Yet, many people with ADHD struggle to focus on chores, school work, and other mundane tasks. The inconsistency of attention with ADHD has led some parents to question the accuracy of their children’s diagnoses.
If they can focus on that for five hours, they should be able to focus on their math homework for five minutes! My child doesn’t have ADHD they just aren’t trying hard enough,” they say. The behavior of people with ADHD can seem so contradictory that some people question whether ADHD is a real condition or just an excuse for bad behavior or bad parenting. What these skeptics don’t realize is that people with ADHD don’t actually have a deficit of attention. They simply struggle to direct and regulate their attention. Since people with ADHD can’t easily control their attention, they struggle to switch from one task to the next, especially when the initial task is very engaging. This tendency to focus on an item of interest for an extended period is called “hyperfocus.” Hyperfocus in ADHD adults: a definition and examplesĮven people who do not have ADHD experience hyperfocus to some degree. As human beings, we pay attention better to things we’re interested in.
To focus on things we don’t care as much about, we must put in additional effort and energy. In someone with ADHD, this hyperfocus is much more pronounced. The attention of someone with ADHD jumps from one thing to the next until something crosses a certain threshold of interest. If that object of attention is engaging enough-because it is fascinating, novel, important, or urgent-it may cause the person to lose track of time and forget about all other tasks.Īctivities that trigger the brain’s reward systems are most likely to lead to hyperfocus. Here are a few examples: playing video games, practicing a musical instrument, browsing social media, or creating art. Seemingly mundane tasks such as working on a car or trimming the hedges can also be very engaging for some people. Once an adult with ADHD is in a state of hyperfocus, they stay that way until they exhaust themselves or something even more engaging comes along.
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