Being very recently diagnosed with ADHD, I took the afternoon off work to attend the free (although I did make a donation towards the running costs as someone in the fortunate position to do so) 3rd Annual Global ADHD Conference jointly organised between ADHD UK and ADHD Australia the day before last. I was only able to attend that afternoon but it was very interesting and I took away some useful things (which I am noting here, mainly for my own benefit and to organise/consolidate the various post-its I scribbled things on during the talks) from two sessions in particular…

Joseph Pack - Managing ADHD without medication

Joseph was unable to take the stimulant medication offered as “the” treatment by the NHS, and so he developed other methods to manage. As he himself said repeatedly, he has no right to say whether people should or should not use medication to manage their ADHD - his only interest is in helping those who can’t, or choose not to, take it. He founded Drug-Free ADHD with this aim.

Two key things I took away:

  1. Cold exposure can help manage focus.

    During the talk he gave, he suggested starting with a normal (hot) morning shower. Just before one is about to get out, take deep breaths to prepare for the cold water then turn the shower to fully cold for 10-15s.

    Do this for a week (resist the ADHD urge to accelerate the programme!) then do it for 20s the next week, 30s the following week etc.

    Build up to about 2 minutes 30s.

    After doing 2.5 minutes for a week, then put head fully under during the cold session.

    Joseph suggests this will effectively raise dopamine (treating ADHD, as medication would) for up to 4 hours after. As Joseph pointed out, and I experience myself, the relatively short-lasting effect is not as big of an issue as one might expect because once productive it can be easier to remain productive later in the day.

  2. Mediation can be effective to help manage impulse control.

    This I already know from my own experience, but as Joseph points outs (and something I had already discovered for myself) as an ADHDer we have to ignore (or use a script that doesn’t suggest) the usual advice to try and empty one’s mind. ADHD will simply not allow that to happen. Joseph’s suggestion is to try a mantra, something like “I can manage this”. He also runs daily meditation for AHDDers through Drug-Free ADHD.

Tania Martin - The Neurodiverse Workplace. Including Neurodivergent recruiting and adjustments.

Tania founded Peg2, a consultancy what specialising in advising how to create neuro-inclusive workplaces where everyone can thrive. I am currently going through workplace assessments which will result in “reasonable adjustments” being recommended to my employer, so some of what she had to say was particularly pertinent to me at the moment. However, I think the things I particularly picked up on (and am about to highlight) are relevant to all - whether you identify as neurotypical, neurodivergent, somewhere in-between or something else entirely (or reject the idea of such labelling altogether).

  • Make clear the “unwritten rules” at the start of each meeting. In particular state:

    • Is it okay for people to stand up an move around during the meeting?
    • Is it okay to leave my camera turned off?

    • Is it okay to just leave to go to the toilet, or just take a break if needed?

      Or do you expect everyone to remain until a designated “break time”?

    • How do the audience interact?

      e.g. do you want people to just jump in, raise a hand and wait to be invited to speak, not interact at all and just listen

    • Do you want questions as they arise, or saved until the end?

      And be honest - as was pointed out by someone else, sometimes people say they want questions as they go along but get irritated and clearly would rather they were saved until the end. As a presenter you need to know yourself/do some self-reflection on how you best receive questions too.

  • For ADHDers emotional dysregulation can be a major problem (but by no means exclusively them - there’s lots of conditions that have this, and neurotypical people get overwhelmed too). I know it is for me.

    Establish a safe space - a designated person, place and allow the time to allow ADHDers to have emotional outbursts. To cry, to threaten to leave, to vent as they need to but with no repercussions - what it said in the safe space stays in the safe space. For example, if they threaten to leave, let them know it stays within that “safe space” unless and until they come back in, say, a week with a cool head and follow it up.

  • Focus on strengths. One of my previous managers practices “strength based management” and Tania seems to advocate the same.

    Remember ADHDers excel at things like:

    • Connecting the dots
    • Understanding the bigger picture
    • Problem solving
    • Thinking creatively
    • Acting with honesty and integrity (from a strong sense of justice) - I added this one