Living with ADHD

This is What It's Really Like to Live with ADHD-Jessica McCabe

I chose this assignment because we learned about Executive Function Disorder (EFD) in my Neuroaspects class. During the lecture, I realized that a lot of what I thought I knew about ADD/ADHD, a type of EFD, was false and I wanted to correct and further my learning about the diagnosis.

In this Tedtalk, Jessica McCabe explains one of the darkest times in her life. She was having trouble being organized, making friends, turning in assignments on time, focusing, signing up for classes on time, etc. This was very confusing considering Jessica could perform very well on tests. Growing up her teachers said she had a lot of potential. However, once it was up to her to get to a place on time, submit assignments on time, or organize her materials herself, she felt overwhelmed. She had a skewed sense of time; this resulted in her dropping out of college. She explained that she aced a statistics class that she never got credit for because she missed the sign-up deadline. Not only was she having trouble in school, but also in her relationships. She was trying so hard to keep up with everything that she wasn’t able to make her friends a priority and she also ended up having a divorce at the time. Jessica explained that she knew she had ADHD and that her ADHD medicine helped her a lot. She explained it as someone wearing glasses for the first time. However, it wasn’t all she needed to help manage her life. 

In our Neuroaspects class, we learned that the diagnostic criteria for ADD/ADHD. It requires that the client show several specific signs to a degree that is maladaptive (not providing adequate or appropriate adjustment to the environment or situations). We also learned that some people diagnosed with ADD are inattentive, hyperactive, or a combination of both. A few examples of diagnostic criteria for ADD-Inattention are: unorganized, fails to follow instructions or finish work, forgetful about daily activities. A few examples for ADD with Hyperactivity are: Fidgety, doesn’t stay seated, difficulty playing or working, difficulty waiting in lines or waiting turns. This makes perfect sense to why Jessica McCabe was having so many problems in her life. While I had learned these about these ADD/ADHD symptoms in my class, this talk helped me understand what these symptoms look like in a person’s day-to-day life. It also made me more aware that having ADHD does not mean that someone can’t excel in school. It just means that they need to use different strategies to adapt to their environment. One thing that really stood out to me was when Jessica said that people with ADD/ADHD are 300% more likely to start their own business. She explained some people say, “You need to think outside the box”; however, people with ADD/ADHD don’t really know that the box exists. This is why people with ADD/ADHD are great at thinking creatively and initiating projects/ideas. 

Jessica talked about how she uses timers. alarms, and checklists to help her understand deadlines and help her get organized. She started her own Youtube Chanel, called HowtoADHD, where she shares her knowledge about the diagnosis and  what helps her tackle problems and adapt to her environment. She explains that learning more about her diagnosis and how to deal with situations has helped her become successful in her in business and in her relationships. I  believe that everyone should watch her TedTalk to better understand what this diagnosis entails.  I also believe that watching both her Youtube channel and Tedtalk will help bring awareness to how to better love those with ADD/ADHD. 

**Here is her link to her Youtube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-nPM1_kSZf91ZGkcgy_95Q 

**Here is the link to her TedTalk: https://www.ted.com/talks/jessica_mccabe_failing_at_normal_an_adhd_success_story

APA Citation: 

McCabe, J. (2017, July). This is what it's really like to live with ADHD [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/    

     jessica_mccabe_failing_at_normal_an_adhd_success_story

Media Project Reflection

Background:  In our Neuroaspects class, we were given a media project assignment. In this project, we were given a low-cost item that most people can find around their house and told to create a therapeutic, OT intervention for a hypothetical client that was assigned to us. The media I was assigned was buttons. 

Reflection:     

When I first started this project, I felt excited!  I felt like there were so many therapeutic activities that could be created with buttons. I went home and made a list of interventions. However, when I received my hypothetical client and realized that my client has a Complete C5 Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), I struggled with coming up with a creative, client-centered idea. 


This assignment was definitely out of my comfort zone. Something I have to fight against is wanting to stay in my comfort zone all the time. This is not because I don'tt want to learn, but rather because the thought of failure is sometimes terrifying. OT school has helped change my perspective. Still, it's a process and I have to remind myself to have the right perspective. Because I know this about myself, I decided to try something different when starting this project. Instead of sitting in one place and thinking about this project for hours at a time, I decided to spend fifteen to twenty mins every day or couple of days just thinking about the assignment and trying to come up with ideas. This was sometimes done on my drives home from UTHSC.   If I didn't think my ideas were good enough, I would continue to try to make it better. If I still couldn't get it, I would just revisit the topic another time. This made this assignment a lot less stressful and a lot more enjoyable. When there's not as much pressure, it's so much easier to be creative!  While I realize that I'm not always going to have the same amount of time I had for this project to complete other OT-related assignments, I learned to just take everything one step at a time and to continue to work on things through the process of trial and error. 

Not only did I learn how to have more of a grit mindset throughout this process, but I also learned how to think more like an OT. I loved the process of learning about the client's interests and then comparing it to what he needs to get better physically, mentally, and emotionally. This project made me use the same type of creative thinking OTs use in the field. This made me feel more competent in my abilities as a future OT and even more excited to learn more about how to be a good practitioner! 

These are my final products:

A couple challenges I experienced throughout this project (aka. trial and error): 

• In the beginning, I couldn't figure out how to create something out of buttons that appealed to my client's Korean culture. I searched the internet several times for arts and crafts or games that I could modify by sliding the buttons. However, I wasn't able to find anything. It wasn't until a week ago that I remembered that elephants are admired in Asian cultures for their intelligence and good memory; elephants tend to symbolize wisdom. This led me to create the magnetic elephant puzzle. Just a few days later, I realized that music is also part of one's culture. Since my client owned a music retail store, I realized I could make a magnetic music board for him so that he can slide the notes onto the staff to compose music. It all started coming together when I realized this would help motivate him to sit up for longer periods of time and help him gain the strength and endurance necessary to withstand therapy in a rehabilitation center. 

• When I finally decided I was going to create a magnetic button puzzle, I couldn't find magnets that would work-either the magnets were too strong or they didn't fit the button properly. This made the puzzle look awkward. The solution was to use the magnets that were very strong and place several sheets of paper between the magnet and the cookie sheet to decrease the strength of the bond. 

Overall, I think this has been my favorite project in OT school. While it took a lot of work, it challenged me in the best ways possible! My biggest take away from this project  was learning how to go through the process of figuring out a unique intervention for my client and learning to have a grit mindset throughout the process. 

Three Letters That Changed His Life–ALS

Scott Matzka and family

Scott Matzka was a professional hockey player for 11 years. Once he retired from hockey, he was still physically active. He'd run six-minute miles and hit golf balls well over 300 yards. He had two kids and was married for seven years before something unexpected happened. He started to have cramps in his arms, stiffness in his fingers, and he wasn't able to unclench his fist easily. It started getting worse over time. For several months, several blood tests and MRIs were taken. Afterwards, he was referred to a neurologist. Matzka had researched his symptoms and prayed that his neurologist wouldn't say 3 specific letters. After his neurologist performed several tests, he had a meeting with Matzka and asked him to sit down. Matzka's fears were realized; he was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). He knew it was a neurodegenerative, progressive disease that was fatal and that he only had about 3-5 years to live.

It's interesting to me how Matzka decided to carry on with his life knowing this information. We've all watched movies like The Bucketlist and have thought about what would we do if we knew we only had a few weeks or years to live, but sometimes I wonder how much we truly consider that. When faced with a situation like Matzka's, we don't have a choice but to really think about what are the most meaningful things in our lives. It gives you perspective.  I don't know if Matzka had an occupational therapist, but if he did, I imagine the therapist helping him create a bucket list and finding ways for him to travel and get around to places while he can.  I also imagine the OT giving him options for different kinds of adaptive equipment so he can be as independent as he can for as long as he can.

While he was able, Matzka decided he was going to travel with his family and friends and soak up every moment he could. He also decided that he was going to raise awareness and try to help those with ALS financially. When I looked up his site, MyTurn, I read a few of the statistics that surprised me. The most surprising thing I read was that it costs around $250,000 a year for a person with ALS to have what he needs and insurance doesn't cover the majority of it.  I can't imagine being part of a  family that not only has to deal with the hardships and heartaches of losing a loved one and watching him progressively lose function, but also be in so much debt because they can't pay the medical bills. This is why it is so important for us to help raise awareness about ALS and help support those with ALS as much as we can.

The reason I decided to watch the Tedtalk, How 3 Letters Changed My Life,  is because one of my friends recommended it since we are learning about ALS in our neuroaspects class. She told me how heartbreaking it was to listen to him speak about the reality of being diagnosed with ALS. She was right. The most heartbreaking part of the Tedtalk was when Matzka spoke about the fact that he wouldn't be able to watch his children grow up, he wouldn't be able to walk his daughter down the aisle, and he wouldn't be able to see his grandchildren one day. He said that it was really easy to see the darkness of the world and see how unforgiving it could be; however, the unwavering support and compassion people showed him helped him push through. It reminded him to make the most of the present and look at the diagnosis of ALS as an opportunity instead of an end.

 Matzka ended his Tedtalk by stating that one does not need an illness to gain perspective and I a hundred percent agree. We should think about what is meaningful to us and live our lives as fully as we can-having compassion for others and loving one another. We should especially be there for those who are going through the hardest of times. I pray and hope that as a future occupational therapist, I will have perspective and remember the reality of what my patients are dealing with. I pray and hope that I continue to remember that being an OT is so much more than a day job. It's a chance to love and serve others.

*You can watch his Tedtalk, How 3 Letters Changed My Life, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOK83OHmTbE
*His website: https://scottmatzka.com/take-a-turn (This website is helpful in understanding how much everything costs for a person with ALS)

Citations (APA):

Take a Turn. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://scottmatzka.com/take-a-turn

        Talks, T. (2017, March 16). How 3 Letters Changed My Life | Scott Matzka | TEDxUofM. Retrieved from https://www.   
            youtube.com/watch?v=NOK83OHmTbE

The Theory of Everything

Personal reason why I wanted to watch the movie, The Theory of Everything:

I believe that it is important for every person to understand or at least seek to understand what they believe in and why they believe it. In a world where it is so easy to just “go with the flow,” it becomes even easier to fall into traditions and routines. Traditions and routines in of itself are not bad; however, the danger is when one refuses to think for him/herself. Like most, I have read about Stephen Hawking before watching this movie. I’ve read about his philosophy or “lack of philosophy” that the world doesn’t need a Creator because it has physics. However, I've found that to be contradictory since the law of gravity still needs a creator. Hawkin’s later in his last book stated that in order to know how or why we need to know the mind of God. I’m not sure whether Hawkins truly believed that towards the end of his life or if his publisher pushed him to write a surprise ending. Either way, it made me interested to learn more about him.

Relation to OT:

Another reason why I wanted to watch The Theory of Everything is because we are currently learning about Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a motor neuron disease, in our Neuro-Aspects class. While The Theory of Everything does touch on Hawkin’s thoughts about physics and how the world came to be, it focuses more on how ALS affected his life.  Throughout this movie, it was interesting to see the little signs, such as Hawkins dropping a glass or stumbling over nothing,  before it was clear that his body wasn’t functioning typically. Once he realized his gait was affected, the audience sees him having a lumbar puncture. (In our class we learned that this is one test that is used to eliminate the possibility of Hawkins having a different diagnosis; the diagnosis of ALS is one by process of elimination).  Once he received his diagnosis and the doctor tells him he only has a few years to live, he tried to isolate himself but his girlfriend, Jane, wouldn’t allow it.  Overtime Jane sees how much the disease impacts his ability to walk, feed himself, dress himself, swallow, and talk. Throughout the movie, it is hard to watch Jane struggling and trying to hide her emotions so she can be strong for husband. It is also hard to watch Hawkins losing function over his body yet having the cognitive ability to understand and feel everything going on around him. However, it is also inspiring to see Hawkin's determination and positivity through all the hardships.

I believe this movie did a great job in showing the progression of the disease as well as the assistive technology Hawkins used, such as the spelling board and an adaptive switch with a speech-generating device. Since having a lecture on assistive technology, it is even more amazing to know that Hawkins used assistive technology to write books. While the device is helpful, it usually takes a person a long time to select the correct categories before picking out the word they are trying to say (usually about four words a minute). Through more research, I found that many people worked on Hawkins assistive technology and added predictive messaging to help him work at a faster speed. Whether Hawkins knew it or not, he became a huge advocator for assistive technology and an inspiration to those who have disabilities and feel unable to accomplish tasks that are meaningful to them

While I do not agree with Hawkin's "Theory of Everything," I do believe that Hawkin's determination was inspiring. This movie brings awareness to not only what ALS is, but also what the lifestyle for someone with ALS looks like. I recommend watching this movie if you want to learn more about Stephen Hawking's personal life and what the progression of ALS looks like.

*This movie is found on Netflix (for free if you have a subscription). It is also on Amazon Prime and Youtube for $4.

Bevan, T.,  Bruce, L., Brown, J., Fellner, E., & McCarten, A.(Producers). (2014). The Theory of Everything[Video file]. Working Titles Films. 
     Retrieved August 14, 2019, from https://www.netflix.com/watch/80000644?trackId=14170286&tctx=1%2C5%2C7df97aa5-8b9f-4659-8b72-   
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