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:
**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
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