Letitia Sweitzer - The Elephant in the ADHD Room: Beating Boredom as the Secret to Managing ADHD

First published in 2014

by Jessica Kingsley Publishers

73 Collier Street

London N1 9BE, UK

and

400 Market Street, Suite 400

Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA

www.jkp.com

Copyright Letitia Sweitzer 2014

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Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978 1 84905 965 7

eISBN 978 0 85700 910 4

To Lyndon D. Waugh, M.D., whose concept
of the central role of boredom in ADHD led
me to write this book, in gratitude for his
personal and professional encouragement.

DISCLAIMER

This book is based on the authors experience with individuals with and without a diagnosis of ADHD. Some of the individuals in this book have been given fictitious names and identifying details to protect their privacy. The material in this book is intended to provide helpful information and awareness of the roles of interest and boredom in general and ADHD in particular. The book is solely the opinion of the author based on her interpretation of sources listed, interviews, and personal experience.

The book serves only as a supplement to, not a substitute for the thorough and professional care of a licensed physician, psychologist, therapist, or psychiatrist. It is not meant to be used, nor should it be used, to diagnose or treat any medical condition. Neither the author nor the publisher is liable for any damages or negative consequences from any treatment, action, or application to any person reading or following the information in this book.

References are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute endorsement of any websites or other sources. Readers should be aware that the websites listed in this book may change.

The Elephant in
the ADHD Room

SUBJECT INDEX

acclaim as Element of Interest

accommodations in school

achievement as Element of Interest

acting skills

action as Element of Interest

adding other interests

exercise as treatment

activities, aspects of

ADD Coach Academy (ADDCA)

addiction and boredom

and ADHD

finding rehabilitation motivations

relapse and recovery

and sobriety

using and abusing

ADHD

and addiction

in adulthood

and attention

evolutionary perspectives

and exercise

information and books

medication use

and multitasking

prevalence

talking about disorder

adrenaline see epinephrine

adulthood and ADHD

dealing with boredom

developing an expertise

encouraging learning

later years

midlife experiences

personal relations

work experiences and freedom

advocacy

in schools

with teenagers

affiliation as Element of Interest

age differences and Elements of Interest

infants

toddlers

preschool children

elementary school children

middle school children

high school teen years

adulthood

alcohol use

early signs

see also addiction and boredom

All Dogs Have ADHD (Hoopermann)

applause see acclaim as Element of Interest

apprenticeships

art classes

attention

and flow

and focus

and hyperfocus

and multitasking

see also boredom

autotelic experience

Baker, Mary

baseball

Bateman, Chris

board games

books for children and families

Boredom: The Literary History of a State of Mind (Spacks 1995)

boredom

avoidance behaviors and strategies

costs and consequences of

engaging with

and ill health

judgmental attitudes towards

learning to acknowledge

natural methods to avoid

neurobiology of

and stress

Boreout! (Rothlin and Werder)

boring activities

developing expertise

strategies to make interesting

boundaries, teaching concepts of

BrainHex test

Branson, Sir Richard

Brantingham, Elyse

Briggs, Harry

cardboard boxes

career options

choosing jobs

making plans

universities and colleges

Carville, James

Celebrate Calm (Martin)

challenges, achieving balance

charm behaviors

childhood pastimes and interests

adult legacies

children

identifying favorite pastimes

identifying joy feelings

natural ways of avoiding boredom

working with

infants

toddlers

elementary school years

middle school years

choirs

chores, strategies to make interesting

cognitive behavioral therapies

colleges and universities

competition

computers

concentration skills see focus

conflicts

control as Element of Interest

cooking

creative play

creativity

credit see achievement and mastery as Elements of Interest

crime, associations and ADHD

cue-mediated relapses

curiosity

genetic basis of

neurobiology of

daydreaming

digressions

directions

disabilities, overcoming obstacles

dogs for therapy

dolls

dopamine

and boredom

genetic control

and intense focus

and multitasking

and music

and selection mechanisms

under-activation of

dough kneading

drugs and alcohol addictions

early experimentation

finding rehabilitation motivations

see also addiction and boredom

Edison, Thomas

electronics

elementary school years

giving children freedom

reading and writing

Elements of Interest

basic principles

by age

identification of

from childhood pastimes

listening for expressions of

as tools to avoid boredom

typical forms

Ellis, Albert

Emory University interviews

employment choices

endomorphin

engagement strategies

entreupreneurship

epinephrine

evolutionary perspectives

excitement, neurobiology of

exercise

as treatment for ADHD

see also physical action as Element of Interest

exercise balls

expertise

face time

financial hardships

flipping

flow (Csikszentmihalyi)

focus

and flow (Csikszentmihalyi)

and hyper focus

freedom

barriers

coaching to improve chances

and internal restrictions

necessity of

and nonconformity

and resources

and school age children

and teenagers

and work challenges

freelance work

game playing

neurobiology of

with preschool children

with elementary school age children

gardening

genetic basis of behaviors

Giwerc, David

hands-on Elements of Interest

happiness see joy feelings

Harry Potter books

health matters and boredom

hearing and attention