ADD and Organization

Children and adults with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) have a harder time trying to stay organized. They get easily distracted and have problems focusing and ignoring those distractions. Telling a child to “clean up their room” doesn’t really mean anything to a child with ADD. Parents are likely to get frustrated because the child is not “listening” and “doing what they were told”.

The problem is that the parent wasn’t more specific. Instead of saying “clean up your room” the parent needs to say “put away all the toys on the floor” or “put your laundry in the hamper”. Very specific tasks. With short task times.

There are many different theories on what causes ADD. One is that it is caused by “chemicals in the brain which coordinates and regulates function and behavior”. A “deficiency in these neurotransmitters can cause a lack of attention” which in turn can lead to clutter and disorganization.

Some people don’t believe that ADD is a “real physical” problem. They think that the child just doesn’t want to “listen” and do what they are told.

Some people believe that diet plays a major problem in ADD. Because of all of the chemicals in our food today they think that kids have been poisoned and their brain functions have been affected.

It’s not really too far fetched. With the huge “organic” movement people are starting to realize that if mother nature didn’t produce it…. it should not go into our bodies.

Some other reasons that people believe are behind ADD are: drugs, brain injury, genetics, sleep disorder and so on…

Children, especially teenagers have so many “normal teenage issues” and then throw in those “hormones” and it’s not easy to distinguish between “normal” childhood and ADD.

Some people aren’t diagnosed with ADD until they are adults. If a person is extremely intelligent or creative it takes longer to diagnosis ADD.

People with ADD have a short attention span. They are easily distracted and can’t stay focused on a task. They get bored easily and therefore avoid doing “boring thinks” like housework.

In order to make things more interesting a person with ADD might wait until the last minute to get things done and then be in “crisis mode”.

People with ADD also tend to be “impulsive” and sometimes make decisions too quickly, such as getting rid of something and then they “regret” it later. After that they might never make another decision again, which can lead to chronic disorganization, clutter and even hoarding.

A person with ADD gets bogged down with “details” and can’t see the big picture.

A Professional Organizer can help a client with ADD stay focused on a specific task and stay on target. Structure is very important with an ADD client. By helping the client make a plan and having a decision making process in place the ADD client can become organized and learn to function better.


Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com