I ran into a post recently by a member of this community who said they felt like ADD or ADHD, I forget, is beneficial or advantageous. I definitely agreed but couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
One thing I notice is I seem to have especially fast reflexes. Maybe it’s because I’m a musician and painter and have skills sharpened by the fact that both require instant responses and decisions. When I speed, which I think maybe some of you can relate to, I have no trouble making calculations and judgements that seems to elude most drivers.
What are your special abilities enabled by your condition?
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I can finish peoples sentences before they know what there going to say. I do the driving thing too, I had to get a truck so I can see what's going on all around me.
I find myself more able to tap into others' emotions, but I've definitely known some people who can "finish peoples sentences". I think it comes as a mix of intuition (about people and about the situation they are in).
The only people whose sentences that I could finish (at least on a regular basis) are my mom, my older brother, and my older son...the three people that I have the most similarity to cognitively.
As for everyone else, I pick up on their emotional state intuitively (for most people, not those few with "dark triad" type personalities...it's like they block intuitive empathy). But I might only get the gist of what they are thinking.
With some people that I get to know well (certain friends or coworkers), I've been able to clearly get on the same "train of thought", but I still won't be able to finish their sentences most of the time.
I feel strongly that we DO have many strengths with ADHD that can often be difficult to see, particularly if we're completely focused on the challenges (it's definitely not all "gifts & strengths" 😉).
Personally, I love that I can accomplish more with one hyperfocus than most do all day.
I love that I see situations differently and come up with solutions no one else thought of.
Interestingly enough, I too have ridiculously fast reflexes - which is funny in light of the fact that I tend to run into doorframes and hit corners with my hip all the time.
I think what I consider to be the greatest gift brought about my all of my experiences with ADHD, is compassion and understanding for others.
Lastly, I happen to LOVE my justice sensitivity. It allows me to speak up for injustice when many are too afraid to.
Yes I like how you put that I too often arrive at conclusions that elude most.
Ever heard of lateral thinking? I’ve always wanted to learn more about how we all think. Once considered asking a group to record their thoughts as they happen for a few minutes trying to be as honest and accurate as possible. Perhaps that would yield some insightful results
I’ve never considered a correlation between adhd and my strong affinity for compassion and kindness. I suppose I associate empathy with most shared unpleasant experiences.
Justice sensitivity is my superpower and my curse. I am running out of jobs and I see a pattern, every time is just a matter of time until they try to get rid of me as I am becoming “uncomfortable” as I call things out, on one job I only lasted a week as I dared to challenge their wrongdoings in writing . I was told I was not a good fit for their team. They were right about that☺️
That said I know I cannot do it any other way and all the way. Again superpower and curse
I think of it as a double-edged sword. I absolutely freaking love that I feel compelled to stand up and speak out against injustice, and at the same time, injustice makes me feel SO deeply disturbed that it's difficult to manage. Movies about things like racism and such things, I can't always get through them because it upsets me so deeply to see people mistreated.
I also chose a field of work where I cannot get away from it. In my defence I had no idea I had ADHD but I can see why I was drawn to this. I well burnt out and so deeply exhausted, still I do know that what I am doing and when I am standing up for someone it may make a difference to that “starfish”
That would be incredibly challenging to be in a field of work where you can't get away from it. I can imagine the emotional load that creates for you. However, you are SO right - it really may make a difference. (Love "starfish"!)
Predator prey relationship dynamics in which both species push each other to develop advantageous adaptations make me think twice before using my voice to denounce injustice. I could make anti orange rapist paintings or I could make pro love art. I myself would rather focus my time and energy on thinking about looking at and contributing to love rather than spending my time focused on that which upsets me.
I wonder if we all have a tendency to know our rights and demand they are respected more than the avg joe. Tbh at has always been a trait of mine that caused significant turmoil in school and at shitty jobs
I think that the apparent clumsiness can come from either side of ADHD: • From Inattentive ADHD, if due to being unaware of surroundings (which I believe is the main cause of my clumsiness throughout my life).*
• From Hyperactive-Impulsive ADHD: perhaps because impulsivity can cause sudden movements without consideration of surroundings, or perhaps due to hyperactivity causing fast or exaggerated movements.
• From any combination of inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
* My clumsiness decreased as dramatically as my attention capability increased when I started on ADHD medication. Interestingly, my proprioception (awareness of the position of my body parts, particularly of my limbs and head) also got much better with ADHD medication.
• I run into desks and doorways much less than I used to. I also now hardly ever whack my head on something, stub my toe, or jam my finger in something.
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My eldest daughter has always been accident prone. Although never diagnosed, she has always had Hyperactive-Impulsive traits.
My older son has had a similar tendency to my own for running into doorways and furniture. He has all my inattentive ADHD traits about as bad as I do.
My youngest daughter is injury prone, and she also exhibits inattentive traits.
The least clumsy of my kids is my younger son, who exhibits mild Combined ADHD traits...but then again, he prefers to sit in a chair most of the time. (He likes gaming a lot. When he does go outside, he likes to keep a wide space between himself and anyone else...but he will happily ride his scooter or play some 1-on-1 or 2-on-2 basketball. But don't make contact with him, or he might make a big deal about any injury he receives.)
But each of my kids displays their own unique set of "superpowers". The ones that they all seem to share with me and each other are: empathy and a strong sense of justice.
(I see ADHD traits in all four of them, but their mom insists that none of them has ADHD. Then again, she insisted that I don't have ADHD, but I got a diagnosis from two different professionals, so that shows that she was wrong about me...so she could also be wrong about the kids.
it could have been me. I talk about my ADHD being a super power. When my students escalate, I’m good with these situations and being able to restrain when it becomes necessary (I work with alternative ed students who get quite physical). I know that because of my hyper vigilance and learning the ins and outs of everything before emergent situations helps me know what to do in a blink of an eye.
I also think outside of the box for what accommodations my students need. I use their interests to help them learn new material.
At home, I’m actually quite organized for an ADHD person (it’s a coping mechanism for my ptsd).
Yes, I hate the negative effects of my ADHD, but I keep marketing myself in interviews about these super powers and it helps my students see the good and gain confidence. It also helps me keep radical acceptance, as my DBT counselor tells me about.
I am also very organized. Research I did suggested there’s a lot of evidence that says ashkenazis are genetically predisposed to being organized and detail oriented.
Each of us has our own unique set of advantages and disadvantages.
I have the predominantly Inattentive presentation of ADHD, which seems to make my reaction times slower. So, since your reaction times are faster, I would venture a guess that you have Hyperactive traits.
However, I'm a deep thinker, so when I get into ADHD hyperfocus, it often helps me to think in depth on a problem that I'm trying to solve.
I think that my ADHD also helps me to be more empathetic than the average person is, which helps me to build rapport with people very quickly. In the helping roles that I am drawn towards, this is a major advantage.
(The only people that I can't seem to establish a rapport with are ones that seem to have Dark Triad types of personalities. They are like a blank wall to me, while most people have at least a window to peek into, if not being wide open to understand. Or worse, sometimes I've been easily manipulated by someone with narcissistic traits, because they projected a false persona that I thought was their true self.)
If you want someone to think around every side of something... I can do that. If you want someone to elevate the level of humanity in the team, I can do that.
...just don't ask me to do anything fast, don't assign me purchasing decisions (I get lost on "analysis paralysis"), and don't make me a project leader. I know those are my biggest weaknesses in the workplace.
Oh, I'm also great at coming up with creative solutions. I also have a lot of interests, which has helped me develop a very broad set of knowledge and skills. I'm a "generalist", a "Jack of all Trades" in my field. (That makes me very valuable, but since I'm not a specialist in any one area, my career progression and salary progression have been slow, compared to many of my peers.)
That’s interesting you say that because I am exact opposite - don’t make me do tedious tasks, I love to project lead and make quick decisions! Mine must be impulsive primarily.
The Dark Triad are psychopathic, sociopathic, and narcissistic.
They are a different type of neurodiversity. (I've read that up to 2% of the population can have one of these conditions. It is possible to have ADHD and one of those, but I haven't found any mention about how likely the overlap is to occur.)
I think that may have been me 😊 I personally love how calm and in control I am in stressful situations and in dangerous, chaotic etc (not all but most). I love speed and driving calms me so it’s great to be in control (see a pattern here?). I tend to have higher EQ and intuition than most but also fly off the handle very fast as a flip side. And yes it often feels like the every superpower has a flip side to it. Learning to manage both is my lifelong personal goal.
I sometimes wonder whether my reflexes are particularly fast because of ADD or because I play a lot of video games. There has been many a time that I've caught items falling from cupboards or shelves, though oddly this has never really translated over into sport, where I generally don't perform. Its like my emergency reflex is great but my desire to be good at sport is low.
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What's your ADHD superpower?
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