examples of living with traits part three: inattentive ADHD
you must have at least six of the traits in section A (five if you are over the age of 17), and all of the traits in sections B, C, D, and E
A. inattentiveness
makes "careless" mistakes
getting bored with writing to the point that you never edit it
does edit but misses spelling mistakes and the like
not able to deal with the level of detail required for a task
don't reread anything
2. can't sustain attention
wandering off in the middle of a task/activity/conversation
getting distracted in the middle of a task/activity/conversation
madly switching between tasks in the aim of maintaining attention
zoning out, fidgeting, or otherwise distracting yourself
3. doesn't listen when spoken to
if you're focused on something, your hearing turns off completely
someone regularly has to call your name multiple times to get your attention
you zone out during conversations, and this impacts your ability to listen
4. difficulty following instructions
skipping ahead when reading instructions and missing parts
reading instructions once and then following them from memory
refusing to read instructions all together
zoning out during verbal instructions
finding instructions boring, so never completing tasks where strict adherence to instructions is required
5. difficulty with organisation
has never been able to keep a diary for that long
missing appointments
having mess wherever you go
not knowing where anything is at any given moment
not being able to plan ahead
time management? who's she?
6. avoids tasks that take a lot of effort
regularly putting tasks in the "too hard basket" and then never returning to them
seeing how long a post is on Tumblr and going "I'm not reading that shit"
delegates tasks that seem like they would tire you out
always being able to think of something more exciting you could be doing
7. regularly loses things
keys. wallet. phone. constantly disappearing the moment you leave them for five seconds
"I was sure I left it RIGHT HERE" (the object is not there)
you have a system you have to follow because otherwise you know you will end up losing every item you own
8. easily distracted
can't maintain eye contact because your eyes move around everywhere all the time
it doesn't take much to pull you away from a task
you get angry when someone talks to you while you're doing a task, because you know that means you've lost the focus
zig-zagging around topics in a conversation
9. forgetful
can never remember birthdays
forgets what you're doing while you're doing it
things regularly just slip your mind
if you don't write the thought down, the thought will be gone forever
B. all of the above were present in some form before 12
C. most of the above is present in two or more settings (e.g. at home, at school, at work, when socialising, when playing sport)
D. the above interferes with or impairs daily functioning
E. the symptoms cannot be explained better by a different diagnosis
