Watch a special selection of ten video recordings for adults with ADHD. Learners will learn how to stop procrastinating and get things done, find individual scaffolding to manage ADHD more effectively, find effective organization Apps, and more.
The Adult Toolbox Includes 10 Recordings and Handouts
Dani Donovan shares the unbelievable story of how she stumbled her way into viral success through sharing authentic ADHD experiences. She discusses the power of vulnerability, validating others’ struggles, and using visual communication to change how we talk about mental health.
Procrastination has a profound impact on people with ADHD. From our combined clinical practice in ADHD-focused psychology and coaching, we recognized that the more traditional emotion-based approaches were insufficient compared to one that focuses more on the organization of imagined and actual action and the role of specific ADHD-related features. In short, it provides a way to remedy the habit of procrastination, safeguarding productivity, and reliably getting things done. Additionally, by utilizing ADHD-specific interventions, we have successfully highlighted ADHD strengths, increasing accessibility. Confidence is then grown out of successful completion of tasks and having a safety net by which people can back themselves and realize their potential.
Ten years ago, during the annual CHADD conference, psychologist Russell Barkley proposed a new construct of ADHD that represented a titanic shift in the way we look at the condition. His model looks at ADHD as an impairment of executive function or, in simple terms, challenges to self-regulation. In this combined presentation and workshop, we will take a deep dive into Dr. Barkley’s model, bring tangibility to his construct, and understand better the real plight of those with ADHD from the inside out. Insights from the model and our review will be helpful in using deductive reasoning more efficiently to manage ADHD and will help coaches, educators, and other professionals find individualized scaffolding to help others manage their ADHD more effectively.
The search for the right app, service, or technique promising "organization, at last!" can be exhausting. Which ones might work for you—are they even ADHD-friendly? Let the techspert walk you through broad ADHD-friendly task management options, which types often work for different personal styles, and a few specific big names in organizational systems. Narrow down the unending ocean to find a task management option with the least compromises. This talk is your guide map through the jungle of organizational apps!
Gaslighting is a pattern of emotionally abusive behavior, with the intent to psychologically control a person or a group. Gaslighters achieve this by making their victims question their sanity, and by isolating them from their friends and family. Anyone can be prone to gaslighting, but people with ADHD particularly have risk factors that make them vulnerable to this type of abuse. Learn how to identify gaslighting and help others heal from this type of emotional abuse.
I have a process for creating structure in my day. But it’s so simple, and I’m so lazy, that I don’t want to spend the time to write down the process. Laziness is like cholesterol. There’s the good kind and the bad kind. We with ADHD often think** that our inability to prioritize is a bad form of laziness. That's not real laziness, though. It’s an EF issue that we try to fix by doing more – making more lists, setting more timers, buying another planner. But creating massive to-do lists is about as effective as eating five avocados per day and then hoping that your cholesterol numbers work out. What's the good kind of lazy? It’s actually about doing LESS. Feel fully entitled to pick and choose where to put your energy each day based on your personal priorities. I call it The Big Three. Or Three Is Enough. I don’t really care what you call it as long as it makes life easier. I’ll explain how I like to prioritize and choose my three items each day.
Most people who have ADHD have a divergent thinking pattern that makes falling down rabbit holes a way of life. Divergent, in this case, means tending to develop in different directions (usually at once). Our ADHD minds generate ideas far beyond rote thinking or expected boundaries. The problem arises when a task requires us to do the opposite type of thinking. Convergent thinking is a thought pattern that brings together information that focuses on solving a non-creative problem, one that has a single, correct solution. And unfortunately, you can't do both at once. It is like stepping on the gas pedal and the brake at the same time! Learn how to manage your divergent thinking process and when to use convergent thinking.
ADHD-related difficulties with emotional dysregulation and impulsivity can often impact a person’s interpersonal functioning in social and workplace settings. Being aware of, maintaining, and implementing assertiveness skills and boundaries can help with these difficulties and promote healthy relationships and social functioning. Working on reactive boundaries (in the moment of the interpersonal interaction) or proactive boundaries (future, pre-emptive rules and expectations) requires awareness of one’s needs and abilities, and social and role expectations. In this presentation, we will review the importance, conceptual framework, and application of assertiveness and boundary skills training for people with ADHD.
Adults with ADHD struggle to regulate more than just their attention, focus, or activity—their emotions often ride a rollercoaster from intense and overwhelming to barely there as well. Despite this, it can be tempting to focus on the practical and neurological aspects of ADHD treatment. But the emotional experience of ADHD is often the key that either gets in the way or unlocks real progress in both of these other domains. This presentation will look at the critical role of emotions in ADHD treatment and will use the ADDept emotion meter to help audience members map out a path through their personal emotional rollercoasters to help develop emotional mastery.
Hormones influence cognitive function in everyone but for ADHD adults, the connection is crucially important to maintain focus and concentration. This session looks at the fascinating physiology of steroid hormones and neurons including association with nicotine. We examine the differences in men’s and women’s ADHD brains as they are flooded with estrogen and/or testosterone with a special emphasis on estrogen across an ADHD woman’s lifespan. And finally, we discuss options for dealing with an ADHD brain gone wild on hormones (or lack thereof). A fact-filled, fast-paced session for all genders.
