ADD implications | ADD . . . and-so-much-more

Boggle Considerations

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 Leave a comment

Five Elements of Boggle Technique

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

As I mentioned in prior Boggle articles (see list at end of this article), if you live your life anywhere on the Attentional Spectrum, there will be times when you get so distracted, so overwhelmed, SO un-focused that you simply, literally cannot function at all!

You just lose it!

Some of us scream and yell, some of us throw things, some stomp around slamming doors and cursing, some cry . . .

Boggle can look a million different ways – practically any way at all besides behaviorally appropriate!

This state is what some of the ADD experts refer to as “cognitive shutdown in response to stress.” It’s what I call Boggle.

Let’s begin by reviewing what I have come to believe are the five key elements you need to understand and address before you can count on changing your reputation from “emotionally volatile” to “calm under pressure.” This article will explain what I mean by the terms below. Following articles in the Boggle series will explain what I call “Boggle Technique” in greater detail.

Boggle Technique: Five Key Areas for Focus

1. Time Out
2. Education
3. Communication
4. Sherlocking
5. Systematizing

Read more of this post

Filed under ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, G1. The Boggle Book Tagged with ADD implications, ADDCoaching, Boggle, Boggle Book, Executive Functions, explanation, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, Philip Martin, Prefrontal cortex

TaskMaster – Getting Things DONE!

Sunday, January 29, 2012 5 Comments

Remember – links on this site are dark grey to reduce distraction potential
while you’re reading. They turn red on mouseover
Hover before clicking for more info
.

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC
Part One of the TaskMaster™ Series

Taming Training 101

You are about to learn to become your own Task Master.

Nooooo - I don’t mean standing with a chair and a whip, caging the beast that is YOU.

The TASKS must be trained. They need to be tamed so they’ll work the way YOU need them to work.

Task taming is a multi-stepped process:

• Tasks must be trained initially, then
• Revisited and re-trained every time you learn something new about what you really need.

Let me guess . . . at this point, ALL you know about what you really need is that whatever others tell you to do doesn’t seem to work for YOU, right?

I’m about to let you in on an important ADD secret that many of us had to learn about the hard way. Shhhhhhhh!

At least 80% of what others have been telling you wasn’t designed to work for you!

It was actually intended to chastise you for not ALREADY knowing how to make it work, and

to get you to stop looking to others for help (especially them!)

Really! And I’ll bet it worked just as designed.

Think about it. Didn’t you feel thoroughly chastised, tongue-tied about what to say next, and reluctant to ask for help the next time?

Read more of this post

Filed under A5f. Organization & Task Completion, A5g. Distractions & Transitions, ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, G5j. Transition Tamer, G5l. Organization & Task Completion, G8. TaskMaster™ Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD implications, ADDCoaching, Anxiety, explanation, finding help, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, planning, Procrastination, Taskmaster, Time Management, Transitions, Upcoming eBook Series

Surviving Beloved’s ADD

Friday, January 27, 2012 5 Comments

Ten Tips when the ADD is Beloved’s

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

As I mentioned in the first article of the Beloved Series, I get a lot of differently phrased questions from spouses that, essentially, all boil down to the same thing: How do I deal with ADD when it’s not my ADD?

Toward the end of that article, I encouraged you to believe that ALL the relationship goodies are beyond that “wall” of “I can’t deal with this another minute!” - as is your own inner healing, the need for which is bringing everything to the surface in this manner.

The relationship you dreamed of is still there – behind that wall of pain, rejection & reaction. As awful as it feels, there is a shiny silver lining to this blackest of clouds, whether you work it out with this Beloved or not.

MEANWHILE, this section will give you Ten Tips designed to help immediately. Don’t worry – your needs won’t get overlooked, and CAN’T get overlooked, but I can’t do much to help there in ten quick suggestions.

If you want some immediate relief to avoid damaging your relationship beyond repair while we’re working on how to change dynamics on the home-front, try one or all of the tips below.

Read more of this post

Filed under A5h. ADD Relationships, F1. ADD Top Tens, G6. When Beloved has ADD - alternatives to murder and divorce! Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD distinctions, ADD implications, ADD Partners, ADDCoaching, Boggle, boundary management, explanation, finding help, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, Marriage, Mental Health, Sleep disorder

When Beloved Has ADD

Thursday, January 26, 2012 3 Comments

HOW COME I’m the only grown-up
in this relationship?

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

Another adorable Phillip Martin graphic.

I get a lot of differently phrased questions from spouses that, essentially, all boil down to the same thing: How do I deal with ADD when it’s not my ADD?

Their words are different, their issues are slightly different, and their frustration levels can be anywhere from hopelessness, to exasperation, to panic, to RAGE.

When posted on one of the ADD bulletin boards I try to support, there is usually embarrassment tinged with a light sprinkling of shame in the tone of their posts – as if they should be able to figure it all out without help or information. So THAT’s a good place to start here.

Your FIRST task is to stop being so hard on yourself -- for your frustrations OR for posting them on “ADD sites.” I promise you that those sites are are frequented by a lot of other spouses desperate for information before they commit Hari Kari – or worse!

Most people, myself included, admire your willingness to use that safety valve and the honesty with which you post your frustrations. It IS frustrating to be “forced” to deal with a cognitive disability as confusing as ADD, especially when it isn’t even your own!

One of the things I always need to remind the ADD half in couples coaching is that the non-ADDers deserve extra credit for sticking around rather than running away screaming! Being pre-frontal cortex backup is NOT an appropriate part of the “standard” deal.

Read more of this post

Filed under A5h. ADD Relationships, G6. When Beloved has ADD - alternatives to murder and divorce! Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD distinctions, ADD implications, ADD Partners, ADDCoaching, boundary management, explanation, finding help, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, Marriage, Mental Health, Phillip Martin - artist, Relationships

Shopper’s Syndrome and FIT – Part 2 of a Series

Tuesday, December 27, 2011 Leave a comment

Fit-based Coaching

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

Finding the RIGHT Coach for you

Dear Madelyn,

There is a lot of talk right now about how
important finding the right coach can be
to an ADDer’s overall success.

How will I know what to look for?

And how will I be able to tell when
I’ve found the right coach?

Thanks,

J.R. (Cleveland)

Read more of this post

Filed under B. Coaching Concerns, B2. Working with an ADD Coach, D. Coaching with MGH, D1. Private Coaching Tagged with ADD Coaching Series, ADD implications, ADD perspective, ADDCoaching, Client/Coach FIT, ClientQuestions, Coaching, explanation, finding help, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, Personal development

Reframing Task-Completion

Saturday, November 26, 2011

ADD/ADHD and Unfinished Personal Projects
Guest blogger: Bryan Hutchinson

I have hundreds of unfinished personal projects and I have ADHD.

From what I understand about ADHD, and from what I have read, I should be upset about unfinished personal projects.

However, I am a writer and writing has taught me an extremely valuable lesson, and that is:

• Finishing everything I start writing is nearly impossible
and,
• Not everything that’s started is meant to be finished.

Sometimes what I start is meant to take me somewhere else, to get me past a hump or lead me to deeper thoughts or inspiration.

Before I go any further, let me clarify that I am talking about personal projects here. Not jobs. That’s for another post.

Read more of this post

Filed under A5c. TimeSteps™, A5f. Organization & Task Completion, ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, Bryan Hutchinson (ADDerWorld), E2c. ADD Community Support, I. Guest Posts Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD implications, ADD perspective, ADDerWorld, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Bryan Hutchison, Community Support, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, Transitions, Writing

Are you OUT of your MIND?

Monday, November 21, 2011 2 Comments

Remember – links on this site are dark grey to reduce distraction potential
while you’re reading. They turn red on mouseover
Hover before clicking for more info

Reframing to Rewire (First in a series)
by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

Most of us take that “Are you out of your mind?” question to mean that we’ve just said or done something NUTS. I want to stand that idea on its ear.

Image via Wikipedia

I think it would be FAR more powerful to use that phrase as a reminder to do exactly that: to GET out of our minds.

To “get out of our reactionary mind” so that we can align our actions with our intentions is more what I had in my mind, so let’s explore how we might begin to DO that.

For those of us with Executive Functioning Dysregulation, following one idea to completion is frequently an exercise in frustration and failure.

Metaphorically, our brains are rather like a tangle of string-like dendritic connections resembling a plate of cooked spaghetti.

About the only way we can locate both ends of a single strand of spaghetti on a dinner plate is to lift it up out of the plate and away from the rest of the tangle.

After twenty plus years of investigating ADD and working with ADDers, I’ve come to believe that “getting it up and out of the plate for closer observation” is the most successful way to locate both “ends” of a single train of thought as well.

When that single-thought strand is left tangled with the other strands, ADDers in particular can become like Alice in Wonderland clones, looping around relatively aimlessly and getting ourselves into all sorts of odd predicaments

Lifting that strand of spaghetti away from its tangle successfully is where the mere presence of another person makes all the difference in the world: an ADD-literate mentor, coach, or non-judgmental friend who can reframe our challenges simply by virtue of the fact that, from their vantage point, things don’t look so convoluted.

(More to come about that concept in a later post in this series)

Movin’ ON to the Rewiring

Read more of this post

Filed under A1a. Executive Functioning Disorders, A3. Linking & Learning, A5e. Memory and Info Processing, D. Coaching with MGH, H. Brain Based Coaching/Training Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD implications, ADD Treatment, Amygdala, Brain-based, Daniel Amen, Limbic system, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, Neuron, Robert Sylwester

Distinguishing Distractibility

Monday, October 31, 2011 2 Comments

Distractions! What are they anyway?

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

A distraction is an involuntary diversion of attention in response to a stimulus – beyond our control.

Distractions have a negative impact on our ability to focus on an intended object and sustain that focus – in other words, a distraction is an intrusion into our attempt to concentrate on the task at hand.

Distractions can be external (nagging at any one of our five senses), or internal (“interruptions” from our own brain wiring or emotional states).

They can be subtle or overt, compelling or mildy irritating, important or trivial, but they ALL pull us off task, despite our best intentions.

ADD or not, ALL distractions reduce our ability to place our full attention where WE choose to concentrate.

• Can you fully concentrate on calculating your tax liability with repeated visits from your young daughter pleading with you to come outside to watch her ride her brand new bicycle?

• Are you able to take complicated directions over the phone while your spouse attempts to impart, in your other ear, something s/he deems important for you to hear RIGHT NOW?

• Are you able to drive through a blinding rain while your young children squabble in the back seat and your young teen blares the latest “Listen, this is so cool!” rap song?

Not really, right? ALL distractions have a negative impact on our ability to focus on the intended stimulus, and sustain the focus, the first two of the three Dynamics of Attending.

Read more of this post

Filed under A5g. Distractions & Transitions, B1. ADDCoach Terms & Tools, H. Brain Based Coaching/Training Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD Coaching Skills Series, ADD implications, ADDCoaching, Attention, Brain-based, Brain-based Coaching, cognitive focus, Distractibility, Distraction, explanation, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, Philip Martin

Domino Problems

Saturday, October 15, 2011 4 Comments

Remember – links on this site are dark grey to reduce distraction potential
while you’re reading. They turn red on mouseover.

Stuff series: Part 4

Domino problems?

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

Yeah. Domino problems!

You know that game where you set a row of dominoes on end, then tap the first one to watch them fall, one at a time, as the domino before it knocks it down?

As hinted at in Part-2 of this series, for many of us (especially those of us with ADD Brain-wiring), DECIDING is journey fraught with domino problem land-mines!

Like I said, even the most disorganized of us has
no problem putting trash in the trash can, books
on a shelf, and beer in the ‘fridge, right?

So what IS the problem?

Deciding whether something is trash, which shelf on which bookcase and where in the ‘fridge is the problem!

An even bigger problem is deciding what to do with the produce you removed to be able to appropriate the crisper drawer as a beer cooler!

Every decision to be made seems to be complicated by another decision that needs to be made first!

The terror of tiered tasks

As an example, let’s use something considered relatively simple by many with neurotypical brains: putting away the groceries on return from the store.

We’ve got canned goods and boxes and bags, oh my! But the really tricky stuff needs to go into the freezer or ‘fridge — before it reaches a state where it is unfit for any place but the garbage can!

Uh-oh.
Read more of this post

Filed under A5f. Organization & Task Completion, A5g. Distractions & Transitions, ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, G7. STUFF - and Nonsense! Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD and Organized, ADD implications, ADD perspective, ADDCoaching, Brain-based, Decision-making, Distractibility, explanation, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, Prefrontal cortex, STUFF and Nonsense, tiered tasks

OHIO – OMG!

Monday, October 3, 2011 4 Comments

Remember – links on this site are dark grey to reduce distraction potential
while you’re reading. They turn red on mouseover.

Part Two of the Stuff – and Nonsense Series
by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

Repeat after me:
OHIO is a STATE, not a system for handling stuff!

You know the term, right? OHIO. Only Handle It Once. Pick up the first piece of clutter and move it to its final resting place in one swift masterpiece of organizational wizardry.

Get a grip! If we’d had it together enough to only handle it once we would never have been in need of clutter management to begin with!

———————————————————————————————————————————————–
Edited excerpt from: Stuff – and Nonsense: an organizing miracle cure that doesn’t start by making
you throw out your stuff! ©1998, 2002, 2011 – Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, MCC, SCAC; all rights reserved
———————————————————————————————————————————————–

Part 2 of the Stuff series – CLICK here to read Part 1 first

Brain-based Coaching Paradigms

Tuesday, September 27, 2011 2 Comments

Remember – links on this site are dark grey to reduce distraction potential
while you’re reading. They turn red on mouseover
Hover before clicking for more info

Underlying Assumptions Keeping us Stuck

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

Each Professional Coach has a way of looking at life and at coaching that shapes his or her particular approach and determines the way they coach.

I personally believe that it is impossible
to make lasting changes
that are nothing more than reactions to shame.

Shame is a lousy “motivator” that we’ve somehow come to believe will keep the “lawless” on the straight and narrow.

MAYBE – if “on the straight and narrow” means “behind the eight ball!”

Shame’s Genesis

After almost 25 years of coaching ADDers, I have observed that shame is actually the internalization of repeated “evidence of failure” after years of struggling to incorporate the implications of ADD with the well-meaning “support” of people who didn’t really understand the pragmatics of Executive Functioning dysregulation: what moves things forward and what makes things worse.

Whatever the rationale behind saying them, variations of comments like the ones below not only make it more difficult to live up to expectations, they encourage a black and white belief that we are fundamentally inadequate and always will be.

You HAVE to get organized — why don’t you write things down!?

Anyone with your intelligence should be doing better!

You could if you wanted to badly enough and put the effort in.

You don’t listen! You aren’t really trying.

You MUST take responsibility for your own life!

Our “helpers” need to understand that attempts to MOTIVATE us to make better choices in any fashion will never work – because 90% of our chronic oopses are not the result of a “failure of WILL.” They aren’t even “choices” at all, unless you want to use the term “choice” to hold us accountable for unconscious assumptions underlying our actions.

We don’t need to be motivated to make better choices, we need to be coached and mentored to learn how to MAKE and ACTUATE choices at all. And that absolutely must begin with an examination of The User’s Manual for the ADD Brain!

Read more of this post

Filed under A1a. Executive Functioning Disorders, ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, D1a. Private ADD Coaching, H. Brain Based Coaching/Training Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD implications, ADDCoaching, Brain-based, Executive Functions, internalization, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, shame, unconscious assumptions

Change Requests & SuperSensitives

Sunday, September 25, 2011 5 Comments

Bradshaw’s Change Model and Hypersensitivity
Guest blogger: Glen Hogard

Hypersensitivity: Anything from not being able to tolerate tight clothing or labels in clothing that irritate our skin, to light, temperature, or sound sensitivity, to heightened emotional sensitivity, we often have to find ways to cut down on our reaction or “over reaction” to a stimulus.

While heightened sensitivity can be a valuable benefit in certain areas of life as in jobs such as EMS technician, doctor, fireman, and even a writer, when it is extra emotional sensitivity it can make interpersonal relationships, especially intimate relationships, difficult if not balanced with ways to sooth our hypersensitive emotions.

While it’s easy to see how it affects us, it’s not so easy to temper.

In the 1980’s, before I knew about ADD/ADHD, I was taught a tool by John Bradshaw, a famous family systems therapist, while working with his first satellite center outside of his California facility in Miami. I worked then, as I have done for ADDA, as the volunteer coordinator for his then yearly or semi-yearly seminars hosted by a great therapist Joan E. Childs.

I’m sure there are other variations of this method in practice, but this is how it was taught to me. So here it is: The Change Model

Read more of this post

Filed under ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, B1. ADDCoach Terms & Tools, E2c. ADD Community Support, Glen Hogard, SCAC, I. Guest Posts Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD implications, ADDCoaching, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Coaching, communication, Community Support, explanation, finding help, John Bradshaw, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie

Got Memory? – Part I

Saturday, September 24, 2011 4 Comments

Remember – links on this site are dark grey to reduce distraction potential
while you’re reading. They turn red on mouseover
Hover before clicking for more info

Memory, Aging and ADD

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

See also: Senior Moments? – The Heartbreak of CRS

My sleep disorder has me out of phase with the rest of America again. Bummer!

Since, of late, I seem to be asleep when the rest of America is up and at’em, awake when it seems that all the world’s aslumber, there’s not much to distract me from reading and research – so I’ve been reading a lot lately!

One of the few good things about Living with JetLag™ is that there are periods of time when I can do little else but dive into books I have been too busy to read while I scrambled to catch up with everything missed “off-phase” during those precious times when I am “on-phase” with the rest of you earthlings.

A number of books have come out in the past few years exploring what happens to our brains as we age. Several are exploring “normal” changes, others are looking at brain disorders that seem to strike at middle-age, most notably Alzheimers.

Other than mentioning the link between aging and sleep struggles, which I will explore in another series of posts, the primary focus of most of the books I’m currently ingesting concerns the processes of memory: what happens when they work as expected, and what happens when they don’t.

Two I just finished are:

Barbara Strauch’s The Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain

Cathryn Jakobson Ramin’s Carved in Sand
- when attention fails and memory fades in midlife

The timing seems suddenly right for a series of articles on memory and ADD, but before I get into the details, I need to get something off my chest.

Read more of this post

Filed under A1a. Executive Functioning Disorders, A4. Sleep Struggles & ADD, A5e. Memory and Info Processing, ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, E2a. Rants; Ruminations, H. Brain Based Coaching/Training Tagged with ADD & Sleep, ADD and ADHD, ADD implications, ADD perspective, ADDspectrum, Aging, Alzheimer, Barbara Strauch, Book review, Brain-based, Executive Functions, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, Short-term memory, Sleep disorder

What to Talk About in Your Coaching Call

Tuesday, September 20, 2011 Leave a comment

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC
Another article in the The ADD Coaching Series

Does your mind go blank . . .

the minute you call for coaching?

Part of the magic of The Client Prep Form is that, in addition to serving as a session roadmap for you and your coach, it is startle insurance for YOU!

Since ADDers tend to have a hair-trigger startle response that shuts down thinking momentarily, I can’t encourage you strongly enough to develop the habit of USING the Client Prep Form for that reason as much as any other..

To help jumpstart your thinking process for those times you “ADD-out” – including the time it will take to make using the Prep Form a habit - print a copy of the following list and keep it in the front of your coaching notebook.

BY THE WAY . . .

Coaching forms are useful for Peer Coaching relationships too – that’s why I will be making many of them available here on ADDandSoMuchMore.com.

Stay in the Loop: Check back often -or- if you want email notification of new content,
tell the nice form on the skinny column to your right where to notify you.
[Stringent NO SPAM Policy.]

Read more of this post

Filed under ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, B. Coaching Concerns, B2. Working with an ADD Coach, B3. Peer Coaching, D. Coaching with MGH, D1a. Private ADD Coaching, H. Brain Based Coaching/Training Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD Coaching Materials, ADD Coaching Series, ADD implications, ADDCoaching, Attention, Coaching, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, Peer Coaching, Personal development, Startle reaction

Sort of a SITE-MAP

Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Leave a comment

Last Update: Tuesday, April 30, 2013: 7:50 pm Eastern

Links by type of article on ADDandSoMuchMore.com

with gratitude and props to Phillip Martin
for allowing me to use the amazing artwork you’ll see
on most of the posts here – click his name to go check him out!

Unfortunately for all of us, there doesn’t seem to be an automatic way to generate a site-map for you on this site with this template in WordPress.** Ay me! So I set up my own version.

Scroll down and I’ve categorized links for you manually.

Below a bit of verbiage and a plea for help is my whenever-I-get-time-to-do-it attempt to organize some of the content to help you navigate to what you are most interested in reading.

PLEASE help me spread the word that my 25 years of reading and research
is posted here for free!

It takes a village to educate a world

Read more of this post

Filed under ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, H. Brain Based Coaching/Training, X. Site Admin Pages Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD implications, Attention, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Brain-based, Differential Diagnosis, Executive Functions, explanation, Fight-or-flight response, Hyperactivity, Impulsivity, Mental Health, Site-Map, Sitemap

ADD Overview V: Red Flag Warnings

Thursday, August 25, 2011 Leave a comment

Remember – links on this site are dark grey to reduce distraction potential
while you’re reading. They turn red on mouseover
Hover before clicking for more info
.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————–
I use “ADD” to include AD/HD etc. Check out What’s in a Name for why.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————–

CLICK HERE FOR the first article in this series

ADD/HD Red Flags

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC
Final article in a 5-Part Series

NOTE: This is NOT an “Am I dealing with ADD/HD?” list.

These items are not the same thing as diagnostic criteria.

HOWEVER, if you are wondering if ADD or ADHD might be a factor in some of your life-long struggles (or those of a loved one), take a look at this list.

Keep in mind: an instance or three is NOT necessarily an indication of a problem, or a reason to suspect that your preferences (or those of a loved one) are maladaptive.

The presence of more than a few of the Red Flags, or a great many examples of one or more of the items below is, however, a signal to you that looking more closely at the possibility of an ADD/HD diagnosis might be warranted.

Read more of this post

Filed under A1c. Dances with Diagnosis, ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, H. Brain Based Coaching/Training Tagged with ADD implications, Attention, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Brain-based, explanation, Hyperactivity, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, New Diagnosis, Substance abuse

ADD Overview IV: Hyperarousal

Tuesday, August 23, 2011 2 Comments

Hyperarousal: a cognitive “idle” set too high!

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC
Fourth article in a 5-Part Series

Another darling Phillip Martin illustration!

Have you ever had a car that seemed to want to drive itself?

You know, like when you’re stopped at a traffic light on a perfectly flat road you have to keep your foot on the break pedal or the car will move forward, even if you don’t touch the accelerator?

And heaven help us all if you DO touch the accelerator!

That’s what mechanics call an “idle set too high.”

That darn car is set
too darn ready to respond!

Fortunately, any half decent mechanic can quickly and easily recalibrate your car.

UNfortunately, even the best doctor in the entire universe can’t recalibrate your brain. But YOU can. That’s part of what the articles on this site are designed to help you do.

BUT FIRST you must become aware of what you’re facing.

The first step on the road to change is making the unconscious conscious.

We start by “rounding up the usual suspects” and naming them.

When we name unconscious behaviors, they immediately begin to lose their power.

We can’t change anything we can’t identify and NAME.

Read more of this post

Filed under ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, H. Brain Based Coaching/Training Tagged with ADD implications, Attention, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Boggle, Brain-based, explanation, Hyperactivity, New Diagnosis

ADD Overview III: Associated Features

Saturday, August 20, 2011 Leave a comment

————————————————————————————————
I use “ADD” to include AD/HD etc. Check out What’s in a Name for why.
————————————————————————————————

Associated Features: NOBODY has ‘em ALL!

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC
Third article in a 5-Part Series

” There ain’t no IS about ADD! “

Common ADD behaviors and problems may be mild, they may be severe; they can vary by situation or environment, or present chronically.

Some ADDers are able to concentrate when they are highly interested in (or excited by) an activity. Others may have difficulty focusing under any circumstances.

Amplified stimulation brought about by risk or danger may increase or decrease an ADDer’s ability to focus — some ADDers look for stimulation, while others avoid it.

ADDers can be withdrawn and antisocial, or they can be overly social and unable to be alone. Some are reticent to share their thoughts and opinions, some can’t stop themselves from saying whatever they think.

ALL we can say for sure is that there is “impairment” in various arenas that are relatively unimpaired in non-ADDers. These “impairments” may be a direct result of ADD or may result from related adjustment difficulties.

———————————————————————————————————————
I use “ADD” to include AD/HD etc. See ADD or ADHD: What’s in a Name? for why.
———————————————————————————————————————

ADDers think so far “out of the box,” many of us have to be reminded there IS a box!

Never forget that an ADD diagnosis is a matter of degree of impairment
relative to the “norm”

How many of the Characteristics, Associated Features & Challenges are present?

How often do they rear their ugly heads?

How strongly do they manifest whenever they show up?

How long have they (or something like them) been showing up?

How disabling are they to the individual’s life trajectory?

Read more of this post

Filed under ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, H. Brain Based Coaching/Training Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD implications, ADDCoaching, Attention, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Brain-based, explanation, Hyperactivity, Neurodevelopmental, New Diagnosis

ADD Overview II: Identifying Traits

Wednesday, August 17, 2011 2 Comments

Remember – links on this site are dark grey to reduce distraction potential
while you’re reading. They turn red on mouseover.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–
I use “ADD” to include AD/HD etc. Check out What’s in a Name for why.
—————————————————————————————————————————————–

ADD Characteristics & Identifying Traits

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC
Second article in a 5-Part Series

You might find it a bit easier to understand how ADD impacts the lives of the individuals who have been diagnosed as you read through this list and the ones to follow.

Other than the introductory post, ADD Overview 101, I offer the Overview series of posts in list format, so that you can “go down the lists and check things off.”

For some of you, that will help “unpack” what you might have tried to read in the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual or on other websites.

I also want to offer a few “quickie overviews” to serve as a summary of what you will find in various books and articles about ADD.

While not part of the “official” diagnostic criteria, and certainly not a complete list of ADD characteristics and traits, the features listed
below are found in most ADDers.

Most of them are not specific symptoms of the disorder itself.

Rather, they are the manifestations of the symptoms, and are often more easily identifiable.

By no means do I mean to imply that these traits are found exclusively in individuals with ADD, although ADDers seem to have more than a fair share of them, compared to the rest of the population.

It is important to remember that
an ADD *diagnosis* is a matter of degree:

How many of these “ADD traits” are present?

How often do they rear their ugly heads?

How strongly do they manifest whenever they show up?

How long have they been showing up?

How disabling are they to the individual’s life trajectory?

Read more of this post

Filed under ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, H. Brain Based Coaching/Training Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD implications, Attention, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Brain-based, explanation, Hyperactivity, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, New Diagnosis

Distinguishing Can’t from Won’t

Tuesday, August 16, 2011 Leave a comment

Remember – links on this site are dark grey to reduce distraction potential
while you’re reading. They turn red on mouseover.

CAN’T vs WON’T

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC
In support of the ADD Coaching Skills Series

A fundamental concept underlying the manner in which I coach individuals with attentional spectrum deficits is a result of the distinction between “can’t” and “won’t.”

Distinguishing articulates the differences between words as they apply functionally

When we distinguish one word from another, we bring to conscious awareness the reality that, while the denotation of two words – the surface, dictionary meaning – might be effectively equivalent, the connotations are quite different.

Connotation – subtext and common usage within sub-groups – always rides along with the denotative (dictionary) meaning of a word, whether or not we intend the emotional “spin,” or whether or not we are aware of it consciously.

A Distinction, as it applies to the coaching relationship, is a psycho-spriritual subtlety of language, consciously used for the express purpose of facilitating psychological and spiritual growth.

Distinguishing hones functioning as well as thinking.

It sharpens listening, language and coaching skills.

It helps to form vital neurological connections, ” brain-links” in a way that expands your knowledge base exponentially – rather than in the linear fashion in which we are accustomed to learning.

It’s a brain-game that helps build positive-minded neural-net — weakening the bonds of “old tapes” so that we can shape new futures.

My goal, whenever I select a distinction and let my brain loose to blog about it, is “to seed a shift in come-from“ – to illuminate cherished opinions and unconscious habits of thought, hoping to inspire a reframing of underlying assumptions.

Can’t vs. Won’t

I want to shine a light on the necessity of accepting the behavioral characteristics of ADDers as part of the ADD diagnosis. For far too long, neurological ADD challenges have been assigned to the provinces of behavior or psycho-analysis.

Read more of this post

Filed under D. Coaching with MGH, E2a. Rants; Ruminations Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD Coaching Skills Series, ADD distinctions, ADD implications, ADDCoaching, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Belief bias, Linguistics, Listening and Languaging, Prefrontal cortex

ADD Overview 101

Sunday, August 14, 2011 4 Comments

Remember – links on this site are dark grey to reduce distraction potential
while you’re reading. They turn red on mouseover
Hover before clicking for more info

———————————————————————————————————————————–
I use “ADD” to include AD/HD etc. Check out What’s in a Name for why.
———————————————————————————————————————————–

ADD BASICS: A Brief Overview

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC
First article in a 5-Part Series

If you are one of the many ADDers who struggles to stay focused when you read . . .

You may find that the beginning of this article is a little more slow going than most of the articles on this site – unfamiliar technical terms are always a bear!

If you can possibly read through it, the information will be worth your effort – if only to have a bit of science to throw back at those opinionated nay-sayers who pooh-pooh the existence of ADD as a valid diagnosis.

It will also help you hold your own in response to hearing or reading some idiot popping off with sound-bite logic-that-isn’t, like: “ADD is not caused by a Ritalin deficiency.”

The information “builds on itself” – the reading gets easier as you go — and I do my best to explain terms in “plain English” — well, plain-ISH, anyway!!

The rest of the articles in this series aren’t “tech-talky” – so if you CAN’T get through THIS one, don’t let it keep you from clicking through to the others.

Click HERE for the next article in this series

For those who read easily: There are tons of links to additional information on this post (dark gray, remember, so they’re not distracting while you’re trying to read what’s here) – scroll your mouse over the page and the links will almost jump out at you. Hover for a moment before clicking and a bit of info will appear. (BTW- ALL links on THIS page will open in a NEW window or tab)

NOW, what’s up with ADD, anyway

Read more of this post

Filed under ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, H. Brain Based Coaching/Training Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD implications, Attention, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Brain-based, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM, explanation, Hyperactivity, Impulsivity, New Diagnosis

Naming the Game

Tuesday, August 9, 2011 1 Comment

The Name of the Game Determines the Rules

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

I tell my clients that part of the problem we have accomplishing specific tasks is a direct result of how we Name the Game.

HOW WE “NAME THE GAME” DETERMINES HOW WE PLAY

For example:

If the Name of the Game is clean-up-the-house, our mental To-Do list can include anything – from “defrost freezer” to “launder all slipcovers & bedding” to “remove, wash and wax ceiling fan blades.”

Lordy Mercy, as they say in the South, just shoot me now!

“Clean-up-the-house” is far too large a task to conceptualize without Boggle, making it all the more difficult for us to activate to take any steps at all. So we usually don’t.

We agonize over our “procrastination“ problem instead.

Since we have given our conscious mind little beyond a vague idea of what we mean by clean-up-the-house, our subconscious mind is clueless. Round and round our brain it spins, seeking out all the bits and pieces filed under “cleaning,” “not clean” and “house.” Endlessly!

If we ARE somehow able to get ourselves going, broom, mop, and hardhat at the ready, most of us boggle somewhere early in the task, then wallow in the despair that comes from failing, yet again, to accomplish what we set out to do.

Then we agonize over our “follow-through” problem.

Read more of this post

Filed under A5a. Attention & Focus, A5f. Organization & Task Completion, G5l. Organization & Task Completion Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD implications, ADDCoach Programs, ADDCoaching, Boggle Book, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, Procrastination, Upcoming eBook Series

Nine Challenges: What Are They?

Tuesday, July 26, 2011 3 Comments

Isolated Understanding Must Come First

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC
An article from The Challenges Inventory™ Series

The Challenges Inventory™ is composed of nine separate elements — Challenges — designed to target specific areas which are particularly problematic for most human beings.

The specific combination of particular challenges make up a client’s Challenges Profile – a visual snapshot of implementation in the nine key areas relative to each other.

When we recognize and understand the impact of the relationship between these “underachieving” parts of our lives, we can better use each category to our ADVANTAGE rather than to our detriment, creating positive change in our lives.

The real power of The Challenges Inventory™ comes from understanding each of the nine Challenges individually as well as their impact together, which will tell you how to translate the scores into information your can use in your LIFE.

It is the understanding of how to sherlock the particular relationship between the scores that will provide the information you need to develop the systems that will be effective with YOUR individual Challenges Profile — so that you can begin immediately to prioritize a path of development that works with your strengths and avoids areas of significant challenge.

AND YET, we must begin at the beginning.

Read more of this post

Filed under ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, G5. The Optimal Functioning eBook Series™, G5b. The Challenges Inventory™, H. Brain Based Coaching/Training Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD implications, ADDCoach Programs, ADDCoaching, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Brain-based, Coaching, Executive Functions, explanation, Hyperactivity, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, New Diagnosis, Time Management, Upcoming eBook Series

NINE Challenges to Effective Functioning

Tuesday, July 19, 2011 Leave a comment

Remember – links on this site are dark grey to reduce distraction potential
while you’re reading. They turn red on mouseover
Hover before clicking for more info
.

From The ADD Lens™

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC
Part II of a 2-part article in The Challenges Inventory™ Series
(click HERE to read Part I)

It’s NOT a Secret –

It is a misunderstanding of how it all works to believe that “thinking positively” is ALL you have to do to attract the success you deserve.

Faith without appropriate action is sallow.

Appropriate action is YOU-based, what you must do to manifest your dreams.

The genesis of creation comes from Spirit, BUT

Here on the physical plane, we are equally bound by the laws of the physical.

Were it not so, we would not find ourselves walking on firmament in a body equipped with a brain.

The more you understand how your physical apparatus is designed,
the better you will be able to actuate your desires on the physical plane.

Read more of this post

Filed under G5a. The ADD Lens™, G5b. The Challenges Inventory™, H. Brain Based Coaching/Training Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD implications, ADDCoach Programs, ADDCoaching, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Brain-based, Coaching, Diagnosis, Executive Functions, explanation, finding help, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, New Diagnosis, Upcoming eBook Series

Sherlocking ADD Challenges

Tuesday, July 19, 2011 Leave a comment

Part I of a 2-Part Article

Investigating Winners

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

I had always been determined to be a winner in this game called life, but I was struggling.

I worked as hard or harder than anyone else, I seemed to have more talents and abilities than many, and I got more than my share of lucky breaks.

But somehow there was always something that fell apart before I could reach that finish line called SUCCESS. Since I couldn’t predict it, I couldn’t prevent it. It was driving me nuts!

I spent most of my thirties in therapy in an attempt to figure it out, to no avail. I tried on every diagnosis anybody threw at me (I wouldn’t wanna’ be resistant, right?). None of them felt right. I just knew there had to be something else.

Nope, not fear of failure or success.

Nope, not low self-esteen or self-sabotage.

No way I’m passive/aggressive or manic/depressive (now called BiPolar).

Well, sure I’m depressed – wouldn’t you be if your life kept falling apart no matter how hard you tried to keep it together?

On and on and on with the list that I’m sure anyone reading this article will find all too personally familiar: including anything and everything but the one thing that would make the difference in my life.

When I was 38 years old – another lifetime, it seems, now over two decades later – I learned about Attention Deficit Disorder. Finally! Now that I had a name for what was “wrong” with me, I wasn’t going to let a little thing like ADD stop me.

So what do I DO about it? I asked the doctor who agreed with my self-diagnosis. What do you MEAN, nobody knows? THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE!!

Read more of this post

Filed under ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, G5. The Optimal Functioning eBook Series™, G5a. The ADD Lens™, G5b. The Challenges Inventory™, H. Brain Based Coaching/Training Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD implications, ADDCoach Programs, ADDCoaching, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Brain-based, Coaching, Diagnosis, Executive Functions, explanation, finding help, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, New Diagnosis, Upcoming eBook Series

ABOUT Impulsivity

Monday, July 18, 2011 8 Comments

Risk, Reward & Impulsivity

Managing the gap between impulse and action

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC
Part of The Challenges Inventory™ Series

Many professionals agree that “impulsivity” is one of the most confusing of the official terms in the DSM (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, updated and published by the American Psychological Association).

The confusion is especially problematic because impulsivity is one of the diagnostic criteria for Attention Deficits. The biggest source of confusion is linguistic.

The term “impulsivity” is unfortunate.

So many concepts are implied by the root word “impulse” that, even once we identify impulsivity as an area that needs to be managed, it’s really tough to figure out how to do it — or even what’s involved.

The truth is, we are ALL are at the effect of “impulsivity.” Impulses drive the conscious actions that contribute to much of our forward progress. Even “instincts” are driven from impulses – the only real difference is that those impulses are below the level of consciousness.

Another biggie among the ADD problems is activation.

What IS activation, if not an impulse.

Murkier and murkier, this examination toward clarification!

Okay, let’s not get into semantic discussions that split hairs. Individuals will be considered “impulsive” only when impulse leads to action without a pause for thought. That works, right?

Read more of this post

Filed under G. From my Books, G5. The Optimal Functioning eBook Series™, G5b. The Challenges Inventory™, G5i. The Impulsivity Rundown™ Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD implications, ADDCoaching, Attention, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, explanation, Fight-or-flight response, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, Stress, Upcoming eBook Series

ABOUT The Challenges Inventory™

Monday, July 18, 2011 Leave a comment

A Snapshot of Your Functional Profile

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

The unique relationship of NINE functional Challenges in YOUR life!

Discover the extent to which your
Challenges Profile is making life difficult:
unique-to-you categories-combinations where understanding can lead to prediction, which can skyrocket an upside down profile!

Once someone has been diagnosed with ADD, it is especially useful to have a snapshot of their particular functioning.

Although each of the challenges are difficult to some extent for most human beings as well as most ADDults, the degree to which each challenge causes trouble RELATIVE to the remaining eight Challenges — and how to approach change and growth — is quantified in a Challenges Profile. Woo hoo!

Quantification provides a MAP to assist ADDer, client, coach, parent, teacher, or any individual who will take the time to understand what they are looking at, that enables them to strategize progress steps — focusing effort and activity so that evidence of success very quickly replaces evidence of failure.
Read more of this post

Filed under ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, G5. The Optimal Functioning eBook Series™, G5b. The Challenges Inventory™, H. Brain Based Coaching/Training Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD implications, ADDCoach Programs, ADDCoaching, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Brain-based, Coaching, Executive Functions, explanation, Impulsivity, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, New Diagnosis, Time Management, Upcoming eBook Series

ADD Partners – When Good Love Goes Bad

Tuesday, July 12, 2011 Leave a comment

He said, She said

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

Marriage therapists say there are three sides to every story: his side, her side, and what happened.

Misunderstandings abound, even in relationships
where neither partner has ADD.

But I’d be tempted to argue for a fourth side with ADD in the picture – especially when it has been recently diagnosed or (holy moly!) undiagnosed, maybe barely suspected.

It seems to make no difference if the participants are intelligent, psychologically savvy individuals — without the knowledge of the impact of ADD on perception and functioning, the curve ball injected when ADD is part of the dynamic can set up situations that defy analysis.

In fact, psychological models often muddy the waters, aiming terms like “resistance,” “struggles for control,” “passive-aggressive behavior,” and “ambivalence” at situations where ADD is clearly the one and only culprit — but only to the ADD knowledgeable who remember to look for it there first.

Help that didn’t

I spent almost a year in therapy working on my “feelings of ambivalence” toward my sister — “repressed,” of course. The presenting evidence? I was chronically late to any activity we planned together, often because I was unable to find my keys so I could lock the door behind me when I left my Manhattan apartment.

I knew that my sister interpreted my lateness as a sign that I didn’t want to spend time with her or that I didn’t care about her feelings. Every shared event began with a tense half-hour at the very least, if only because I was so frazzled from my attempts to make it on time.

“You could at least call! Why don’t you do that?” hung in the air,
even on those occasions when she didn’t actually say it.

The answer????? Read more of this post

Filed under ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, D2. ADD Partner Coaching, G6. When Beloved has ADD - alternatives to murder and divorce! Tagged with ADD implications, ADD perspective, ADDCoaching, Attention, Brain-based, Coaching, Executive Functions, explanation, Listening Skills, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie

Differential Diagnosis – Part 2

Sunday, July 10, 2011 3 Comments

Remember – links on this site are dark grey to reduce distraction potential
while you’re reading. They turn red on mouseover.

Differential Diagnosis:
What is it?

– and why would I care?

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC
Part Two of the Differential Dx Series

To answer the first part of the question, click HERE to read the first part of this article. (Click the link at the end of THAT article to come back here to read why you really need to care.)

The answer to the second part?

In a nutshell: as with everything else in life,
“The Name of the Game™ determines the rules!”

If you don’t have the correct diagnosis, there is NO WAY you will be addressing your problems in a manner that will be successful.

Pretend you are a former college marathon runner in his late 30′s. Lately you’re having problems completing your morning run. You can barely breathe after about ten minutes of what used to be an easy warm-up.

Obviously, you’d be headed for trouble if you were treated with asthma medication and the source of your shortness of breath turned out to be a problem with your heart.

Since you aren’t sure what’s going on, you’d want to feel confident that your doctor knows enough about “shortness of breath” conditions to make a referral to the correct specialist, even if your particular doctor specializes in sports medicine, right?

When you’re dealing with a differential diagnosis that has few quantifiable measures to identify it, it becomes all the more important to work with a doctor who has the depth of knowledge it may take to distinguish between a daunting number of possibilities with similar presentations — yet very different treatments.

Read more of this post

Filed under A. Hopefully Helpful , A1. The Attentional Spectrum, A1a. Executive Functioning Disorders, A1c. Dances with Diagnosis, A2. ADD Treatment, A2a(1) Your ADD Doctor, ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD Comorbidities, ADD implications, ADD perspective, ADD Treatment, ADD-AD/HD differential diagnosis, ADDspectrum, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Diagnosis, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, New Diagnosis

ABOUT ADD & STRESS

Saturday, July 9, 2011 3 Comments

Low Stress Tolerance

Sez WHO!?

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC
Part of The Challenges Inventory™ Series

One of the many things you will read about ADD and ADDers is that we have a tough time dealing with what is referred to as “low stress tolerance.”

While true in one sense, I would like to suggest some alternative explanations for what masquerades as a lower-than-average ability to deal with stress.

Everybody has a problem with stress. Nobody reacts well to it in the long run.

In the articles “filed” in the category with this one, I will explore stress from a number of vantage points, beginning with the clear statement that, in the twenty-first century, stress is endemic - something everyone must find a way to manage. It is not a problem confined to those with Executive Functioning Disorders.

With the perception of a threat to our well-being, our bodies are designed to respond rapidly and efficiently with what’s termed the “fight or flight” reaction. The survival of our genetic ancestors depended on their biological ability to respond effectively to dangers where strength needed to be marshaled immediately.

Only those who survived were around to contribute their DNA to the human gene pool, passing down that hair-trigger alertness to danger – what we now call the stress response – to the next generation.

Since the evolution of our biology has not been able to keep pace with the evolution of our technology, that hair-trigger response to stress has continued to be passed down in our genetic code, even though it is now more likely to contribute to our demise than our salvation.

You and I were born with a neurochemical ability to become flooded with everything we need to outrun or outfight dangers we will never encounter in the lives we live today. Yet we still respond to the stressors we encounter with the same flooding of chemicals.

And boy does modern life offer opportunities to trigger that response!

Read more of this post

Filed under G. From my Books, G5. The Optimal Functioning eBook Series™, G5c. StressLess™, H. Brain Based Coaching/Training Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD implications, ADDCoaching, Attention, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Brain-based, explanation, Fight-or-flight response, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, Stress, Upcoming eBook Series

ABOUT ADD & Sleep Struggles

Sunday, July 3, 2011 Leave a comment

Remember – links on this site are dark grey to reduce distraction potential
while you’re reading. They turn red on mouseover
Hover before clicking for more info

Sleeping with ADD

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

Did you know that . . .

75% of us here in ADD-land have sleep struggles, if not diagnosable sleep disorders.

That means that those in the fortunate 25% — those of you whose sleep patterns are similar to those of the “vanilla” population — are in the distinct minority!

If you are one of those lucky souls (or parent one), please don’t discount the information you will find in this category as irrelevant. You really want to guard that ability with your life!!

The concept of “sleep hygiene” is important for you, too – and you are the community most likely to benefit from it.

ADDers who are more “neurotypical” where sleep is concerned are at high risk for sliding into struggle due to our bizzare relationship to time, our tendency to get trapped in hyperfocus, our ready-fire-aim (oops!) brainstyle – and a whole lot more.

In my experience, ADDers are less likely to discount the need for stability in our sleep habits if we understand the rationale behind various flavors of “good advice” — and the extent of the potential consequences if we don’t pay ATTENTION to keeping things on an even keel.

Read more of this post

Filed under A1b. ADD Comorbids etc., A4. Sleep Struggles & ADD, G5j. Transition Tamer, Variations on ADD/ADHD Tagged with ADD & Sleep, ADD and ADHD, ADD implications, ADDCoaching, Attention, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, explanation, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, Sleep Disorders, Sleep Disorders and ADD-ADHD, Upcoming eBook Series

Zebras, hoof-beats and Dr. House: Differential Diagnosis

Tuesday, June 28, 2011 11 Comments

Differential Diagnosis: WHAT is it?

and WHY do I care?

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie,
CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

(To find out how the Zebras relate, read the article!!)

A differential diagnosis is one which examines all of the possible reasons for a set of symptoms in order to arrive at an identification of the cause (or combination of causes) of a presenting problem.

It’s a fairly simple process of elimination that can become unblievably complex in an eye-blink, “simply” because so many diseases and disorders present with similar symptoms,

Although the term “differential diagnosis” initially referred to issues of physical health, today many doctors in the mental health field also use this system of diagnosis.

Diagnosticians specialize in differential diagnosis.

Everybody’s favorite Diagnostician

And who would that be?

Why, House, of course!

Read more of this post

Filed under A. Hopefully Helpful , A1. The Attentional Spectrum, A1c. Dances with Diagnosis, A2. ADD Treatment, A2a(1) Your ADD Doctor, ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD Comorbidities, ADD implications, ADD perspective, ADD Treatment, ADD-AD/HD differential diagnosis, ADDspectrum, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Diagnosis, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, New Diagnosis

The Link Between Attention and ACTION

Monday, June 20, 2011 Leave a comment

Remember – links on this site are dark grey to reduce distraction potential
while you’re reading. They turn red on mouseover
Hover before clicking for more info
.

Awareness is a factor of ATTENTION!

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

In order to be able to take ACTION in response to information, a person must
retain an awareness of the information.

You can’t act on information you don’t recall – and you can’t possibly remember information about which you had no conscious awareness in the first place.

Nobody can ACT on information they don’t have.

Read more of this post

Filed under A5. Tips, Tricks & Techniques, A5a. Attention & Focus, A5b. Activation, A5e. Memory and Info Processing, G5d. Intentional Attending, H. Brain Based Coaching/Training Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD implications, ADD perspective, ADDCoaching, Attention, Brain-based, Coaching, Executive Functions, explanation, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, Memory, Upcoming eBook Series

ADD & Organized?

Sunday, June 19, 2011 Leave a comment

Organization for ADDers is NOT Pipe Dream

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC
In support of The Challenges Inventory ™ Series

Yes, even YOU can learn to be organized –
JUST AS SOON AS YOU UNDERSTAND
the REASONS why you’ve been stopped in the past.

Here’s the kicker: it’s a different mix of stoppers for every single one of us.

If you don’t understand how YOU work, you’ll never be able to determine what YOU need to do to to keep from spending half your life looking for things that were “right here a minute ago.”

So much for helpful hints and tidy lists!

That said, what follows is an Organizing Overview summarizing concepts that need to be embraced and understood if you want to have a shot at working out what YOU need to do for YOU to be organized.

In a series of articles to follow, I will “unpack” the list and explain the concepts. FOR NOW, reflect on the list itself, and stay tuned for articles to follow.

Read more of this post

Filed under A5f. Organization & Task Completion, G5b. The Challenges Inventory™, G5l. Organization & Task Completion, G7. STUFF - and Nonsense! Tagged with ADD and Organized, ADD implications, ADDCoaching, Attention, explanation, finding help, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, Systems, Transitions

My Boggle Book

Saturday, June 11, 2011 Leave a comment

All content in the Boggle Series is copyright protected & has been excerpted from:

THE BOGGLE BOOK:

How to stop screaming at your spouse,
kicking the dog, and losing your cool,
finally and forever!

© Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC
all rights reserved

Read more of this post

Filed under G1. The Boggle Book, H. Brain Based Coaching/Training Tagged with ADD implications, ADD perspective, ADD Treatment, ADDCoach Programs, ADDCoaching, Attention, Awakenings, Boggle, Brain-based, Coaching, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, Oliver Sacks

Avoiding the Holes in the Road

Tuesday, May 31, 2011 Leave a comment

Remember – links on this site are dark grey to reduce distraction potential
while you’re reading. They turn red on mouseover
Hover before clicking for more info
.

Holes in the Road

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

Everybody hates stepping in a hole
we didn’t know was there.

It’s embarrassing. We feel so awkward.
That’s also how clothing gets dirty,
ankles get twisted and legs get broken.

Knowing about the holes in advance changes how we “walk down the road.”

Holes in life’s road can be a result of:

Individual Challenges

Individual-specific combinations of Challenges, and/or

The degree to which Challenges are troubling
• Relative to your Baseline functioning
• Relative to each other

An ability to predict the combined impact of functional elements on the likelihood of accomplishment will help you realign your expectations realistically – as it helps you to realign the expectations of others.

Read more of this post

Filed under A5. Tips, Tricks & Techniques, A5b. Activation, G5. The Optimal Functioning eBook Series™, G5c. Rewrite your Owners Manual™, H. Brain Based Coaching/Training Tagged with ADD implications, ADD perspective, ADDCoaching, Attention, Brain-based, Coaching, Executive Functions, explanation, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, Memory, Motivation vs. activation, Upcoming eBook Series

Is this YOU? How are you like my former clients?

Monday, May 23, 2011 Leave a comment

Recognize yourself

among my former clients?

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

As I said in the first part of this post
(which you can read if you click HERE)

. . . regardless of “niche,” when you take the time to look closely, most coaches tend to attract clients in “categories” focused around similar types of challenges.

In addition to the challenge profiles I described in Part One of this article, here are a few more of the “categories” that my clients have had in common over the past couple of decades.

Read more of this post

Filed under D. Coaching with MGH, D1. Private Coaching, D1a. Private ADD Coaching, D2. ADD Partner Coaching Tagged with ADD BizBasics, ADD implications, ADDCoaching, Attention, Brain-based, Coaching, finding help, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, Mentor, Mentorship

MGH clients . . .

Saturday, May 21, 2011 Leave a comment

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

I Coach Clients Who . . .

Like every other coach on the planet:

“I work well with people in transition,
both in personal and professional settings.”

Well, duh! Who doesn’t that include?

There’s not a soul with breath to fog a mirror who isn’t
experiencing some sort of transition, right?

Yet, when you take the time to think about it more specifically, most coaches tend to attract clients in “categories” clustered around similar types of transitions, which means they are likely to be working on similar types of challenges.

Even though we coaches redefine our “ideal client profile” relatively frequently, even in brand new niches there remains an essential core of familiarity. It’s fascinating to look back over a decade (oh, alright, several) to attempt to determine what my clients had in common. It’s an exercise well worth doing annually for any private practitioner.

So, maybe you will recognize yourself among some of the “transition categories” my clients have had in common over the past couple of decades. Read more of this post

Filed under D. Coaching with MGH, D1. Private Coaching, D1a. Private ADD Coaching, D1b. Private Mentor Coaching, D2. ADD Partner Coaching Tagged with ADD BizBasics, ADD implications, ADDCoaching, Attention, Brain-based, Coaching, coaching with mgh, finding help, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, Mentor, Mentorship, New Diagnosis

Until they believe they can, they can’t

Friday, May 20, 2011 Leave a comment

by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

An ADD Coach’s single most important task is
the facilitation of THE most essential client shift:

from “Expectations of Failure”
TO “Expectations of SUCCESS”

Read more of this post

Filed under A1a. Executive Functioning Disorders, A5b. Activation, B2. Working with an ADD Coach, G2. Rewrite Your Coaching Manual, G4. Mentoring the ADD Coach, H. Brain Based Coaching/Training Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD distinctions, ADD implications, ADDCoaching, Brain-based, Coaching, Executive Functions, explanation, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, Mentor, Personal development. ADD Coaching Skills Series

Key Tasks for ADD Coaching

Friday, May 20, 2011 3 Comments

ADD-Specific Coaching Skills

© Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC
Another article in the ADD Coaching Series

Ten Key Areas That Need Time & Attention

A Therapist or Doctor may or may not have the time to work with any of these areas.

A “vanilla coach”** may not find these skills important, agree that they are useful — or even understand why they might be an appropriate part of a coaching relationship.

An ADD Coach, however, must be prepared to include a certain amount of work in each of the following arenas — understanding how to use EACH of the ten skills below. It’s a coach’s job to work with clients to remove “what’s in the way” of shining success.

Backfilling basic skills — insufficient, underdeveloped, or missing as the result of kludgy Executive Functioning –is the most likely suspect in the ADD population, rather than lack of motivation, resolve, ambition or many of the other things-in-the-way that are more common among vanilla clients.
———————
**vanilla = unflavored by ADD – a “vanilla coach” means the coach doesn’t work with ADD/ADHD/EFD clients and/or has not been trained in an ADD/ADHD/EFD-specific, brain-based coach training, regardless of whether they fall on the Attentional Spectrum personally or not.

Read more of this post

Filed under ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, B1. ADDCoach Terms & Tools, B2a. Mentor Coaching, ADD Style, D1a. Private ADD Coaching, D1b. Private Mentor Coaching, G2. Rewrite Your Coaching Manual, G3. ADD Coaching Secrets, H. Brain Based Coaching/Training Tagged with ADD and ADHD, ADD Coaching Skills Series, ADD distinctions, ADD implications, ADD perspective, ADDCoaching, Attention, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Brain-based, Coaching, Executive Functions, explanation, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, Memory, Mental Health, Upcoming eBook Series

← Older posts

Newer posts →

Five Elements of Boggle Technique

Boggle Technique: Five Key Areas for Focus

Please share--it's how ideas spread!

Like this:

Please share--it's how ideas spread!

Like this:

Ten Tips when the ADD is Beloved’s

Please share--it's how ideas spread!

Like this:

HOW COME I’m the only grown-up in this relationship?

Please share--it's how ideas spread!

Like this:

Fit-based Coaching

Finding the RIGHT Coach for you

Please share--it's how ideas spread!

Like this:

ADD/ADHD and Unfinished Personal Projects Guest blogger: Bryan Hutchinson

Please share--it's how ideas spread!

Like this:

Reframing to Rewire (First in a series) by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

Movin’ ON to the Rewiring

Please share--it's how ideas spread!

Like this:

Distractions! What are they anyway?

Please share--it's how ideas spread!

Like this:

Domino problems?

So what IS the problem?

Please share--it's how ideas spread!

Like this:

Part Two of the Stuff – and Nonsense Series by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

Repeat after me: OHIO is a STATE, not a system for handling stuff!

Please share--it's how ideas spread!

Like this:

Underlying Assumptions Keeping us Stuck

Shame’s Genesis

Please share--it's how ideas spread!

Like this:

Bradshaw’s Change Model and Hypersensitivity Guest blogger: Glen Hogard

Please share--it's how ideas spread!

Like this:

Memory, Aging and ADD

Please share--it's how ideas spread!

Like this:

Does your mind go blank . . .

the minute you call for coaching?

BY THE WAY . . .

Please share--it's how ideas spread!

Like this:

Links by type of article on ADDandSoMuchMore.com

Please share--it's how ideas spread!

Like this:

ADD/HD Red Flags

Please share--it's how ideas spread!

Like this:

Hyperarousal: a cognitive “idle” set too high!

Have you ever had a car that seemed to want to drive itself?

Please share--it's how ideas spread!

Like this:

ADDers think so far “out of the box,” many of us have to be reminded there IS a box!

Please share--it's how ideas spread!

Like this:

Please share--it's how ideas spread!

Like this:

CAN’T vs WON’T

Can’t vs. Won’t

Please share--it's how ideas spread!

Like this:

ADD BASICS: A Brief Overview

NOW, what’s up with ADD, anyway

Please share--it's how ideas spread!

Like this:

The Name of the Game Determines the Rules

HOW WE “NAME THE GAME” DETERMINES HOW WE PLAY

Please share--it's how ideas spread!

Like this:

Isolated Understanding Must Come First

Please share--it's how ideas spread!

Like this:

From The ADD Lens™

HOW COME I’m the only grown-up
in this relationship?

ADD/ADHD and Unfinished Personal Projects
Guest blogger: Bryan Hutchinson

Reframing to Rewire (First in a series)
by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

Part Two of the Stuff – and Nonsense Series
by Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, ACT, MCC, SCAC

Repeat after me:
OHIO is a STATE, not a system for handling stuff!

Bradshaw’s Change Model and Hypersensitivity
Guest blogger: Glen Hogard

**It’s NOT a Secret –**

Differential Diagnosis:
What is it?