Kathleen G. Nadeau - Adventures in Fast Forward: Life, Love and Work for the Add Adult

Kathleen G. Nadeau, Ph.D.

Routledge

Taylor & Francis Group

605 Third Avenue,

New York, NY 10017, USA

Published in Great Britain by

Routledge

Taylor & Francis Group

2 Park Square,

Milton Park, Abingdon,

Oxon OX14 4RN

First issued in hardback 2017

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

1996 by Kathleen G. Nadeau

ISBN 13: 978-0-8763-0800-4 (pbk)

ISBN 13: 978-1-1384-6237-3 (hbk)

This book is designed as a guide to understanding ADD: what it is, what it is not, and ways to accommodate it in various life settings. The information is meant to enhance the readers coping skills and knowledge base; is it not meant to be used in place of formal medical diagnosis or appropriate medical treatment.

Except as permitted by U.S Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publishers.

Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Nadeau, Kathleen G

Adventures in fast forward: life, love and work for the ADD adult / Kathleen G Nadeau p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN 0-87630-800-0 (pbk.)

DOI: 10.4324/9780203765937

1. Attention-deficit disorder in adultsPopular works. I. Title.

RC394.A85N33 1996

616.85 89dc20

96-4027

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Kathleen Nadeau has written an insightful and informative book for and about adults with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Throughout the reader-friendly text, she addresses the various aspects of this living disability that contribute to shaping the lives of many individuals. Dr. Nadeau celebrates the assets that living with differences may endow and looks thoughtfully at ways to mitigate the difficulties to which adults with ADD are often vulnerable.

Adventures in Fast Forward was produced as a part of Dr. Nadeau's ongoing professional work in the field of ADD. For a number of years, she has studied the multidimensional features of this neurobiological disorder. As a part of her clinical practice, she has applied these findings to assist individuals with ADD in living more satisfying and productive lives. She is well-known for her contributions to the field as a lecturer and author of other materials on ADD. Consistent with her other print resources, in this text, Dr. Nadeau provides a concise overview of the current diagnostic criteria and assessment standards.

As a part of her perspective of ADD in adults, Dr. Nadeau is sensitive to the contributions of internal and external influences that interact with the genetic inheritance of individuals with ADD. Her text takes into account the impact of gender as well as the wide range of backgrounds, abilities, and personality types among the population of persons who have this disorder. While these issues complicate the conceptualization of ADD, Dr. Nadeau presents them for the reader in a clear and useful manner.

A significant percentage of the adult population experiences life, love, and work in fast forward. While experiencing difficulties related to their attentional Achilles heel, many of them live happy and successful lives. Dr. Nadeaudescribes these individuals as actors rather than reactors in life. Through her association with successful adults who are, or have become, actors, Dr. Nadeau has observed shared characteristics among them that she calls their success traits. These individuals have a strong desire for and commitment to achieving success. Through a self-determined process, they employ their personal strengths to live in a manner that enables them to use and enjoy their innate abilities. They are sensitive to their need for situations, jobs, and relationships that are a good fit for them. Many of the specific strategies of these actors, described in the text, will be useful to readers in achieving their own goals.

In her chapter discussions of life, love, and work, Dr. Nadeau emphasizes the importance of recognizing and using existing assets and developing new skills in order to manage ADD symptoms. Her suggestions are offered in a manner that will motivate readers with ADD to inventory their situation. Some readers will try strategies for the first time, others will be remotivated to try, try again.

In response to Adventures in Fast Forward, some adults with ADD may find themselves slowing down and reflecting on the nature of strategies that work for them, while others may consider ways in which they have achieved growth in the past. A number will think about the high cost of learning that has come through their difficult personal experiences or will note that living with ADD has taught them that managing symptoms is genuinely difficult and requires commitment and hard work. Some will recognize the strength they have gained by proactively taking responsibility for their actions and attitude, while still others will consider the role of good health care services and self-care in maintaining well-being. Finally, many will note the importance of working with others in a field or workplace that values one's style and perspective. These and others responses will aid in the implementation of Dr. Nadeau's suggestions and enable individuals to use them to build on previous useful learning.

Adventures in Fast Forward is a valuable resource for adults living with ADD or for the bookshelf of anyone interested in learning more about this disorder in the adult years. Topics addressed cover a comprehensive range of adult issues, from the college years to the senior years. For this reason, whether readers are members of Generation X, the Baby Boomers, or their parents, this text offers them pertinent information for their life, love, and work.

Mary McDonald Richard

Student Disability Services

University of Iowa

My thanks to the members of the Montgomery County CH.A.D.D. Adult ADD Support Group for their enthusiastic support of this project. Thanks also to the many adults with ADD with whom I have had the privilege to work over the past several years. I want to express special appreciation to the individuals who have allowed me to share their stories of triumph and failure in this book so that others may benefit from their experience.

I want to acknowledge Mitchell Berkowitz, Third Eye Photography, Bethesda, Maryland, for most of the photographs used throughout this book. The individuals who appear in these photographs are all members of the Montgomery County CH.A.D.D. Adult Support Group or are professionals who specialize in working with ADD adults.

This book has been written to answer the questions that are asked most often by people who suspect they may have ADD, or who have been newly diagnosed with ADD, and to provide concrete, practical strategies to cope with dilemmas that arise because of ADD. The book's format emerged from my clinical practice and from the support group for adults with ADD that I organized several years ago. It is designed to be direct, brief, highly readable, and practical.