<p>DKE - Ideally, in the “real world”, adults with ADHD will gravitate toward careers which fit their learning style. Those with high energy & activity levels probably will not opt for a desk job – much better for them to choose a career which involves working outdoors. Even many indoor jobs involve a lot of moving around. They can look for work that places a high value on creativity (a strength) or multitasking (a strength) – and avoid work that is detail-oriented or requires adherence to strict deadlines (a weakness).</p>
<p>Emeraldkity, the ADA “real world” workplace accommodations that a person with ADD/ADHD can get are probably very limited. The Supreme Court has held that the ADA does not cover disabilities that are correctable or treatable - and so with the availability of medications for ADHD, it may not be a covered disability. The ADA also does not require employers to hire or place individuals into jobs where their disabilities would render them unqualified - one of the cases involved in the Supreme Court decision referenced above involved two airline pilots with vision problems. The pilots were too nearsighted to pass requisite vision tests, but the vision could be corrected to 20/20 with glasses. However, the Supreme Court said that since the disability was correctable, the ADA didn’t apply - and since the pilots couldn’t pass the vision exam, the airline did not have to hire them. </p>
<p>There workplace accommodations available are probably very limited in practice, because even when the ADA does apply, the person must be able to perform their essential job functions with reasonable accommodations. So if “essential job functions” require a good deal of organizational skills, then it may be hard to get the same sort of accommodations as would be given in school. On the other hand, in a workplace it is customary for tasks to be delegated to different people - many ADD-types do very well in professional or management functions, where they usually have a secretary or administrative assistant to keep track of their appointments and tend to other day-to-day tasks.</p>
<p>I am sure I have ADD, and am grateful I was never placed on Medication. I am currently doing very well at my school, UCDavis, I just finished the quarter with my first 4.0 term at college, and my cumulative GPA is well over a 3.0 too. </p>
<p>To cope with my ADD I make a mental schedule of everything I am going to do that day, and what time I am going to do everything. During study time, I tend to study for 30 min to 1 hour straight, and then surf the web for 5 to 15 minutes. However many times I have studies for over 5 hours straight, some nights even over 10 hours straight. Also regardless of how bored I might seem, I am unable to stop in a middle of a topic. What I mean is if I need to study a chapter, I cant take a break until I finish that chapter. Same for Homework, if I start a section of my home work, I cant take a break until I finish it. </p>
<p>Try to get your son to make a schedual of what he will do each day when he wakes up, and try to get him to stick to the schedual.</p>
Anecdotal - I had one kindergartener who thrived after being put on medication for ADHD. He went from having very few positive social interactions, to having sustained interactions and solid friendships. I’ve seen this happen other times also. While I am whole-heartedly in support of behavior management, clear home structure and good diet - for some ADD and ADHD children, that is clearly not enough. It is so sad to watch children be isolated, forlorn and friendless because they cannot control their behaviors enough to form positive relationships.</p>
<p>Noone can answer this question for you as it has to be child specific. I am a pediatric therapist and some kids do great with their environmental modifications, great teachers and schools that will work with you. BUT there are some kids that actually visually attend better and start to have success with meds. My S is ADHD but has always done well in school. He had more trouble when he was an adolescant as he had less structure and more choices to make and had to deal with impulsivity. He tried meds both ritalin and adderal and didn’t like them so that was very shot lived. He used long distance running, weight lifting and learned how to structure his own environment eventually . He is quite successful in a top college but there are others who I feel need the meds. Noone can answer this question for your child . I would keep an open mind and find which methods work best.Of course, if you can find a non-med method to have success and help your childs self esteem then that is always the preffered way but thre still are those that meds have made a huge difference.</p>
<p>Mini, thank you for reposting the link to the NIH article. However, I certainly did not draw the same conclusions from reading the article that you did. In fact, I think the panel was saying something quite different. I would urge anyone who is interested to read the article themselves… </p>
<p>We resisted medicating her for a year after her initial diagnosis at 11 but found that medication made a huge difference in both her academic and social lives. My daughter also just retired from gymnastics (Level 10 gymnast & only non-elite on her team). We found a dramatic decrease in the number of times she was injured after she begain medication. (If I had it to do over again, I would not have let her do gymnastics without medication. However, Mini, be advised that your daughter cannot compete internationally on any stimulant medication!)</p>