott
Receiving a diagnosis of ADHD as an adult can bring up unexpected emotions, but also opportunities for self-knowledge. You reflect on the things that might have been (grief) and may start to pay more attention to how you navigate daily activities. As you embark on this journey, these writers encourage an emphasis on strengths rather than weaknesses. In other words, adding neurodivergent to your identity becomes an invitation to increase your self-understanding (self-compassion) and to discover previously unexplored gifts.
Adult Diagnosis as an Opportunity
From a brain development perspective, adults have a head start compared to younger versions of themselves because the prefrontal cortex does not fully develop until between the ages of 21-25. The prefrontal cortex helps with decision-making, logical thinking, and many other tasks. Most humans do not have their full cognitive powers until this part of the brain is fully developed. As a result, adults have a higher likelihood of making choices, using cognitive strategies, and following on behaviors or lifestyle changes that can support wellness. And you, now as an adult, may have the capacity to leverage a larger range of approaches to adapt to your daily tasks and responsibilities using greater adult autonomy!
From an identity perspective, realizing you are neurodivergent can be an opportunity to gain access to new language to describe yourself, to understand your experiences, and to find community with others. From this point forward, we want to encourage you to consider integrating the words adaptive and resilient into your self-description. As an adult, there are many ways in which you have successfully adapted to a neurotypical world and now that you can start to learn more about yourself, we want to encourage you to start playing to your strengths.
As part of your self-exploration, you may have light bulb moments or “ah-ha” moments, where you may gain new insights into past experiences. Pay attention to any new information that is affirming or inspiring. Make sure to record those observations so you can review them if you find yourself focusing on the negative. All journeys of self-discovery have positives and negatives, and this journey will be no exception.
Acknowledging the Shiny Pieces
The process of an ADHD diagnosis can often focus on limitations or struggles. As a result, some adults leave the process feeling less than other people. In fact, there are many ways in which identifying as neurodivergent can allow you to look for the shiny bits – the areas where you excel and can do things that neuro-typical people may struggle with or find challenging. This is not to imply the superiority of neurodivergence but to emphasize its opportunities. Each person’s shiny pieces are unique, but you may find that you relate to some of the following special abilities.
- Being a Learning Sponge: Many people with ADHD have a tendency towards novelty seeking. One of the writers refers to a sub-type of novelty seeking as “knowledge seeking”. When novelty seeking is directed towards learning, you can soak up information about topics that interest you and retain the information at levels that many neurotypical folks may not.
- Panoramic Sight: Because ADHD involves ongoing stimulus seeking, individuals with ADHD are more likely to notice and hold a wider set of perspectives or information at the same time. In other words, you may consider factors or elements that others would overlook and integrate them into decision making in ways you may take for granted.
- Faster Reaction Times: Often, individuals with ADHD are seen as “fidgety” or in constant motion. This reactivity can hint at faster reactions times. When this trait is channeled into fast tasks/environments or time-sensitive choices, you may shine. Some literature reviews have highlighted the association between ADHD and interest in and sports performance. Others such as John J. Ratey promote the benefits of exercise and the brain for those who face ADHD. If you have the physical capacity, some type of physical activity could be of great benefit to explore what you might be capable of achieving.
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- Flow States: Flow states, or moments of hyperfocus, often allow individuals with ADHD to complete tasks faster than neurotypical individuals. A combination of enough time to complete a task and the right urgency can trigger a flow state where time may seem to disappear.
These shiny bits are often ways that you have coped and adapted in the past. The shiny bits also come with costs – nothing comes free. While the shiny bits are helpful and allow you to succeed where others might not, they can also hinder you in other areas. As you explore your neurodivergent identity, part of the journey is identifying the best way to use these skills. Much like the saying from the Spider-Man films – with great power comes great responsibility.
Finding the Balance
You may find the concept of the window of tolerance by Dr. Dan Siegel helpful in figuring out the situations in which the shiny pieces stay effective. Your zone of tolerance is the state in which you function most effectively. For individuals with ADHD, this is where you have a balance of dopamine (motivation and reward), norepinephrine (alertness), and GABA (stress regulation).
When you are outside your zone of tolerance, the shiny bits tarnish. You may end up in hypoarousal. As a result, you freeze or disconnect from the task. This might show up as procrastination or disengagement. You can also become hyperaroused. As a result, you have higher anxiety, energy, or feelings of being overwhelmed. This might show up as sleeplessness, restlessness, or a feeling of not being able to focus or concentrate.
Navigating life with a recent ADHD diagnosis as an adult can be a transformative journey. Embracing this new aspect of your identity involves fostering self-compassion. Self-compassion involves recognizing your challenges as part of the human experience. As you explore your neurodivergent identity, you can demonstrate self-compassion by reframing self-criticism with self-encouragement. Using a growth mindset (video link) you might find that you can change criticism to encouragement by adding the word “yet.” “I can’t do this” becomes “I can’t do it yet” – highlighting the journey and growth that you are on. And to conclude, from this point in space and time, these writers want to encourage you to become curious about yourself and your unique capabilities.
About the Authors
Edwin Morales, MSW, RSW, currently works as Associate Director Counselling at the University of Calgary’s Student Wellness Services. Within that work and from time to time, Edwin provides one-on-one counselling to clients and is passionate about promoting self-compassion and skill building for neurodiverse clients. Edwin is passionate about neurodiversity and feels honoured whenever he has a chance to contribute in some way to this area of counselling practice.
Brenda McDermott is the Senior Manager of Student Accessibility Services at the University of Calgary. She completed her PhD in Communication Studies in 2015. As a lifelong learner, she returned to school to complete a Masters of Education in 2021. Brenda has a passion for improving the student experience, exploring Generative AI tools, and discussing Universal Design for Learning.
Article posted with permission from the author. Find the original post here.