I'll respond to your comment. As far as your last question about Ritalin, I don't know that answer, but I do know some college students and adults I know take adderall (the name starting with Add on purpose) to speed up and focus more.
I see procrastination as a characteristic of many spectrum individuals, for we need a challenge to get our wheels turning, and I believe in the meantime, things might be quietly marinating.
One other idea just popped up, we don't particularly love the trudging nature of the normal form of thought, and are more connected to direct inspiration if we avoid that exacting, plodding mind getting in the way. Inspiration flows in, in a rush combination of idea and thoughts to shape it.
Interrupting or changing the subject, hmm, you've got me reflecting on my conversing.
Forgetting where things are, is more older age-related for me, not earlier. 🙂
This makes sense. I am self-diagnosed with ADD - there's no "H" in my makeup. ADD was unknown long ago when I was in school. I was a good student in school and college in adolescence and much later as an adult. All A's. I tended to put off assignments/projects until the proverbial last minute. I even remember, as an adult in college, having the thought one evening that I wished it were later so I could start on my paper due the next day.
My biggest problem has been misplacing things. My hand is putting something somewhere but my brain is otherwise occupied and where I put the object does not record. Just did not record. Even when the object has been (accidentally) found, I will likely not remember having put it there.
Or during a conversation a a thought - most often unrelated - will pop into my head and instinctively I interrupt the conversation to state my thought, as history indicates that the thought will quickly disappear and I cannot recall it because it wasn't in the context of the conversation. Two of my adult children are also ADD. One child took Ritalin as an adult, and her husband noted that they were able to have a conversation without her interrupting it. But she decided to discontinue it, as she was doing okay in her career, which involved a lot of physical activity.
And I guess we all know about the "Doorway effect" - returning to the room where the thought occurred to try to determine the purpose of my going into another room.
I do have a question though - how it it that Ritalin has a paradoxical effect - calming for the adolescent, and a sort of "speed" for the adult?
Much fellow-feeling, especially in the way you describe losing things. I say "Scotty beamed it up!" Unfortunately, the experience does not select for relative importance of the item. The weirdest and saddest is never having a clue about something important.
Aside from that, I keep meaning to research the opposite reaction to medications. My Mom told me I was a "colicky" baby; so troublesome that the doctor gave me something to calm me that I will never forget Mom describing me as "climbing the walls." And alcohol is a depressant, right? Like, a religious mantra: alcohol. depressant. Yet we do have that expression "lit." Oh boy. I'll never forget the NP looking at me funny; I was the only patient who had ever LOST weight on the old-time antidepressant. Melatonin keeps me up all night. I have been formally diagnosed ADHD going back to my school reports, but never have had the stimulant meds. Pretty old to experiment now. God bless us everyone!
Again, very good information that gives answers, dignity, self-approval to so many.
I check out my phone as a wake-up time in the morning, and may have time to find my notes regarding an additional research report I received, similar to yours.
That recent conference of researchers, looking back at 30 years of Ritalin given to individuals, shared the listing was long on the negatives, these my recollections this morning of their shares, the first one here prevalent and known by most:
-Most medicated, don't like the "I'm getting-run" feeling by it. And most I know, stopped taking it.
-The research indicated, when taking it, grades were not any higher, accept in the personal category of appearing to have greater attention to subject matter.
-There's more; will have to refer back to my notes, if time away from my own substack writings on these intelligences we have for creativity and out-of the-box thinking, my site: Our Wise intelligences.
-But, as indicated here, people taking Ritalin were happy with the feeling of being able to pay attention, the feeling, not that they were learning any better.
-AND, the final realization by researchers: these individuals do best once they graduate high school and are able to go to a passion they have, or take those classes in college that interest them most.
My daughter shares how she felt less able and personally less, through schooling for she couldn't grasp math well. She now co-runs a theater program that has served
over a thousand kids, each couple years, they now celebrating 10 years for the company. She runs the figures, and "figures" out what they can do next to offer more to meet the ever increasing interests by youth in the large surrounding area, 33 teachers teaching a variety of classes at this time in the company.
My daughter quickly became interested in math, with the growth of the company, and now she's a math pro. She is not ADHD, but some variation of ADD, as I am: Attention Differently Directed, which applies to all on the Autism Spectrum: ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, Asperger's syndrome and autism.
BTW, my research at the time and since (a retired third grade teacher) shows that following an interest and a challenge drives attention, and opens roads to successes, small and large.
We all on the autism spectrum are here differently, geared more to the open heart and receptive right brain, to a large realm of knowledge through, gut feelings, intuition, patterned thinking, act and discover approaches, desiring to find meaningful solutions, wanting fairness, many liking hands-on activities, (touch to the real, which produces the feel good hormone, serotonin, whereas screens produce cortisol, the stress hormone)... on and on.
We are here differently wired or oriented to help the world rebalance. This is because right now the entire world is focused on just the left brain, which is living by letters and numbers, user names, passwords, AI, ChatGPT, which now control our lives.
Tech puts us into our heads (left brain alone), creates hierarchies, divisions, and "we greater than thou" attitudes. Opposed to that the right brain and heart are inclusive and perceptive to the fact that we are all one, sharing basic needs with balanced abilities and a desire to live successfully and peacefully with each other. Take a look at our world. It's time to rebalance the intelligences we were originally given, heart and right brain connected, then shaped into theater programs and other community and society connection solutions by the left brain, to create a world of well-being, belonging, and happiness.
BTW the whole world is not as left-brain-driven as we are in the left hemisphere of the world. No accident in that correlation. Original eastern views and spiritual practices were much more right hemisphere connected.
However, China, now and others, also changing our intelligence balance, they more left brain, competition-based.
I'll respond to your comment. As far as your last question about Ritalin, I don't know that answer, but I do know some college students and adults I know take adderall (the name starting with Add on purpose) to speed up and focus more.
I see procrastination as a characteristic of many spectrum individuals, for we need a challenge to get our wheels turning, and I believe in the meantime, things might be quietly marinating.
One other idea just popped up, we don't particularly love the trudging nature of the normal form of thought, and are more connected to direct inspiration if we avoid that exacting, plodding mind getting in the way. Inspiration flows in, in a rush combination of idea and thoughts to shape it.
Interrupting or changing the subject, hmm, you've got me reflecting on my conversing.
Forgetting where things are, is more older age-related for me, not earlier. 🙂
This makes sense. I am self-diagnosed with ADD - there's no "H" in my makeup. ADD was unknown long ago when I was in school. I was a good student in school and college in adolescence and much later as an adult. All A's. I tended to put off assignments/projects until the proverbial last minute. I even remember, as an adult in college, having the thought one evening that I wished it were later so I could start on my paper due the next day.
My biggest problem has been misplacing things. My hand is putting something somewhere but my brain is otherwise occupied and where I put the object does not record. Just did not record. Even when the object has been (accidentally) found, I will likely not remember having put it there.
Or during a conversation a a thought - most often unrelated - will pop into my head and instinctively I interrupt the conversation to state my thought, as history indicates that the thought will quickly disappear and I cannot recall it because it wasn't in the context of the conversation. Two of my adult children are also ADD. One child took Ritalin as an adult, and her husband noted that they were able to have a conversation without her interrupting it. But she decided to discontinue it, as she was doing okay in her career, which involved a lot of physical activity.
And I guess we all know about the "Doorway effect" - returning to the room where the thought occurred to try to determine the purpose of my going into another room.
I do have a question though - how it it that Ritalin has a paradoxical effect - calming for the adolescent, and a sort of "speed" for the adult?
Much fellow-feeling, especially in the way you describe losing things. I say "Scotty beamed it up!" Unfortunately, the experience does not select for relative importance of the item. The weirdest and saddest is never having a clue about something important.
Aside from that, I keep meaning to research the opposite reaction to medications. My Mom told me I was a "colicky" baby; so troublesome that the doctor gave me something to calm me that I will never forget Mom describing me as "climbing the walls." And alcohol is a depressant, right? Like, a religious mantra: alcohol. depressant. Yet we do have that expression "lit." Oh boy. I'll never forget the NP looking at me funny; I was the only patient who had ever LOST weight on the old-time antidepressant. Melatonin keeps me up all night. I have been formally diagnosed ADHD going back to my school reports, but never have had the stimulant meds. Pretty old to experiment now. God bless us everyone!
Again, very good information that gives answers, dignity, self-approval to so many.
I check out my phone as a wake-up time in the morning, and may have time to find my notes regarding an additional research report I received, similar to yours.
That recent conference of researchers, looking back at 30 years of Ritalin given to individuals, shared the listing was long on the negatives, these my recollections this morning of their shares, the first one here prevalent and known by most:
-Most medicated, don't like the "I'm getting-run" feeling by it. And most I know, stopped taking it.
-The research indicated, when taking it, grades were not any higher, accept in the personal category of appearing to have greater attention to subject matter.
-There's more; will have to refer back to my notes, if time away from my own substack writings on these intelligences we have for creativity and out-of the-box thinking, my site: Our Wise intelligences.
-But, as indicated here, people taking Ritalin were happy with the feeling of being able to pay attention, the feeling, not that they were learning any better.
-AND, the final realization by researchers: these individuals do best once they graduate high school and are able to go to a passion they have, or take those classes in college that interest them most.
My daughter shares how she felt less able and personally less, through schooling for she couldn't grasp math well. She now co-runs a theater program that has served
over a thousand kids, each couple years, they now celebrating 10 years for the company. She runs the figures, and "figures" out what they can do next to offer more to meet the ever increasing interests by youth in the large surrounding area, 33 teachers teaching a variety of classes at this time in the company.
My daughter quickly became interested in math, with the growth of the company, and now she's a math pro. She is not ADHD, but some variation of ADD, as I am: Attention Differently Directed, which applies to all on the Autism Spectrum: ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, Asperger's syndrome and autism.
BTW, my research at the time and since (a retired third grade teacher) shows that following an interest and a challenge drives attention, and opens roads to successes, small and large.
We all on the autism spectrum are here differently, geared more to the open heart and receptive right brain, to a large realm of knowledge through, gut feelings, intuition, patterned thinking, act and discover approaches, desiring to find meaningful solutions, wanting fairness, many liking hands-on activities, (touch to the real, which produces the feel good hormone, serotonin, whereas screens produce cortisol, the stress hormone)... on and on.
We are here differently wired or oriented to help the world rebalance. This is because right now the entire world is focused on just the left brain, which is living by letters and numbers, user names, passwords, AI, ChatGPT, which now control our lives.
Tech puts us into our heads (left brain alone), creates hierarchies, divisions, and "we greater than thou" attitudes. Opposed to that the right brain and heart are inclusive and perceptive to the fact that we are all one, sharing basic needs with balanced abilities and a desire to live successfully and peacefully with each other. Take a look at our world. It's time to rebalance the intelligences we were originally given, heart and right brain connected, then shaped into theater programs and other community and society connection solutions by the left brain, to create a world of well-being, belonging, and happiness.
Substack: Our Wise Intelligences
Peggy Magilen
Website of many papers since late 90's to now: HeartCenteredMinds.com
YouTube talk: Spectrum Learning Differences, Not Disorders, 1:10, from 2011, still relevant.
Schools should be centers of interest-based learning, such as PBL, Project Based Learning.
Thank you.
BTW the whole world is not as left-brain-driven as we are in the left hemisphere of the world. No accident in that correlation. Original eastern views and spiritual practices were much more right hemisphere connected.
However, China, now and others, also changing our intelligence balance, they more left brain, competition-based.