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Until a few years ago, the medical establishment believed A.D.D. (the full name of the condition is attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder or A.D.H.D. and not all who have it exhibit the hyperactivity symptoms so it is often referred to as A.D.D.) was a pediatric disorder that kids grow out of. The irony is that because it's hereditary, many adults began to recognize its symptoms in themselves only after it was diagnosed in one or more of their children.
Experts estimate that more than eight million grown-ups in the United States have the disorder. These numbers, presented by researchers from Harvard and the World Health Organization at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in the Spring of 2004, mean that attention-deficit disorder affects 4.4 percent of the adult population, making it the second-most-common psychological problem in adults after depression. There is genetic evidence that if your child has it, there is 40% chance that a parent has it. If a parent has it, there's a 50% chance that a child will have it.
Only 15 percent of those eight million adults actually know they have A.D.D. but all are looking for a label for their lifelong restlessness, spaciness, jumping from one subject to the next, easily distracted from completing tasks and meeting deadlines that adversely affect their world of work. Here is what an executive coaching client wrote in an email message after being tested for A.D.D:
"John, I met with the neuro-psychologist tonight and she confirmed your diagnosis of A.D.D. for me. Good thing you stuck to your guns and kept me on about this. This may be the most significant breakthrough yet. She referred to me as a 'sleeper A.D.D. person.' I have gotten really really good at using my intelligence to cover the disorder. However, I do see the cost of this now in the incredible effort I have put forth to get to this point in my life. In many respects, I see that the disorder has driven many significant decisions and choices in every area of my life. I have settled for less many times because of this perceived weakness. She tells me my case is very treatable and I have good things to look forward to once we get started on the fix."
There is an emerging interest in ADD/ADHD coaching. Anecdotal accounts provided by experts view this as a promising intervention. The ADHD Coaches Organization "supports the value of coach-specific training, as well as education in the field of ADHD and coaching, as critical to the effective practice of coaching." Coaching works with the person-being-coached on such tasks as getting organized or getting and keeping a better job; which can be the difference between minimal functioning and living a full life.
The Efficacy of ADHD Coaching for Adults with ADHD, an outcome study of forty-five adults (30 women, 15 men), rated 22 areas of concern before and after the coaching experience and the results were published in the March 2010 Journal of Attention Disorders. In summary, the primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect that coaching has on adults with ADHD and to report the observations made during the coaching process. ADHD coaching in combination with medication or therapy has a significant positive effect on adults with ADHD. More specifically, it is predicted that adults with ADHD completing an ADHD coaching program designed to address their coping difficulties will demonstrate significant improvements on measures of various domains of coping. Furthermore, there is a greater significant effect when ADHD coaching is combined with mediation or therapy.
For more information on ADHD coaching, go to: www.WhatisADD.info
