I need to change things up regularly. I have several games I play to get things done. I do 2 min working, 2 min walking around the main floor, repeat. I do 5 and 10 minute timers, Facebook cleaning group games, a 6x15 is very effective for my morning routine. I roll the dice and that is the job I do…like roll a 3 and I do the loading or unloading the dishwasher. I always make my list at night. I just use a notebook and brain dump. Planners get started, but never finished. Sometimes I do 10 minutes exercise, 10 housework and 10 minute video games. The important thing is to catch myself quitting at something and change it up.

I'm nearly 65 and was just tested earlier this week. Unfortunately my therapist didn't have the report today. I was a 'good' student, meaning I was quiet. But I spent most of my day staring out windows or with my nose in a book. In a world of my own. The more I read, the more videos I watch, the more sure I become!

i love "it's not an excuse but it is a reason"

I have 2 sons both diagnosed with ADHD in elementary school. They took medication and it was very helpful. My oldest saw 3 different Psychiatrists until he was 10 or 11. He still had trouble with his behavior control. His medication was changed 4 times. When my son was 14 we tried another psychiatrist. She was absolutely positive that he was autistic rather than ADD. He was diagnosed with Aspergers after an extensive assessment. This was a revelation rather than something to grieve. The loss of my expectations for him had been modified 10 years prior. Now those expectations changed again. My son is 31 lives with me, drives, and has a full-time job. His expectations are now my expectations. I need as many adjustments as he does.

I am a fairly new subscriber and I was ready to upset by "ADHD is no excuse" and the opening statements of "is it even a diagnosis"? I had no idea what was going to follow, but it did not sound promising. But I am glad I watched the whole video, because hearing your family's struggles and solutions felt very familiar

Thanks for talking about this. My Husband has ADD and it can affect so many things without you realizing it. I've had to work to move from a feeling of "Why can't you do this thing?" to more of a support role of "How can I help make it easier for you to do this?" Sometimes we've had to be really creative to make it easier for him to maintain motivation on projects.

Wow, thank you Robin. I am a mom with two ( now young adult) kiddos with ADD. I too was diagnosed. Yes, to everything you said. I never allowed my kids to use it as an excuse but I did help them along the way probably more than parents of non ADD children. I intuitively understood that they needed extra support and I also learned to tackle one issue at a time with them. I took care of their lunches and laundry and helped them organize dorm room, class scheduling and a few other things. I have also allowed them to learn things the hard way when I felt it was appropriate. My son just graduated and landed his first job and my daughter is in her third year of college. They both are what we call street smart and I just want to encourage other mothers by saying that they can get “there”:but it may take them longer and they will need support and love. Point out what they are good at. They are a person not a diagnosis.

ADHD. I am so inspired to hear you talk about this subject. I raised a grandson, born with physical anomalies, and had next to impossible behavior issues. He participated in an early intervention program, they gave me a DVD called “Magic 123”. It was wonderful…… for me, I mastered it. It worked…. for me…… Unfortunately other people, daycare workers and teachers did not have those skills. In the first month or so of first grade he was moved to a partial program (day school for kids with behavioral and other disorders). For two semesters observed by behavior specialists, he was diagnosed, different meds tried until the right ones were found. Moving on, he took one in the morning and a booster later on. As his school schedule changed, we would get Dr. orders to change the booster to coincide with his unstructured time at school. I was 50 when he was born and given custody, I already raised 3 kids, I thought I lost my touch! People would criticize the idea of giving medication. Once when a friend was visiting, Andrew was running around the house, it was like watching a tennis match in my living room. I looked at my watch, it was 4 o’clock, time for his booster dose. Within minutes he was sitting at the coffee table coloring in his coloring book. My friend still talks about it, saying if she did not witness this change in behavior, she never would have believed it. Raising Andrew was an adventure, so many events, I could/should write a book! He was diagnosed with acute ADHD and acute ODD, oppositional defiant disorder. He was on maximum doses, in spite of my begging for a second booster for at home after school. He is 24 now, his physical disabilities slow him down a bit. But, I have always hoped that the ADHD could be channeled in some way to give him an advantage. Today, he is well informed on multiple subjects, sports, KZfaq medical videos, researches everything, he is my go-to IT guy!, politics, goes fishing and hunting, can engage anyone in conversation. He still goes to PT three times a week. As I reflect back, Andrew was an extreme case, but I think of my older kids and think that in some way, they as well as myself, have or had some form of ADHD. One has a high ability to focus, my second one has 130 IQ but limited ability to focus. I recall my own school years and having to work so hard to focus. Things I could figure out, like math or science were good for me, things that required memorizing like languages, history, names, dates, events were hard. This is such a misunderstood condition, you are doing such a service to parents of these kids to validate ADHD. They DON’T need a spanking, they need a diagnosis and treatment plan wether it includes meds or not.

You are an amazing mom! So many parents poopoo meds, and that is a shame because the child suffering. Thank you for sharing

Lisa Woodruff at Organize 365 has done a binder for her children for how to function on their own, and keep up when transitioning to adulthood. They both have had numerous learning disabilities to overcome as well as learn how to function with ADHD. She also discusses her various efforts to sort out medications, vs OTC items, vitamins, and even the stimulant coffee, that help or hinder.

I used to jokingly call our house a lockdown state because of all of the latches, locks, etc we had to have to keep my autistic son safe and out of trouble. Before he was even one year old, he had figured out how to climb the safety gate and I have pictures of him standing on the little overturned toy bin so he could empty the bookshelves. His big sister is one year older and fluctuated between tattling and playing lookout so she could join in on his new schemes. He was three when we learned about trying a gluten-free, dairy-free diet and it made a huge difference for him. He started talking and finally sleeping at least 8 hours at night which was a game-changer for me as his mother who was trying to function on less than 6 hours of sleep since he would rarely sleep more than that at night. I don't think we should use our diagnoses as an excuse, but as an explanation to provide a jumping off point. The behaviors had been there all along but the diagnosis helped give direction to solve the issues we were facing. We need to give each other grace because we don't really know what the other person is facing (and does anyone really choose to be late or distracted?) We also need to show ourselves grace while still striving to improve. Rome wasn't built in a day, but it wouldn't have been built at all if no one ever worked on it.

I know a person that this video describes perfectly. He loves to start new projects but has trouble finishing. His wife must be patient and let him work through things. Eventually he finishes, or else his wife will help with projects he has in their home. He sometimes enlists her help for garage projects, but ends up doing the bulk of it himself. However, it takes him quite a while normally. He wondered if he had adult adhd after reading up on it, and was able to try some medication. He is glad for the medication, and it seems to make a big difference according to him. So, my take on it is that if people genuinely cannot function well within their daily lives, it’s not going to hurt just to try medication to see if it helps. This is based on the assumption that the family is supportive, and even after best efforts to help this person succeed and prosper in life, there are still problems which fall into this category of adhd , and other avenues have been explored (such as food sensitivities or other allergies/or toxic intolerances), get the medication. A person would never doubt a cast on a broken arm, so why be judgmental about altered brain chemistry? It’s a real thing. Thanks for this informative video!

I really needed to hear this. I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 45 and placed on medication. What a difference it made but I couldn’t stay on it because I also have restless leg syndrome and it got really bad with that medication. I have also suffered from multiple concussions one of which needed staples in my head. It took me over a year to be able to function somewhat normally after. I find everything overwhelming and struggle to clean the house or stay on task. I need many breaks from work all the time and get exhausted very easily. I have been through many jobs but again I get overwhelmed easily. I’m on a new medication now and so far it’s been ok but not up at the dose I would need yet. I’m glad I found your U-Tube because my youngest daughter has been diagnosed with ADHDat 23 and I know my older daughter has it as well. My husband as well. We are a comedy show to watch because we are all over the place when trying to get ready to leave for anything. Lol. I look forward to seeing more of your videos. I really like that you are also from Canada. Thank you

It's hard for me to cope. I get little burst of motivation,but It's hard to maintain focus.

I'm on the autistic scale and have some struggles but I have found audiobooks and big headphones help me deal with things and help my concentration, especially if it's a book I know really well and have listened to lots of times. I tend to go through all the Terry Pratchett books in order because there is 41 novels I can work through xxxxxxxx

This was very good! I love how accepting you are! My family's ADHD makes me mad. Things like the car parts project drive me nuts. Especially when it is a project for our house like my kids' closet. I would finish it up if I could but I can't

Yes! Videos like this are helping so much to end the stigma surrounding ADHD medication and parents trying to avoid it all costs when it might be the best option.

I'm getting assesed for ADHD on Feb 10th for the first time. I've been suffering with symptoms forever but it was just highlighted to me in December and it made me curious to learn about it. I've also had 2 head injuries playing basketball. No concussions just headaches that went away. I never correlated the two. I'll mention this to my psychiatrist. I'm still learning about ADHD. I stim like crazy especially when I'm bored, I can be loud and fidgety, get easily distracted, procrastinate, very disorganized , can get overstimulated, emotional withdrawal, stumble on my words, hate talking on the phone, and the list goes on. Thank you for making a video about it. I'm glad more awareness about adult women with ADHD is finally happening now 🙌

I'm a woman with ADHD. My twi oldest boys who are 10 and 8 also have ADHD. We homeschool which makes managing ADHD much easier. We medicate, do therapy, and embrace who we are. I do think ADHD can be debilitating in some people and in others can be used as a crutch, but from our experience (especially being undiagnosed until 22 (I'm 32 now)), the "excuses" for why we are the way we are seem more like personality traits than symptoms of the disorder and this can make it hard for others to understand us. Finding out your diagnosis is life-changing because you finally have an answer for why you feel and are so different from others. I love that more people are becoming diagnosed because it means more support for children and adults who were left to struggle through life. Maybe we will finally be worthy of empathy now that this is more mainstream and recognized as a neurodevelopmental disorder. Thank you for your content.

I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD for about 15 years and taking medication. During my first pregnancy I had to stop medication..... During pregnancy I didn’t notice much, but after 4 months as a mom it became hard and got in a depression so after 6 month I stopped breastfeeding and taking my medication was the best dissision. Now I am pregnant again, stopped the medication, but with the toddler around it is much harder to cope and in my head I am shortening the breastfeeding time I want to give.... first 4 months, but now I think its better to stop after a month or week.... I already realised a housekeeper would be good when the baby arrives, but we decided to hire one already, because I can’t keep up, best dissision ever :)

Schedules keep me on track! Writing down the daily itinerary .

To Robyn-with-a-y, from Robin-with-an-i, King from California. Try this on for size. I'm a hoarder (mild hoarder) with ADHD. In '94 I was diagnosed. In '97, I was told , "Oh no you don't have ADHD.", AND I BELIEVED HIM!! A few years ago, I realized (through "How to ADHD") oh yes I do have ADHD. I went for most of my life without help. 2 years of Ritalin out of maybe 64. One doctor said I was too old for medicine. Another told me the consequences. I can't afford to let my blood pressure go up. I feel almost helpless. People say adults have figured out how to compensate. I sure haven't!Will I conqueror my problems and achieve my goals while I'm still physically able? I need to start watching How to ADHD again.

I was recently diagnosed with ADHD and this helped me understand myself and my best friend so much. I realised that around 90% of my character is the way it is due to the ADHD. I haven't yet started any treatment but I hope to have the time about that very soon. I am already scared how my children are going to be like. My brother thinks he and his children have it too. I wonder how my mom managed to deal with us with such an ease (at least it looked like ease). Anyway... Thank you for your video!

This video is such a great explanation of ADHD! Thank you for sharing your story and your knowledge!

I am so glad that I found this video...I am a mother of two and I think I have ADHD....I am waiting for the results...if I have ADHD this will explain soooooo many things of my life's problems..so I don't believe it's an excuse....but a reason!!

I have a different pov here due to a TBI. Prior to the brain aneurysm and stroke on the OR table, I was super clean and organized. Post TBI, I rly struggle. The TBI damaged my executive function area of my brain so everything is so hard. Laundry, cooking, cleaning, hygiene start to finish is a lot of mental work for me. Ppl don't realize how many steps are involved in basic chores, I know I didn't until I had to live it.

My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD at 18.5 years old. We have been searching for answers as a mom and I knew something was going on with Natalya since he was little. We have seen a lot of success and improvements in focus on college.

your video should have billion views ! it is really educative and taking us out the guilt.. thank you so much 😍🤗💕🌸🌎😘

I found out when I was pregnant with my 2nd son/middle child that my ex husband was diagnosed with ADHD VERY early on. My oldest son started showing symptoms after he was around 4. My oldest son started medication when it became apparent that it was causing learning issues after he was tested. He also had a very high IQ. My younger son started medication after his school videotaped him running his classroom (I consented). It was more of a relief for me than anything else to realize that there was something else going on that couldn’t be medically explained. Both my sons stopped their meds as teenagers, however they’re both now back on them as adults simply because it helps them function better. My older son is a professional with multiple graduate degrees & my younger son couldn’t deal with community college. I’m personally happy that they’re getting the help that they need. All of my kids did get various versions of OCD from me. My parents objected to the medication, but then we found out that my Dad had ADD as a child and never learned to cope.

I have a friend (40 years old) who finds that a cup of coffee helps her with her ADHD. It makes sense I guess as it’s a stimulant.

I love this, Robyn! Thank you for addressing this conversation. You are a wise mom and you are modeling to your kids how to make accommodations for themselves, as needed. Even as adults, we need to focus on the bigger more important or challenging projects in front of us and outsource some other things temporarily. Knowing when to do this is such a skill that is important for adults to learn, especially if neuro-diversities are present.

My daughter was diagnosed between 7 and 8. I know I have it but not officially diagnosed, which I am being to think I need to be. Thank you for this wonderful and helpful video. I look forward to watching more!

Another great video! Thank you so much for being thoughtful along with a sense of humor on this topic. I so appreciate your content. One nurse to another - keep up the great work!!! You’re inspiring!

For the eldest: When he goes off to college, set him up with tide pods so he just had to grab however many he needs for his load and grab a book he needs to read/something he needs to study. Sit in the laundry room and study until the washer is done and then switch before even considering going and doing anything else. - Get him a subscription to Audible so he can buy his lit books on there and have a hard copy. It REALLY helps with time management because you know exactly how long it will take to finish the book. It's the only way I got through college. And get him a good pair of noise canceling headphones. That way he can control the level of distraction he needs to focus. Oh! And a fidget cube is a life saver. For me, knitting/crocheting in classes where the prof allowed it helped me to not daydream but a fidget cube helps too. Oh! And he shouldn't be afraid to ask to stand in the back of the class if he wants to pace or rock or something. ADHDers need multiple hobbies because hobbies have seasons. You may shelve a hobby for weeks or months or years but if you enjoyed it enough to stick with it for more than a weekend in the beginning than you'll come around to it again. If you can do 2 hobbies at once, even better! Audiobooks while doing a tactile hobby like rebuilding a car or knitting means you're accomplishing two things at once which is a huge boon and chances are, the book will finish before the project which is another dopamine hit. The more hobbies the better, but particularly hobbies with varying degrees of attention required/time put in/completion output. Your spouse might REALLY like 3D printers. Super fun to design stuff and then you just check in on the printer as it works. Kinda why ADHDers love simulation games where you can put it on auto-pilot OR micromanage it. I'd also suggestion puzzles... of the jigsaw and the logic variety. ADHDers love puzzles. And ADHD is a reason. It is a VALID reason. And yeah, in some cases its a valid excuse. The systems in place set people with ADHD up for failure. It's hard to get diagnosed as a child and even harder as an adult. Meds can't be on autofil so you have to remember to call your prescriber every single month and remember to make your appointments and if you forget, you don't get your meds and when you're suddenly not on your meds, you're a radically different person. Also, hormones impact ADHD... so even if ADHD isn't the "excuse"... puberty or menstruation or menopause might be! It is SO MUCH HARDER to focus for about 10 days out of the month for most women in general... add in ADHD and yikes on bikes, even with meds and most prescribers aren't willing to prescribe a dosage for most of the days and another dosage for other days.

Of the decluttering people I've seen, you are my favorite!

Your sister in law sent me a link for your videos. I am so very glad she did!!!!!

Omg please get into this so much more please. My son was diagnosed just over the pandemic and he just turned 18years old. I’ve always wondered if I have ADHD and one thing that is for sure is that, I am always worried of being late or anxious about being late because in my younger years I lost respect from co worker’s and lose jobs over being unmotivated, late all the time and very distracted. I want to prevent this from happening to my son, I’d really appreciate you coming up with more videos about children and school, chores etc… Thank you 😊

thank you to speak for a lot of people :) I think people should not judge what they do not understand and experienced because it is already even not easy to learn to deal with differences.. :/ compassion and understanding help, yes :) thank you for your comforting message :) as i even felt guilty younger not to have easiness to focus. I can take time to focus and then i can focus nearly a full day on a creative project ;) last year a lovely woman helps me to understand i was on this approach, since it helps me so much to take out the feeling of not being good enough and stop comparing and start to focus on understanding my needs and conditions when i did the best thing i did before, start to self analyse my needs and how i process ;) still learning but i notice if i move more out for beginning the day or doing manual things, cleaning etc, or work with others, i can focus better after, even nearly many many hours with joy on a creative work, on compu etc. :) i notice this for my experience :) to learn how our brain works helps. we can create a positive of it yes :) thank you for your video, comforting, as i feel to evolve to be an entrepreneur too, i feel for my needs and how i work process too :) and i had a lot of doubt to be able to, in link to criticism about entrepreneur should be this or that, but i met a lot of entrepreneurs that are like us :) it is even more suiting their needs and they can do it thanks to it even ! :) adaptation, creativity, new ideas, enthusiasm .. :) as i start with joy a lot.. but hard to follow up.. some formal adviser told me, laugh that i am too positive, it is more for rational mind to be entrepreneur ! but for me this can be turn into creativity power now, i am starting to take confidence back ! :) thanks to notice how i process the best, what i need for and people that are examples like you, thank you from deep heart :) 😘

I was diagnosed with adhd when I was a teenager. a lot of the signs were missed for many. As an adult I'm being evaluated for possible autism. I have been off medicine for 14years because of having kids. I cope with a planner, plenty of sleep, water. I do find on my best caffeine helps me focus too. It's hard, but not impossible, Decluttering is certianly helping me. I do plan on going back on meds once Im done breastfeeding. Certainly made life interesting 2 of my kids have adhd, 1 is mildly autistic. my life is challenging for sure

I don't have ADHD, but I can be distractable, and coffee can have a calming effect on me rather than stimulating. I use lots of systems to keep things in order and keep myself on track. It's good that your pediatrician gave you the option to try some other things before medication. My oldest is very distractable, and we had a meeting with the teachers and school administrator like the one you described. His wasn't the type that would respond well to medication, but we worked with him and adapted where we could. He's done well academically. He's now in college and working part-time, and has kept his grades up and kept himself on a schedule.

I have always had a hard time focusing on certain things. So I recently did an online quiz to find out if I might have adult ADHD (I'm in my 50s). But it said no. I guess I'm just easily distracted? I also know that I am an obliger according to Gretchen rubin's four tendencies. I'm more likely to get things done if somebody else asks me to do it. If I'm not accountable to anyone besides myself, I have a lot more trouble focusing and keeping on task.

Thanks for sharing your personal experience. It is very helpful insight that I will be able to use to understand friends and children of friends. Bravo!

I don’t know if I’m adhd, but I’m a list maker, and I have to work on it until it’s all completed. I can’t stop thinking about it and find ways through my day to mark things off my list until it’s all done then I make another list. Crazy I know,but It’s how my brain works.

The increase of ADHD diagnosis coincides with 1) raised awareness and understanding of the syndrome, and 2) the increase in consumption of processed foods. See Revero Health (Dr Shawn Baker), Dr Sten Ekberg, Dr Ken Berry, Dr Eric Berg, Dr Joan Ifland, and others on KZfaq to learn the detrimental effects of low-protein and low-fat nutrition as well as the addictive and harmful nature of processed foods.

Laundry all day in the washer? more like all week! I have recently figured out I am on the low end of the spectrum, and I realize that I had built in a bunch of solutions over the years on my own. Now that I have told my husband he agreed with my conclusion, instead of being a drag about my leaving on lights and not locking the doors, he helps me to remember things instead. After 25 years ...

When you hug your kid i fell like i wanna cry .... nobody offered to help... when i was in school i felt to focus and failed the test that i tried so hard... i tried to hide my parent or they will hit me 😢 i always alone trying to fix this 😢😢😢😢

I have adhd, and other nd things too, along with other stuff that is chronic. That said these things can be excuses depending upon the situation. I have a strong internal sense of control, probably over developed as a result of being told many things were my fault whether or not that was logical or valid. Others have more external control schemas, and tend to blame the situation for what they do. No matter what the situation has been. The truth is probably more of a person in an environment (pie theory). So, for me, living with parents who did their best for everyone but were themselves overwhelmed with life and having 3 of 4 children having various things different from typical children before school age, we were all people in our own environments. For me, I was the eldest daughter of a family with three younger brothers who two youngest had much more obvious things going on. My issues were hidden in comparison and because we were children when we were, girls were not known as being able to get these things. So, I was not diagnosed until adulthood. I learned about pomodoro technique (a pacing method) while a college student. Then learned about pacing as a chronic illness patient to be able to get things done that I wanted done. Pacing is like pomodoro except for the active time is whatever length and activity, and the rest period was for x time and when I read or create or something quieter than using my gross motor skills. I also have learned to do a little bit of decluttering and take things to their place, and then go back to the beginning place to keep working on that point of view before getting distracted because it takes less energy than the pull everything out to get going and then be overwhelmed by the moment of being done and having to put things back together again at the end. I wish I could have taught it to my mom before she passed, but it was not possible. It would have given her a lot of potential peace and breathing space. I also learned that minimalism is better for me to get to the point where I can handle what I have and love using rather than having too many things to move around and waste energy dealing with the density of things. I’m still working towards that point, but the mindset shift is happening. A bit of change theory from my sports psychology course in 1998 or so is that before change happens folks have to think about what they want to do for a while. I have been doing the motions of decluttering and have been working on the mindset stuff for years and it is becoming more sensible now.

Minimlist- Yo~you uploaded splendid upload~👏

This video is exactly what I need right now 💕 my daughter is in the process of starting meds for her adhd and I was feeling super guilty about it. But…I think it will help her a lot! Also I am pretty sure I have adhd too haha 😂 My childhood struggles make sense now hahah Thank you for you channel I really enjoy it.

I have brain fatigue because of a brain tumor operations.

Absolutely not an excuse. In my family we cope with brain injury/mental health issues as well as physical health issues. We have had to devise some ingenious ways to cope and definitely medication has proven essential. As you suggest, most people who are shocked by the use of meds have very little (read no) knowledge of the difference medication can make to a person's ability to function effectively. This is a hugely important video I think - especially for people who are struggling with understanding neurodivergences and brain issues - and how they can impact one's daily life. Also, the shame aspect is so important to deal with - no one should feel they are 'less than' over something they cannot control.

Ohhhh, that yellow BUG is beautiful.

Excellent video!!!

I really didn't care for the "it's not a superpower.. it's a brain disorder" statement. We tell ourselves it's a superpower so that we can remember the things we ARE very good at instead of shame spiraling about the things we aren't.

I can only really learn through audio. Just concerned ehat to do about my short term memory.

Ohhhh my word that clip of you reaching for the mantel but NOPE is totally me! 😅And "ADHD isn't a superpower, it's a brain disorder." THANK YOU. There are some parts of my ADHD that make me 'better', but it causes far more difficulties than it doesn't.

Any one can give me some advises on placement program ? What is withdrawal program advantages and disadvantage( for a grade 6-8) in Canada? asd has affected the progress in academic, the learning has slow down absorbing knowledges.

Symptoms, are always an explanation, but you never an excuse.

Great Mom!

I can’t have my house filled with unfinished projects. I have autism and I can’t stand clutter. My partner has ADHD and can’t finish a project to save her life.

I am always late and I do not have adhd. Whish they find what is the reason😏

I don’t think it’s a legit diagnosis. I think it may fall under the autism umbrella. So in this case it can be a VALID excuse but only if it’s something that was out of the individuals control or they had no control over.