Thread by @delaneykingrox

People with #ADHD have a hard time dealing with the assumption by neurotypicals that things that are easy and effortless for them, must be the same for us.

Neurodiverse/neurodivergent means our brains are physically different, and behave differently.

For ADHD, we have additional misinformation hanging around that "doctors believe is doesn't exist" and that it is just an excuse for laziness.

These days is well documented and far greatly understood however the tabloids press still push the idea of it being 'made up'.

This stems back to capitalist propaganda media pushing back against welfare and disability, and wouldn't you know- the tabloid newspapers are owned by... well, guess.

ADHD is a disability, and has severe adverse effects on ones ability to perform in standard employment models.

In Australia, ADHD is considered a disability, however it is exempt from disability support because it "can be effectively managed with medication".
Sounds good in theory, however Australia also has crippling long wait times for the limited number of adult ADHD specialists...

...and the treatment and medication is extremely expensive and a controlled substance that requires one licensed vendor, forms and wait times, out of pocket expenses and long trials of shifting medicines to find the right one.

We are stuck, therefore between being unable to access and afford the medication, and that medication being used as the justification for lack of support.

It is in the government's best interest to downplay ADHD as a disability, both from spending and political investors.

ADHD was recently used by the Australian Liberal Party as the justification and excuse for the sexual deviant behaviour of thir MP Andew Laming.

theguardian.com/australia-news…

Now, just for the record, taking upskirt pictures of colleagues and being an asshole are NOT symptoms of ADHD. However the party was quick to praise the instant effects the medication had on their golden boy.

And yet...

...now that ADHD has again been raised as a disability that requires medication, they are suddenly acting like it "isn't real" and "is just laziness".

Hmm.

Meanwhile, the steady stream of messages that ADHD people are "just lazy" or are "dole bludgers" continue on in the media.

You can't win with these assholes.

ADHD is absolutely a disability, and whilst medications do help greatly with many aspects of the neurodiversity, they do not magic it away.

You cannot perceive time the same way as neurotypicals, nor magically repair your short term memory, no amount of ritalin helps that.

At the very least we need a major overhaul of the medical system surrounding adhd, and stronger media presence for medicine and science regarding the facts about this condition.

We need a solid voice for ADHD facts. And honestly the science and medicine community absolutely suck at pushing facts.

As a person with ADHD, we have to do a lot of work to educate and self advocate, which adds another layer of exhausting ontop of dealing with the abuse and humiliation of not meeting neurotypical expectations.

Modern workplaces are toxic to ADHD folk without workplace accommodations and understanding about the effects of the condition.

Negative messages are crushing, and most of this is the assumption that one set of rules and techniques for neurotypical people work for us too.

When you have ADHD, you have to have accommodations in place.

Things like time blindness (the inability to visualise and process time passing) mean making time estimates for tasks is extremely hard.

Not being able to regulate emotions and rejection sensitivity...

...requires a management style that allows time outs for emotional recovery, delivers critical feedback within rejection free context, and so forth.

Not being able to digest huge blocks of dull text can make some training courses nightmares for us.

Not trivial.

And absolutely nowhere is executive dysfunction factored in in disability, work sick leave and so forth.
When ADHD paralasis occurs, it can halt your ability to do a task- regardless of motivation, of energy, of stakes, of risks and rewards. It can absolutely stop you dead.

And yet, how many people can go the their boss and say

"Hi, I cannot do this task because my brain suddenly won't let me. What task can I switch to and who can we reassign the task?"

Because people who don't understand task paralysis simply cannot understand...

...why you can't "just do it" because "it will only take a few minutes" or you "just need motivation".

No, that is neurotypical solutions to a neurodivergent problem.

If your executive function brain cannot communicate to the task activation center... you can't do it.

And that sounds "crazy" or "lazy" to neurotypical people, because for them it IS easy.

And that is the disability aspect- we cannot perform at the same ability level so we need accommodation. We do not have the same abilities as neurotypical people... ergo DISabled.

Just like someone who uses a wheel chair need accommodations in the workplace, such as ramps and adjustable desks- ADHD people need accommodations so they can function happily at work and school.

We need financial support to cover medicines, adhd specialists and periods of...

...inability to work.

For most of us, that isn't a huge amount of time- a few days a year and we are back to running on usual 125% productivity.

But for some of us, it can be painfully extended periods with no income and soul crushing depression.

Those cases need help.

At the very least, we need support whilst waiting for access to the medication and adhd psychiatrists.

And right now this is all very bleak and cruel.

ADHD people are amazing workers, creative and energised- when we have support in place. We need widespread understanding.

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