ADHD Research: Can ADHD be predicted?

Our free evidence-based assessment reveals your work style motivations, which helps you understand what motivates you versus what drains your energy. Through these insights, F4S supports workplace productivity, leadership, and well-being for you and your team. A happier and more motivated team helps your business improve retention rates, reduce burnout, and hire the right people for your business culture. 

In 2020, the global rate of adult ADHD was 2.58%, but many people remained undiagnosed, so the rate is likely much higher.¹ Another study found that 4.2% of workers had ADHD, and the challenges associated with this condition averaged 35 days of annual lost work performance.² 

ADHD is a neurological condition that impacts the lives of many individuals. Without specific education and training in managing employees with this condition, business leaders may struggle to maintain team well-being, enhance performance, foster a supportive culture, and build trust. 

Through our ADHD research, we provide businesses and leaders with the tools to understand the personal motivations of neurodiverse employees to improve communication, support, and collaboration. 

We're running a study on ADHD to grow our body of evidence-based research about how ADHD influences work style motivations. We hope to determine the unique motivations and cognitive patterns of those with ADHD in the workplace. 

Through this research, we aim to help individuals thrive by tapping into their unique motivational traits and assisting leaders in cultivating supportive, inclusive workplaces that embrace cognitive diversity. 

How F4S ADHD research supports those with ADHD

This research will help shine a light on the unique motivational preferences of people with ADHD, to provide a resource and foundation for creating psychological health and safety frameworks that will support inclusivity at work. The findings from this research will increase the ease of communicating these preferences. It will also ensure people with ADHD can access the appropriate accommodations to help them thrive at work.

Common ADHD symptoms in the workplace

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) refers to individuals with persistent inattention, hyperactivity, or impulsivity. ADHD is a spectrum condition, so these symptoms are expressed in many different ways, but they can often cause challenges in daily life, including at school, in the workplace, at home, and in social settings. These challenges often amount to poorer performance, low organizational skills in the workplace, and poor emotional regulation that can impact work relationships.

Inattention

Inattention means that those with ADHD lack attention and are very easily distracted. It’s common for neurotypical people to have inattention, but for those with ADHD, it’s far more severe and debilitating. Some examples include difficulty focusing, having a low attention span, being easily distracted, forgetting or losing things, having low attention to detail, difficulty finishing tasks or projects, problems with being persistent, and making careless mistakes. 

In the workplace, reduced attention could manifest as being unable to concentrate during work meetings, forgetting important information during conversations with team members, and difficulty with having the high attention to detail needed for projects.

Impulsivity

Impulsivity is when people act quickly with little thought of the consequences. Everyone occasionally has bouts of impulsivity, but having ADHD magnifies this symptom. Some examples include difficulty being patient, unable to wait for things, constantly interrupting others, and struggling to take turns.

In the workplace, increased impulsivity could result in not taking time to reflect before engaging in a project, acting out on emotions, impairing relations with team members, and interrupting others during meetings.

Hyperactivity

Hyperactivity means a person is constantly active, often in inappropriate settings. Again, individuals with ADHD may struggle to stop their hyperactivity, which often significantly impacts their daily life. Some examples include difficulty staying seated, fidgeting constantly, talking too much, and always moving.

In the workplace, hyperactivity may lead to the employee distracting other team members when working, not being able to sit down long enough to complete an urgent task, and colleagues who could feel they are not being listened to during conversations.

Workplace ADHD symptoms

Moving from school to work in adulthood invites many new stressors and challenges that can exacerbate symptoms. Adults with ADHD may thrive in high-activity and high-initiation roles such as sales, entrepreneurship, or leadership.

Treatment options to manage ADHD symptoms

Outside of work, treatment options can include medication and cognitive behavior therapy. 

Medication

We recommend those with ADHD consult a doctor or primary care provider to determine treatments. Medication is often prescribed for those with ADHD to improve focus, work, learning, and other executive functions. Stimulant drugs are the most common medication for ADHD, but a doctor may prescribe other non-stimulant options with similar effects.

Psychotherapy, psychosocial, and behavioral interventions

Multiple psychosocial interventions help individuals with ADHD. Mental health professionals, such as clinical psychologists, can increase awareness of ADHD and how it affects individuals.

As ADHD can co-occur with other mental health conditions, such as mood or anxiety disorders and depression, individual treatment for these conditions can be helpful although may not specifically treat ADHD. It can also co-occur with conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and autism spectrum disorder, so treatments for other conditions may be beneficial too. 

Through the help of health professionals, many individuals with ADHD will develop behavior-management plans and intervention strategies to help them manage their symptoms and thrive in their daily lives. For example, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps people recognize and challenge unhelpful thoughts and feelings, improving stress management and focus. The workplace can also make accommodations, including supportive practices and support systems, to minimize the impact of ADHD symptoms.

Workplace tips for those with ADHD

1. Keep a routine and schedule: Having a routine and consistent schedule creates habits that reduce the difficulty of behaviors. Ensuring these are well-planned, regular, and predictable can help develop effective routines. The habit of creating schedules and planning can feel empowering.
2. Set realistic goals and break down larger goals into manageable steps: Breaking goals down into smaller steps and making them achievable can motivate you and help you maintain consistent efforts to achieve something. Following through and achieving goals can help build the momentum to achieve larger and more significant ambitions.‍
3. Self-awareness: Awareness of what motivates or energizes you and what you like can help you choose activities and roles that do not drain you. Fingerprint for Success' motivational work assessment tool makes it easy to see your preferences.
4. Utilize coaching: Coaching can help you build on your talents and individual resources, become more aware of yourself, and create strategies to optimize stress management, productivity, well-being, learning, and performance.
5. Reward yourself: Providing rewards for your behavior can help improve long-term gratification and positively reinforce behaviors you want to keep.
6. Reduce distractions: As individuals with ADHD can become distracted, minimizing distractions by scheduling quiet time to work or turning off phone notifications can be beneficial. This can improve attention to tasks.
7. Use color-coded calendars: Including events and scheduling what you will do for a day can help you remain organized and reduce stress from multiple activities. You can develop a color for different priorities and distinguish between work tasks.

The benefits of having ADHD in the workplace: we call these superpowers

If symptoms are managed effectively and supportive education and work environments are fostered, many superpowers can be accessed for individuals with ADHD. Many with ADHD possess a high degree of initiation, energy, and adaptability, which can be immensely helpful in fast-paced environments. 

People with ADHD also hyper-focus on tasks they’re motivated by; a great skill when working on large projects. These individuals often possess abundant creativity and imagination, enabling them to surpass conventions and think outside the box.

By leveraging the strengths of ADHD and providing support to individuals who need it, we can utilize the incredible superpowers of ADHD and create a society that welcomes everyones’ uniqueness with open arms.