| |
Basic InformationMore InformationTestsLatest NewsQuestions and AnswersVideosHow to Select the Best School Accommodations for Your Child with ADHDHow to Manage ADHD and AnxietyWhat You Need to Know about Students with ADHD and AnxietyADHD and Eating Tourette Syndrome and ADHD Homework, Organization, and Time Management Strategies to Help Kids with ADHDNutrition in Support of ADHD TreatmentBehavioral Therapy: What it is and finding a therapist Project-Based Learning and ADHD Conditions May Mimic ADHDDepartment of Education Guidance Broadens Understanding of 504 Rights for Kids with ADHD Part I Treating ADHD in the African American CommunityHow to Build Self-Motivation in Teens with ADHDGoal Setting and Keeping for the ADHD BrainNeurofeedback Treatment for ADHDADHD in Preschoolers: What to Look For and How to HelpFYI on ADHD Evaluations Teaching Grit, Perseverance and Frustration Tolerance to Students with ADHD Does my Child Have ADHD? How to Start Eating Well When You Have ADHD 5 Solutions for Common ADHD Social StrugglesIs My High School Student Ready for College? (And Is My College Student Ready to Go Back?) Understanding and Applying the Science of Time ManagementADHD Medication and College Students: Prevent Misuse, Abuse, and DiversionImprove Homework Time with Strategies That Work For ADHD Student Voices: What Really Matters to Young Adults With Learning and Attention Issues 5 Ways Nutrition can Impact ADHD Symptoms 3 Tips for Adjusting to a New Diagnosis of ADHDCreating the Best Learning Environment for Students with ADHD ADHD & Executive FunctioningDepartment of Education Guidance Broadens Understanding of 504 Rights for Kids with ADHD Part II Ask The Expert: Neurofeedback Treatment for ADHDADHD and Suicide Risk FactorsThe Choice is in the Details: Medication Options for ADHDUnderstanding and Supporting Young Adults with ADHDHelping Your Young Adult Become IndependentCreating Structure and Routines for Children with ADHDWhen You and Your Child Have ADHD - Communication Skills to Resolve ConflictGuidance for Uncertain Times: Navigating Relationship ChallengesGuidance for Uncertain Times: Mindful Parenting Couples with ADHD: Creating Caring Connection amid the ChaosDisclosure and Workplace Accommodations for Individuals With ADHDA Summer At CampSelf-Advocacy Tips For Teens With ADHDADHD and Curbing Impulsive Spending to Help Your RelationshipADHD: Signs, Symptoms, ResearchADHD & Risk of Adult Drug UseHealth and Life Expectancy in ADHDFocus on ADHDPediatrics: ADHD and Food Allergies ADHD TreatmentADHD: It's a Family AffairDoes Your Child Have ADHD?ADHD in ChildrenLiving with ADHDRise in ADHD Cases in ChildrenWhy is Dating Difficult When You Have ADHDVideo Games, Screens, and ADHD A Potent MixAsk the Expert Helping Children with ADHD LD Conquer Chronic StressAsk the Expert: Mindfulness, Stress, & EmotionAttention Deficit Hyperactivity DisorderAsk the Expert Educator Edition: ADHD & Executive FunctioningAsk the Expert - Academic Evaluations - What Parents Need to Know ADHD and Sibling RelationshipsMedication Treatment for ADHD Using Time Out Treating Childhood ADHD ADHD-friendly Summer Family FUNdamentals Preparing Older Teens for the Road Ahead Tips for Teachers: Tailoring homework to make a difference Your Active Preschooler: Could it be ADHD? Tips for Teachers: Creating a positive dialogue with parents of students with ADHD Helping Parents & Kids Understand the Social & Emotional Aspects of ADHDSocial and Emotional Concerns of Children with ADHD: Strategies to Help Holiday Gifts for Children with ADHDBehavior Management and Combined Treatment for Children with ADHD Setting Realistic School Expectations for Students with ADHD On Their Own: Helping College Students with ADHD Children's Communication Challenges: Is it Attention, Language or Both? Out-of-School: Parenting During the Summer ADHD in the Workplace: Finding Success Emotions and Motivation in ADHDThe Role of Medication in Managing Children's ADHD Symptoms Top Tips for Combating Stigma and Addressing Myths about ADHD Facts and Myths about ADHD What To Do If Your Child Has ADHD? How Common is ADHD? Children, Meds, and Heart Safety: A Tale of ADHD and Public Health ADHD & Your Child’s Transition to CollegeYour Teen with ADHD: Challenges and Strategies for SuccessAsk the Expert - No more homework battles A Frontline to ADHDUnderstanding Girls with ADHD What is ADHD? What To Do When Your Child With ADHD is BulliedStop the Chaos! Tips for Creating a Peaceful Household When Mom has ADHDIs It ADHD?Ask the Expert - What else can I do? Complementary approaches to ADHD treatment All in a row: Getting your kids with ADHD organized Your Student With ADHD Was Admitted to College, Now what? Evidence-based treatment for ADHD in young children Home life when Mom or Dad has ADHD: Succeeding with your family How does technology affect ADHD? Diagnosing ADHD Helping Your Child Successfully Handle Change Recognizing challenging behaviors in young children: Could it be ADHD? Classroom Managment Supports for ADHD Behaviors in Preschool Settings Getting through to your teenager with ADHD What Everyone Should Know about ADHD Make Learning Exciting: Apps for Executive Functioning Teenagers, ADHD, and Substance Abuse Past Procrastination -- Get Your Kids Organized, Focused and MotivatedAsk the Expert: Late, Lost, and Unprepared: How to Help Your Child with Executive Functioning LinksBook Reviews |
| |
Diagnostic Challenge 3 - Part IIMargaret V. Austin, Ph.D., edited by C. E. Zupanick, Psy.D.Poor work habits & lack of organization
Poor work habits and a lack of organization are more difficult to assess. These are traits that are usually observed throughout someone's life, including childhood. Rarely does someone suddenly become disorganized and scattered in their approach to work-related tasks (except after a stroke or other brain injury). Organizational skills, and a systematic, orderly approach to work completion, are fundamental components of human functioning and life success. However, does everyone who lacks these fundamental skills have a disorder? Of course not! There is large variation among individuals in this regard. One way to consider the topic is to examine the impact of disorganization on an individual's life. The term "pack rat" refers to many people who have difficulty throwing things away. Where does it become a problem? One consideration would be to examine a person's history. Have they always been that way? The sudden onset of such symptoms could possibly indicate a developing problem and trigger an evaluation. This would not include an ADHD evaluation because the symptoms are required to be present from childhood.
Another way to consider the topic would be to examine the impact of people's behavior on their lives. Are there functional impairments that interfere with someone's ability to successfully complete various life tasks? If poor work habits and lack of organization result in repeated job losses and the inability to complete taxes on time, there would be evidence of impairment. If combined with the lifelong history of such problems, it could be indicative of the inattention symptom cluster in ADHD. LINK Therefore, an adult with such a profile would likely benefit from an ADHD evaluation.
During such an evaluation, a clinician would first determine if symptoms from the Inattention subtype cluster are present. If not, the disorganization and poor work habits may simply represent normal human variation. If so, further assessment for ADHD is warranted. The clinician would focus on the criteria necessary for ADHD, inattentive type. To be diagnosed with ADHD, the adult needs to meet five of the inattention criteria LINK. If the clinician finds they meet five criteria of Inattention, s/he will next determine whether these symptoms impair functioning (social, academic, or occupational functioning) Remember my friend with the dental 'phobia'? She would not receive a diagnosis at this juncture because her symptoms did not create any dysfunction.
It is important to recognize that given the rate of adult ADHD in the population (2.5%), it is far more likely that poor work habits and a lack of organization represent a normal variation. One final note: these symptoms could be part of another disorder. LINK The experienced clinician will continue to evaluate until all diagnostic possibilities have been considered and ruled out.
Social ineptitude (poor social skills)
Social ineptitude, or awkwardness, can make it difficult to form and maintain relationships. It can also cause problems at work or school. In some cases, inadequate social skills represent a normal variation among humans. In other cases, it may be indicative of a mental health concern (such as ADHD).
Social skills come easily to some folks, but are very difficult for many others. Even in the non-clinical population, the difficulty with smooth and easy social engagement is fairly common. Nonetheless, poor social skills are also a diagnostic indicator for many psychiatric disorders, including ADHD. An experienced clinician will first consider whether poor social skills are creating dysfunction (losing a job, not having any friends). If poor social skills are creating dysfunction, the clinician will begin to evaluate a long list of diagnostic possibilities, including ADHD.
|