Hyperfocusing is NOT a symptom of ADHD

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Verdandi
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10 Oct 2013, 1:10 am

AshTrees wrote:
Verdandi wrote:
Raziel wrote:
Verdandi wrote:
Raziel wrote:
Hyperfocusing is NOT a symptom of ADHD


I respect Barkley and I am glad he has done all the research and educating about ADHD that he has done.

However, he is full of it here. I think he also managed to mangle the definition of "perseveration" in the process of expressing his false dichotomy about autism, ADHD, hyperfocus, and perseveration.


I'm just thinking... but is it possible that most kids with ADHD who can hyperfocus well also have some autistic symptoms in addition?


Autistic traits are not unusual in people with ADHD, and comorbidity both ways (People with ADHD also being autistic, autistic people also having ADHD) is significantly higher than in the general population.

However, that doesn't really make Barkley's statement correct. The thing about Barkley is people describe hyperfocus as a positive and Barkley pushes ADHD as a complete negative with no positive aspects. He says that if you have talents they exist in spite of ADHD, not because of them. He has very sound reasons for doing this and his intentions are good, but I do not think he is correct in doing this. I've seen the entire talk that this is a part of (it's on the CADDAC site somewhere) and it's actually really interesting for learning about ADHD. As long as you can remain focused on it. :) At the time I was utterly fixated on studying ADHD, but now I probably wouldn't last five minutes.

I think it's simply something that is present in both people with ADHD and autistic people, both hyperfocus and perseveration.


I'm just wondering,but do non-autisitic ADHD people have special, narrow interests, which can lead to hyperfocus? I'm just thinking that non-autistic people don't tend to have special interests that are typically as narrow and as intense as people with autism.


I don't know but I don't think the narrow focused interest is necessary for the hyperfocus.



AshTrees
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10 Oct 2013, 1:36 am

Thanks. Given the both-way comordity and both having hyperfocus, it sounds like there is similarity between the wiring in brains of people with ADHD and autism. Is that right?


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Verdandi
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10 Oct 2013, 2:28 am

AshTrees wrote:
Thanks. Given the both-way comordity and both having hyperfocus, it sounds like there is similarity between the wiring in brains of people with ADHD and autism. Is that right?


There is a book about this actually. Also, some talk about it as well. I find it interesting:

http://www.amazon.com/The-ADHD-Autism-C ... 1578564980

Possibly more than one, but I have read bits of this one.



AshTrees
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10 Oct 2013, 2:33 am

Thank you! I will give it a go.
It wasn't I joined this website that I realized that there was a comorbity between ADHD and autism. Now that I do know I'm interested.


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Raziel
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10 Oct 2013, 2:45 am

Verdandi wrote:
AshTrees wrote:
Thanks. Given the both-way comordity and both having hyperfocus, it sounds like there is similarity between the wiring in brains of people with ADHD and autism. Is that right?


There is a book about this actually. Also, some talk about it as well. I find it interesting:

http://www.amazon.com/The-ADHD-Autism-C ... 1578564980

Possibly more than one, but I have read bits of this one.


I've ordered this book a fiew days ago.
Because even before my actuall ADD diagnoses my psychiatrist talked with me about the possibility.
Both disorders ADHD/ADD and ASD are disorders who involves deficits in the executive functions. Also both are more common in the same families. My brother has ADHD and I've a combination out of ADD and ASD.

I still think that hyperfocus and special interests are connected. I'm reading so deep into some stuff and have difficulties to focus on something else. Hyperfocus without doing that what you do deep with full concentration and doing it for a long time (what's all connected to hyperfocus) doesn't make much sence to me. But some claim that's also common in ADHD/ADD.


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btbnnyr
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10 Oct 2013, 1:59 pm

What is the definition of hyperfocus that Barkley gives?

I can't watch these videos, because I can't pay attention to videos for more than five seconds.


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Raziel
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10 Oct 2013, 2:17 pm

btbnnyr wrote:
What is the definition of hyperfocus that Barkley gives?


In this video he sadly doesn't give an explenation what he understands exactly under "hyperfocus", but I think he means "focusing way over the average".


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btbnnyr
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10 Oct 2013, 2:32 pm

As far as I know, there is no strict scientific definition of hyperfocus, but a loose one that is mentioned in autism literature is intense pursuit of special interests.

Outside autism literature, intense concentration on task with positive eggsperience and task-related outcome is called flow.

When I talk about hyperfocus for myself, I mean flow eggsperience in pursuit of intellectual task like coding script, writing story, drawing picture, writing music, etc etc etc.

For flow to occur, task has to be not too easy and not too hard, something that someone is good at doing.

Another type of task that induces positive flow eggsperience are repetitive tasks that I enjoy, but neurotypical people may not enjoy so much.


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Marybird
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10 Oct 2013, 2:35 pm

btbnnyr wrote:
What is the definition of hyperfocus that Barkley gives?

He said that hyperfocus is actually perseveration, inability to switch tasks. Then he said people with ADHD don't hyperfocus, they perseverate. He contradicted himself



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10 Oct 2013, 3:07 pm

I always thought hyperfocus meant tuning the outside world out you have no clue what is going on around you, people have to call your name more than once to get your attention. ADHD people do this, so do people with dyslexia when they have to concentrate on reading, ASD people do this, anyone does it when they are focusing on something very hard or reading.


I remember him saying in the video, how kids play a video game and don't do their homework and he basically said it was a normal thing and not part of anything.


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btbnnyr
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10 Oct 2013, 3:10 pm

Yes, eberryone can intensely focused on activity like playing video game and turn eberrything out.


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Marybird
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10 Oct 2013, 6:40 pm

My daughter has ADHD and she hyper focuses when she paints beautiful detailed paintings or collects things to make art pieces.



aspieguy778
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10 Oct 2013, 6:53 pm

I don't think that focusing is really a bad thing.