presents

6: To Share or Not to Share: 6 Question to Ask Before You Do

6: To Share or Not to Share: 6 Question to Ask Before You Do

On Today’s episode, we will talk about coming out ADHD. The when, if and how to disclose. I’m going to share with you my personal experiences of disclosure.  This is the first episode I’m recording since I’ve launched the podcast. So, I want to let you know how that’s been going, and how I’ve been doing. And I’m going to share a very important milestone.  We’re going to hear from you, the listeners.

You asked:

I received an email from Ryan, from Wilmington Delaware, a college student studying social work.  He writes:

“I have trouble with dates and am working on trying to figure out a system to get things submitted on time. Should I tell my supervisor that I have ADHD? I don’t want to make excuses but sometimes my work can be overwhelming.”

Ryan, Thank you for this email. I can totally appreciate the feeling of overwhelm. It sucks. I go through it a lot. It seems like it comes and goes in phases, but it does get better as you increase your executive functioning / life management skills.

Ryan… in regards to disclosing your ADHD, like with a lot of “what should I do” type questions, the answer is… it depends. I do think that in our field, there is generally more acceptance and compassion for individuals with invisible disabilities… at least in comparison to the corporate world.

Before you disclose I would ask yourself, the following questions:

  1. What am I hoping to achieve by disclosing?
  2. Is there any other way to achieve this other then disclosing?
  3. Am I currently at risk at being fired?
  4. Do I know what accommodations I need to meet the demands and expectations of the job?
  5. Can I get these accommodations without disclosing?
  6. What is your relationship with your supervisor like?

All of that being said, being out of the closet with ADHD is great!!! It is a lot less stressful, but I think there is a time and place for that to happen. I know alot of people struggle with this issue, and don’t want to use ADHD as an excuse. I get that, but here is the difference between an excuse and an explanation:

An excuse is, “I can’t be on time, I have ADHD” An explanation is, “I’m sorry, I struggle with being on time, which is common with ADHD. Here are the things I am doing to work on it…” It can also help to preface, “I’m saying this as an excuse…In all my past jobs (social work related) I have eventually told my employer that I have ADHD. Two jobs ago, I came out because I was sooooo behind on paperwork. In my last job ago, I came out ahead of having problems asking for an accommodation because we had cubical to do planning, paperwork and phone calls. I could not work in that environment. I felt comfortable with my supervisor. I asked her if I could use the conference room whenever it’s not being used, so I could get work done. I told her I work well in quite enviornments. It was not a problem.

Recommended Tools

The livescribe smart pen.   Imagine being at a meeting, taking notes, and then all of a sudden you reaslized you tuned out.  Probably not that hard to imagine right?  Or, imagine you in a class and the teacher is talking so fast you just can’t keep up, although you heard the teacher say, “this will be on the test.”  Again, not that hard to imagine.  Now, imagine if you didn’t have to worry about missing that informatoin becuase you had a pan that was captuing all of it. And better yet, you don’t have to go searching for that moment that you missed something, because you drew a question mark, or wrote a word that became your audio bookmark. Just tap that spot, and listen to what was being said in that moment.  It’s Awesome.  That is what the LiveScribe Smart Pen Does.

Check out these videos to give you an idea.  Click the Affiliate link to buy it!.

1. Livescribe 3 – the newest.  Just watched this, and WOW, I’m going to upgrade.    Affilitate Link

2. Livescribe Pulse    Affiliate LInk

Use my Audible.com affiliate link for your favorite titles:

http://www.audibletrial.com/ADHDreWired

ADHD reWired Coaching and Accountability Groups (ArC)

New Sessions Start 4 times per year. Registration is by invitation only. Please visit coachingrewired.com to learn more.  Click the button at coachingrewired.com to get added to the invite list.  

Adult Study Hall (ASH) Membership Community

Join ADHD reWired’s virtual co-working community. ASH 24/7 is always open. We have a variety of faciliated sessions for extra structure in your work. Learn more at  www.AdultStudyHall.com

Support the Podcast on Patreon

Patreon allows listeners like you to support content creators like me. Want ad-free episodes? It’s only $5 per month. Want to join a monthly coaching call? It’s only $25 per month.  Learn more at http://patreon.com/adhdrewired.

ADHD reWired Facebook Group:

If you would like to apply to join the ADHD reWired Secret Facebook group, go to https://www.adhdrewired.com/community and fill out the application.

Live Q  & A

Get your ADHD questions answered live! These Q&A sessions take place on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 12:30 PM CT. Go to https://www.adhdrewired.com/events

Want to be a guest?

Hey! What about you? Do you have a story? Are you a coach? Are you an ADHD Clinician? If you answered yes to any of these questions and you’d like to be a guest, schedule a pre-interview call here.

Leave a Comment


Subscribe for Email Updates

I’ve got some great tools and strategies I’d love to share with you. I’ll also share with you new podcast episodes with a summary of the episode.