ADHD

What is ADHD? 

Attention Differences or Disorders is the term used to refer to attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). As their name suggests they lead to difficulties in maintaining attention as well as in many cases impulsive and hyperactive behaviour.  

Attention disorders affect individuals differently, so it is important not to assume someone with the condition is affected with all of the potential difficulties below. The individual is the expert in their condition so they should be your number one source of information about how it affects them. It can be a debilitating and due to the idea that all neurodiverse people are lazy and forgetful, many people grow up with low self-esteem which can have a major impact on mental health. 

Advantages of having an employee with ADHD. 

• can hyperfocus on tasks and be extremely productive 
• can be very creative and entrepreneurial 
• can view things from a different perspective 
• problem solving skills 
• empathy 
• energetic 
• enthusiastic 
• hard working 
• interested in new things 
• sensitive. 

How can it affect your working patterns?  

Concentration and focus  

• Organisation and memory  
• Impulsivity Hyperactivity or restlessness  
• Struggling to stay focused, wandering attention and very easily distracted.  
• Finding it hard to go back to a task after an interruption.  
• Flitting from one activity to another, overlooking details. 
• Poor listening skills or zoning out.  

• Hyperfocus - becoming over-absorbed in interesting tasks. 

How reasonable adjustments can be made.  

• Avoid open plan offices. 
• Provide access to quiet space.  
• Reduce distractions 
• Enable them to focus on one task at a time.  
• Have a ‘Do not disturb’ sign.  
• Regular breaks 
• Alternate mundane and interesting tasks. 

Organisation and memory.  

• Poorly organised.  
• Messy or cluttered workspace.  
• Tends to lose or misplace things  
• Has difficulty keeping track of multiple tasks and prioritising 
• Poor time management, persistent lateness, forgetting appointments  
• Puts things off. Finds it hard to start and finish tasks. 

How reasonable adjustments can be made 

• Encourage use of diary/planner/checklists/alarms 
• Suggest they plan to arrive early or prepare the night before 
• Agree a schedule of work with timings before starting. 

• Set up an organised workspace e.g., folders, trays, desk tidy.  
• Use colour coding and labelling.  
• Suggest planning and organising times at the start and end of the day  
• Encourage writing down tasks and information. Can technology help? 

Impulsivity/ Hyperactivity or Restlessness.  

• Impatient. 
• Tends to interrupt others.  
• Gives answers before question has finished  
• Acts or speaks without thinking  
• Reckless behaviour and risk taking.  
• Possible addictive tendencies.  
• Rushing through tasks without considering instructions and making mistakes  
• Finding it hard to behave in socially appropriate ways. 
• Highly energetic and perpetually ‘on the go’ 
• Feeling restless and agitated - thoughts racing 
• Constant fidgeting and difficulty sitting still 
• Trying to do everything at once. 
• Excessive talking 
• Easily bored and craving excitement. 

How reasonable adjustments can be made; 

• Moving around can help - standing up or walking around.  
• Suggest they do something physical during meetings e.g., notetaking, doodling or stress ball.  
• Regular physical activity and fresh air can be beneficial. 
• Allow use of fidget toys in the office.  

Emotional or social difficulties.  

• Difficulty managing emotions especially anger or frustration. Easily stressed out.  
• Short-tempered, irritable and prone to mood swings.  
• Feeling they have under-achieved. Low self-esteem, insecure and sensitive.  
• Difficulty staying motivated.  
• Potential strain on personal and working relationships.  

How reasonable adjustments can be made: 

• Find a way for them to discuss worries and deal with stress/frustration 
• Set small achievable goals to build confidence and celebrate success 
• Avoid criticism and create opportunities for positive feedback and praise. 

Process for a diagnosis 

If you have not been diagnosed with ADHD as a child, then you can get a diagnosis as an adult. However, due to large waiting lists and people struggling to get a doctor's appointment, this can be tricky.  

You can follow the links here to get started with your diagnosis.  

• Access To Work - Support for Disabilities/ Health Conditions (adhduk.co.uk)
• Attention_Differences-Oct17.pdf (remploy.co.uk)
• ADHD Self-Help Strategies for Adults – Mango Clinic 

• Do I Have ADHD? Take Our ADHD Quiz to See If You Might | Psych Central
• Free ADHD Test | Mind Diagnostics Test (mind-diagnostics.org)
• Adult ADHD Self Screening Tool - ADHD UK

You do not need a diagnosis in order to talk to your manager about reasonable adjustments and many people feel they do not need the official diagnosis.