adhdcoachsheila

Replying to Davis

Why are we all making the worst possible assumptions of other humans?

Had our communication and treatment of each other really reached such a low!??

Do you know what your needs are?

I’ve got a few webinars that can help you figure it out and how to get them met.

You can check them out with the link in my bio.

They are especially helpful if you are ADHD, autistic, or have sone other reason that your needs tend to confuse people.

Just because not everyone needs the same thing as you doesn’t mean your needs aren’t valid. You deserve to have your needs met just like everyone else!

Do you know what your needs are?

I’ve got a few webinars that can help you figure it out and how to get them met.

You can check them out with the link in my bio.

They are especially helpful if you are ADHD, autistic, or have sone other reason that your needs tend to confuse people.

Just because not everyone needs the same thing as you doesn’t mean your needs aren’t valid. You deserve to have your needs met just like everyone else!

And if you don’t think you do you should look into “internalized ableism” 👀

I think the happy dancing through suggested internal turmoil to this song is adorable, but I thought a little chronic illness representation could be fun.

Anyone else have hashimotos, hEDS, MCAS, chronic migraines, and perimenopause (I’m counting that as an illness bc it feels like one lol) with the ADHD?

💜

I call myself an ADHD coach, but that doesn’t mean I only work with ADHD. Most of my clients end up bringing a few other diagnosis or identities along.

I see OCD, bipolar, BPD, and more, but the most common by far is autism, and sometimes it takes people a while to figure that one out because of the stigmas and misinformation attatched.

I’m not a doctor, and I don’t diagnose people. If I see that potential autistic traits are causing them problems I will reccomend they get assessed, but a lot of the time I just ask questions and wait for them to come to it on their own. Maybe I’ll ask “have you considered?” and see if they are curious.

I like seeing the patterns in the little things people say that they don’t take much notice of, but to me they say something about the person’s internal experience or the way they process information.

If you were diagnosed in adulthood, what was the first sign that you were autistic?

Work accommodations can be tricky.

Unfortunately, the workplaces that will happily accomodate you with a diagnosis are often the ones that would have if you’d just asked. The ones that don’t want to accomodate you can often find a way around it, counting on your inability to fight back.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get accomodate! It just means that before you disclose your diagnosis you might want to try some round about ways of getting your needs met first. If they see it as an opportunity to be benevolent they often are more interested in helping than if they see it as a demand.

It’s good to have the demand in your back pocket, and there are accessible legal services if you need to go that route - but if you can avoid all that it’s even better.

I talk about this in my upcoming webinar, Tools for Self-advocacy.

It’s neurodivergent-friendly, pay as you can, and the recording is included.

Check it out at SheilaHenson.com/events

Should you take breaks for stimulant medications?

It depends!

I definitely see many people taking their doctors advice and making themselves miserable because they are afraid to question the doctor.

I also see people who are only focused on getting their work school done and then on the weekends completely neglect their own needs. Health needs, social needs, creative needs, etc.

You can tell your dr their advice isn’t working as planned.

You can use your medication to make your life more enjoyable.

And I encourage you to listen to your body and do what feels right.

ADHD is hard. Medication is a tool that is supposed to make it a little easier to get through your day and live the life you want.

Replying to Zack Disgnosis give access to a variety of supports. Sometimes that includes medication. Often times it doesn’t. If you don’t agree with medicating children until it’s a crisis, you can provide other supports in the meantime - like occupational therapy, tutoring, 504 plans, IEPs, different schooling options, coaches, tutors, sensory supports, communication supports, speech language pathologists, play groups with similar kids, accomodations at home and school - and the list goes on.

What really messes a kid up is continuing to have unrealistic expectations thrown upon them without any supports. Then they have to hire people like me as an adult to help learn the stuff they could have learned as a kid.