So I have decided to take a new position doing what I used to do, well I had been doing this job at home in my spare time. I also had been doing this work at my last job having transitioned from Marketing Manager to Developer in the BA department developing R&D applications.

So what will I be doing? Well I will be building Flex applications and Flex components for a startup. Yeah, I get to go back to the startup world again. Its exciting. Its going to be intense and require fast paced worked in an office with not to much design or furniture. Its funny when I moved to marketing I would develop applications and learn new programming languages in my free time and when I have programming jobs I do a lot of reading about marketing, product development, and business strategy/behavior/organization.

I enjoy reading to learn so I always keep busy. I might even read a few new ADHD books.

Its ok to change jobs and careers, life is would be so boring doing the same thing all the time.

Sorry, for not posting in a long time, but I had some personal issues happening so I needed to be silent for awhile. I promise a post soon.

Does anyone have any suggests on topics they would like me to discuss or talk about?

Sorry about not posting lately, but I have been on vacation and went to a week of training (programming) and yes I was being lazy.

So I wrote post on my other blog about programmers who are right-brained that I think is worth mentioning here since this blog gets a lot of traffic from searches on ADHD + jobs. I have written or mentioned good jobs before, but this time I am focusing on some specific details. You might be asking, how can programming be a good job for someone who can’t seem to stay focused? Well, because most people have misconceptions about ADHD. The first being the people with ADHD cannot focus. ADHDers actually focus (hyper-focus) continuously for most part of the day. This is actually what happens when we are day dreaming, as we are so overly focused on what we are thinking about that we shut out the entire world. We also go into hyper-focus when we are playing video games, watching television, or when working on things we really enjoy. A second misconception is that we get bored easily, which does have some merit, but its actually not as simple as getting bored. It is actually that ADHD (aka right-brained) don’t have a creative outlet that lets our minds work how they were meant to. This second misconception is where I will focus this post.

As I have written in one of my other posts, an ADHD person can be successful in almost any job if they are given freedom. Their is a great essay written by Paul Graham here called “You Weren’t Meant to Have a Boss” that explains my thoughts about freedom better than I can myself. I am sure most individuals who are not technology savvy probably think you need to be a mathematician to be a developer. That once was probably true, but each day that is less so. I won’t go into here, but programming languages are becoming easier and easier to use do to things such as frameworks. Frameworks remove all the mundane task that developers use to have to do mainly each time they programmed something. And these frameworks are where ADHDers can make huge strides. A lot of people think that ADHDers are lazy and just don’t want to do work. This isn’t true. ADHDers actually just want things to move at a fast pace and don’t like dealing with details as they side track us.

So if you are someone with ADHD then look for a job that allows you to remove the mundane. For me I have chosen the creative route, which includes marketing, graphic design, and yes programming. They all provide creative outlets and FREEDOM. As far as programming I have chosen Flash, Flex, and now Ruby on Rails. All of these are mediums to me, which coincidently have frameworks that remove the mundane tasks so that I can let my right-brain flow with ideas without getting bogged down with to many details. To compare this to painting, working without frameworks would be like a painter having to mix each color, make their paint brush, and weave their own canvas. Ruby on Rails (aka ROR) is the perfect programming language for right-brained people (ADHD) because it allows you to easy get started developing functionality into your programs. If you are interested in programming, but never knew where to start here is a good tutorial that will get you up and running in no time.

So yes, even those with ADHD can become programmers, but we do have to still sit through the boring classes we don’t like in order to become successful. You can’t expect to become a good painter just by picking up a brush or you can’t become a great programmer without taking some math classes or computer classes. We need to learn the basics and the foundations first.

Very short post here. So my son has started a new public school as of January and he has dramatically improved his behavior scores already. I think their are a couple of reasons for the improvement that I think everyone can learn from here. First the new school is new. The school opened just 3 years ago so its clean, shiny, and has all new equipment. The school even smells new. Whether we like it or not or recognize it or not ADHDers are products of our environment. If things are old, tarnished, and messy our thoughts and actions will be the same. This is due to the fact that we are right-brained thus we less analytical and feel our way through life. I will post more on this in the week.

The other reason for the dramatic change is that my son has one of the most strict teachers in the school. His old teacher at the other school was a teacher who didn’t like nor wanted to discipline her students. She thought disciplining students was bad for their self-esteem. Its funny she wouldn’t discipline him in any way and wondered why he hadn’t improved. Hmmmmm I wonder what it could have been. I once told this teacher that if my son acted up in class that she should let me know and he won’t get to play baseball. She gasped and said “that is sort of mean”. That kind of wrapped up opinion on her and I stopped worrying so much about his behavior because if she isn’t going to change her tactics or do anything to help him then she can deal with it. So whats the message I am presenting here? Your ADHD child needs discipline…more than the average child. But the good news is they need it and want it. I still need this today in order to succeed. My wife is my constant discipline as she is very structured so it evens me out. Its kind of like having a compass you can check every so often to make sure your on course.

You need to be your child compass. Children, especially ADHD children, need and want discipline as it helps them function. They need to know what is right and wrong. This doesn’t mean spanking or verbal abuse. The best way is by removing privileges and not giving second chances EVER! We find positive reinforcement works best in our home, meaning your child has to earn video games, tv, or friend time.

So I was going over my statistics for my site and saw that several people are interested or looking for information on if a person with ADHD can control an ADHD test. I am going to assume here is that they are not interested in controlling the test via ESPN. Ok, just kidding ESP. I know bad joke. That line was in a movie wasn’t it? By controlling I am sure they mean being able to dupe the test or get through the test without showing signs of being ADHD.

Its been my experience that you can. The problem with the test is the test its self. I am sure there are several tests out there, but the test I have knowledge of is a computer based test, which is kind of like a video game. Video game? Video games = challenge = Hyper-focused. Hyper-focused is when an ADHD person is so focused or so channeled (pay attention to this word channeled for future posts) on one subject or one detail that they cannot hear or nor pay attention to anything outside that deep concentration of the mind.
When an ADHD person is in hyper-focus they can accomplish anything. This is also why ADHDer’s procrastinate in doing things is because they like the pressure or challenge as they can then easily get into hyper-focus.

Anytime I am presented with a challenge a video game, a test, or whatever else I can pay attention. That doesn’t mean that I don’t have ADHD (right brained). This goes back to the part of ADHD people don’t understand, we think in pictures or images. So until we can see the image in our head, not just any picture but the big picture, we cannot grasp the topic. I have several posts about on this subject so feel free to read those. Anyway the point I am getting at is if you want to create a test for ADHD then you have to create a test that does not provide visual and does not give a big picture view or present a challenge, but rather a test that is opposite all of these.

Most people think that ADHD people are lazy and when hard work comes they trail off into day dreaming. This isn’t the case. ADHDer’s trail off because of several reasons (here are a few):

1. Either the topic you are discussing is a detail that doesn’t matter so we checking out until a relevant topic comes along. Most of the time we aren’t checking completely out we are hyper-focusing shutting out your discussion in order to concentrate on the bigger picture. I challenge ADHDer’s and non-ADHDer’s to get a book on systems thinking to help you understand how we think.

2. We are not able to get a mental image of the big picture of what you are talking about. Again since we are right brained,think and see in images or pictures, if we can’t get that mental image then we struggle. Since most of society, school systems, and organizations are set up for the majority, left brained, then we struggle in these environments and situations. Again another challenge is to read the “Thinking in Pictures”. This is the book I highly recommend everyone read.

3. Another reason is we just go into hyper-focus to try and solve the problem or learn something. Or brains work differently than left-brained people who are vertical thinkers. The best way to understand this is to read “Lateral Thinking” by Debono.

I can say for me, most of the time I am all three all at once. So to wrap things up, yes, we can control the test or maybe its more appropriate to say we can controller ourselves during these tests via hyper-focusing on test/challenge. If you really want to test for ADHD make sure you don’t present it as a challenge, no video games/computer games, make it no visual (so wordy) and make it extremely overly detailed and boring. Oh, and make sure there are no patterns in the questioning, make it random. Or better yet just sit the person in a class room in the any U.S. public school system, with only one recess and watch if they trail off or day dream.

Or go the reverse, put the person in a room and have them come up with a way to solve world hunger, fix Dell’s struggling business model, or end pollution, but from a strategic way and via brainstorming and being innovative, creative, and inventive. Those that trail off, struggle, or come up with the incremental idea’s are those without ADHD (left-brained).

Hope this helps.

Sorry I haven’t been writing much, but I have been in China for almost two weeks (maybe I already wrote about that). And then as soon as I returned home I had knee surgery (ACL, Meniscus, knee cap) from a basketball injury a month ago.

I purchased a new book “Elements of Sentence Logic”. I don’t know when I will find time to read it, but its the pattern of patterns that I run into when researching ADHD and brain functions.

Oh, and the title above? Well since I have been on Hydroco I don’t have hyperfocus or much of anything really. Feel almost brain dead and sleepy.

Hope to write more soon.

So, not to long ago my wife and I had a discussion about cheating. She had heard that men with ADHD have a tendency to cheat as they (the ADHD man) get bored. I personally have never cheated on any of my girl friends or wife during a serious relationship. I have had it happen to me in the past and it didn’t really feel very good so I won’t ever do it. Also, I am an honest and open with whats on my mind. It has a tendency to get me into issues at times, but that is a story for another day.

We are here to talk about cheaters. For those men or women who are with someone who has ADHD I suggest you make sure to keep thing interesting or make sure you keep you partners mind thinking about you and only you. Fortunately, I have a wife who keeps things interesting and I must say has a kicken bod!

Remember people, its excitement that keeps relationships from becoming stagnant. And yes those with ADHD need a little more work and not just in the bedroom. Don’t just go to a dinner and movie. Try outdoor activities and exercise related activities. Take a trip or three.

Any women out there with ADHD that would care to comment on if they have cheated or think about it?

So for the past 6 years I have been using music to help me concentrate while at work and during studying/reading. As I am sure those with ADHD will tell you, we pick up other peoples conversations and other background noises even if we try not to. What happens is while we work we can’t concentrate on our current task because when the ear picks up the noises and passes them to the brain our brains then convert the words from conversations or the noises into images in our heads. So if we hear someone a couple of cubes down say, “Have all the TPS reports been sent with cover sheets?” our brains make us create a visuals image of the TPS report. This is what happens with those with ADHD (right brained). Our brains have to convert words to visual images so the word car becomes a visual of car in our brains. The same goes for noises. When we hear a noise we have to create a visual image of what it was, but, unlike words, this is something most people do.

So in order not to be distracted, I have been listening to Classic Masterpieces for the past 6 or 7 years. I can’t listen to anything with lyrics as the words cause my brain to create visual images, kind of like my own personal music video in my head (even opera). I find that piano based works from Beethoven, Bach, or Mozart works best, especially if I am reading a book. Again remember those who have ADHD and Autism have to turn words to images in our brains.

Sometimes when programming or working on creative task, such as graphic design, I listen to techno music as it speeds up my work and helps me concentrate since their are not any lyrics.

I have found that if I place headphones on my ears without turning any music on it helps me stayed focus, but not as much as with music, but it does still help.

I have also been experimenting with 9 year old son (without headphones), while he does his homework. One night he was struggling with getting started and staying seated so I put the music on and he finished his homework without moving around. Next time I will be trying headphones maybe starting with his ipod.

For those parents out that struggling with their children not doing homework I would try it out. Maybe even use a computer as a music player so they can’t move without losing the music. You may want to start without the head phones so they get used to it. Maybe even turn in on all the time to fill your house with it. If you just through some headphones on them with classic music they may complain and ask for 50 cent. So just baby step and give a couple of months as they may think the music sucks or is dorky. It may take them awhile to get used to the type of music, but masterpieces are called masterpieces for a reason. They will start liking certain songs as you can’t help it.

So I ran across this statement while conducting some more research on ADHD.

Research has shown that ADHD is often accompanied by other brain-related problems. The findings of genetic studies indicate a strong correlation and a genetic link between ADHD and a number of other disorders. These disorders include: conduct disorder, adult antisocial personality disorder, criminality, mood disorders (anxiety and depression), substance abuse and obsessive-compulsive disorder

Ok, duh! Maybe the link is because schools are not set up for those who think differently (right-brained, visual learners, etc…), which means those who think differently and learn differently don’t fit in the system. We struggle with the mundane, slow pace, and generic teaching style teachers use. So when we start struggling and the teachers can’t or don’t change their curriculum and/or teaching style we get yelled at, made fun of, or just shut down. This is the start of the spiral that leads to conduct disorder, antisocial disorder, criminality, mood disorders (anxiety and depression), and substance abuse.

Imagine if you, non ADHD (right-brained) people, went to work and were told to be creative and spontanious and come up with paintings, drawings, creative and innovative new products, or make some sales/ get some new accounts or just fly by the seat of pants in an unstructured environment with no routine. Or do that thing you know your not good at. Then when you couldn’t come up with those innovative ideas that combine several industries and technologies your boss stopped paying you complements, lowered your salary, was on your case for listening to closely and taking every word literally, and was sending you home with discipline tickets and bad reviews how would you feel? You would probably turn to alcohol or drugs (illegal and/or prescription), get depressed, become antisocial have some mood swings. Now imagine if you couldn’t leave that company or job for the next 15 years.

Oh, and then when you do leave that job, 15 years later, you are stuck in another system that is structured the same way.

You might break some laws or become destructive.

Idiots (not you the Dr’s who found these to be correlated)! You think they might be related?

Again we ADHD (right-brained) individuals are misunderstood and frustrated.

So there is an online personality test free for everyone to try out. Its like the Myers Brigg test. You can find it here (be sure to use IE as they are not following web standards design).

So here are my results I am interested in see the results from all the other ADHDers out there. Be sure to comment your results.

Here is mine: Can you say Right Brained?
For INFJ the most important preferences are Introverted Intuition. Your ‘dominant function’ is Intuition, oriented towards the inner world. You use your imagination to create new and different ideas and perspectives. You observe the world around you, and use your imagination to consider what you have observed from a number of different perspectives. You dream up new ideas and insights, often producing radical solutions to problems. You have a long term vision, and demonstrate an apparent understanding of what (as far as other people are concerned) cannot be clearly known.

For INFP, however, the most important preferences are Introverted Feeling. Your ‘dominant function’ is Feeling, oriented towards the inner world. This means you give importance to particular thoughts, ideas, or beliefs. You are value driven, and you often bring a sense of priority that is derived from your strong convictions. You seize upon and emphasise ideas or thoughts that have the greatest import, bringing them to the fore and stressing their significance. You assess the inherent value or importance of new ideas and beliefs, focusing on those about which you feel most strongly.