Well-cultivated attentional processes help orient us to the right information in the environment which in return, presents us with the greatest opportunities for learning and success. But research shows that those diagnosed with ADHD possess far less interest in tasks and particularly, those tasks that present with delayed rewards. The entire academic experience – working hard on something that builds knowledge over time even though momentarily it appears to serve no purpose in the immediate life – creates an insurmountable challenge for those who are bright, but have ADHD.
On this ExFiles episode I interview my client, Ansley Kaplan, who candidly describes her journey as a determined young college student who showed up with a known diagnosis of ADHD, but without having a clue of the real ramifications of executive dysfunction that had coexisted silently for years. All her life, Ansley channeled her smarts to be #1 while internalizing the performance anxiety that had resulted from not knowing better methods, or how best to cultivate a flexible perspective or more refined ways to self-direct for superior future outcomes. At the end of our therapeutic work, Ansley emerges with tools and insights which now have opened the pathways which allow her to access her infinite potential without the anxiety of the unknown.