distracted on purpose during training

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So I got promoted recently, and I have to go through six months of training. The training classes consist of a lot of really uninteresting lecture, and it's impossible for me to pay attention normally.

Recently (like two days ago), I thought if I had something to do with my hands, where I didn't have to stare at the decidedly lame powerpoint presentation the whole time, that I might have a better chance of focussing and absorbing the info. Up until then I'd basically been ignoring the trainers and reverse-engineering all the info I needed from the stacks of pamphlets they'd hand us at the beginning of ever session.

So I took up knitting. It's easy and mindless, so I can pay attention - and the wonderful thing is, I do pay more attention. I participate more. I don't fall asleep round about 2:30pm.

Of course, this isn't "normal," so at least one of my trainers has given me the "poo-poo" face. I explained it to another as a sort of learning disability (even though that's wildly inaccurate, but it saved me explaining Aspergers to yet another NT).

I was wondering, though, if anyone knew why this helps? Or if they've had similar experience in "correcting" attention problems?

I'm not really sure that it's related to the AS at all. It just seems like it should be, for some reason...

I don't have AS, I have ADD/HD.

I finally learned that I have to be doing something else to pay attention to a particular thing like a lecture, or conversation, etc.

Here's what I believe is going on for me...

It's as if there is one particular part of my brain that is the 'ADD/HD' child in me. If I can give him something to keep him occupied, then he won't disturb the rest of my brain.
Then, I can use the other parts of my brain to do other things.

I am currently returning to school. Last semester was my most successful because of what I now know about myself.
During lectures, I need to sit all the way up front.
This is because there is less to divert my attention away from the lecturer.
I can see better, hear better, and receive their motion-related stimulation better being up close also.

I allow myself to rock, bounce my leg, tap my hand against my thigh, etc. as long as it isn't distracting other students.
This is my way of giving the little ADD/HD part of my brain something to do.

I also allow myself a break if needed.
I try to time it so the instructor is pausing between... say, slides on ppt,... and head for the door.
I may go to the bathroom, walk around outside, whatever I feel I need to reset my mind before re-entering the classroom.
Since I seem to pick up information pretty well from lectures and the little reading I do, I don't miss all that much by stepping out. I don't do it very often either.

While studying...
I put on my headphones, usually wear a hoodie and ballcap, and go to work on my studies.
I find that I:
1- limit visual distractions by having the ballcap pulled down to eyebrow level and the hoodie pulled far over my head (I resorted to wearing a women's hoodie because they are of lightweight fabric and the hoods seem larger than most of the guy stuff I have).
2- limit aural distractions by wearing my headphones and playing one song or a select list of songs over and over again. Interestingly enough, I use heavy metal for this since the heavy beat, grinding guitars, and screaming vocals seem to pacify that little ADD/HD pest of mine

Although I look like a Ted Kaczynski (Unabomber) when I'm wearing all this stuff, it gets the job done and that's more important to me than how many people vacate seats around me

I have been upfront to my instructors about my ADD/HD explaining that it is the way my brain is wired and I do these things to accomplish my work.
I tell them I do not use it for a crutch, but I do need to have things my way sometimes in order to make it through, i.e. the body movement, the headphones, etc.

Sometimes falling asleep in class is just because I haven't been to bed in a couple of days, or I'm only getting 4 hrs of sleep, etc.
Sometimes it't certainly because the lecturer is B-O-R-I-N-G

Best wishes to you!

Yea sometimes i find it easier to be doing something else to help pay attention, its weird like that. But hey at least you be knitting some great sweaters during the whole process and learning some new info, you can't beat that, its a win/win situation hahaha. By the way I'm an small, yea i prefer mine royal blue haha just playing.

_________________
Being Normal Is Vastly Overrated

It's definately worth coming out about A.S.. A lot of courses legally have to provide for disabled students.

I'm going back to university this september, and now I've got a diagnosis the lecturers have to provide copies of all the materials they use, and I can have the lectures taped or videoed. This is all dealt with through the disability support department, so I don't have to go and explain everything to each lecturer.

I'm also hoping compulsory attendance for lectures can be waived. Last time I was going to be kicked off the course despite getting 80%+ in exams, because I got sick of sitting in lectures reading, and skipped a lot (I've been programming computers since 8, so I don't need to do introductory programming. I ended up dropping out because of depression, a lot of it caused by the prospect of waiting 2 years to actually learn something new).

If not it'll be a computer gaming course, and I'm sure there'll be a lot of other people in lectures with laptops capable of running games

Not sure where she's at... as in country... but it sounds like she's describing a job-related class not one run through a university setting perhaps?

In that case, and if you're located in the U.S., you may have some relief through the ADA.
I'm not versed at all in that so I certainly cannot give you any advice.
I do believe you'd have to have a formal diagnosis of a disability to fall under the ADA though.

thanks for the info I'm just starting the process of getting a diagnosis (hopefully it isn't just "oh you? You're crazy") so I don't have anything official for the disability advocates to support me with. All I can rely on is the kindness and understanding of my trainers

Yeah it's job-related training, by the by.

And... I'm not up to sweater skills yet. It's only been three days I'm working on a powder blue scarf...

And and... I understand about computer courses. I dropped out of Comp Sci for the same reason (self-taught, needed something new to learn)

Since I'm not diagnosed, I don't know if I'm AS or ADHD. I seem to fit the AS profile a lot better, and I hear that AS is mistaken for ADHD a lot. Maybe they have enough in common that the fidgeting to help concentrating can be applied to both...

Thanks

It defintly helps me to be distracted.

I find if i'm not i get lost in my own thoughts.

People talk about people getting in accidents while talking on the cell phone or eating etc but all the accidents i've been in where when i was doing nothing, and got lost in my own thoughts to the point that i wasn't paying attention to the road. If I'm eating, or on the cell phone or talking out loud to my self or singing along with the radio it keeps this from happinging.

I class i usually doodle.

Listening to music in class helps me decrease anxiety, i took to wearing an ear bud (i would sit so that my open ear was on the side that the teacher was so that i could hear) and hiding it and the cord under my hair and cloths. I'm sure if i had explained the situation to the teacher they would have been ok with it, but i was too shy. I did once forget to string the cord under my cloths so i wore it openly and the teacher didn't say anything.

An I also have a tendincy to shut down when i'm upset (which makes my therapy sessions hard) and i've found that if i idly doodle in my session it keeps me from shutting down or at least it takes me longer to get to that point.

knitting would be like stimming .. only you seem to be able to do it in a coordinated fashion.


kudos to you .

If I'm sitting in class, I always have to go be doing something besides listening to the lecture.

I put it like... I have a two-track mind, and both tracks have to be running at the same time, or I can't focus on anything. When I give a speech (I LOVE public speaking, by the way), I have to have a PowerPoint remote in my hand, or a whiteboard pen... something to fidgit and gesture with. It's part of my stage presence, but also something that helps me keep focused on my speaking.

-BC