ADHD is about having broken filters on your perception. I found this interesting definition and/or experience here: http://www.tickld.com/x/if-your-friends-ever-say-they-have-adhd-just-show-them-this
Experience:
Normal people have a sort of mental secretary that takes the 99% of irrelevant data that crosses their mind, and simply deletes it before they become consciously aware of it. As such, their mental workspace is like a huge clean blank bulletin board, ready to hold and organize useful information.
ADHD people... have no such luxury. Every single thing that comes in the front door gets written directly on the bulletin board in bold, underlined red letters. Then no matter what it is, the next thought also has to be written on it and so stuff that's already there needs to be erased in order for this new stuff to fit.
As such, if we're in the middle of some particularly important mental task, and our eye should happen to light upon... a doorknob, for instance, it's like someone burst into the room, clad in pink feathers and heralded by trumpets, screaming HEY LOOK EVERYONE, IT'S A DOORKNOB! LOOK AT IT! LOOK! IT OPENS THE DOOR IF YOU TURN IT! ISN'T THAT NEAT? I WONDER HOW THAT ACTUALLY WORKS DO YOU SUPPOSE THERE'S A CAM OR WHAT? MAYBE ITS SOME KIND OF SPRING WINCH AFFAIR ALTHOUGH THAT SEEMS KIND OF UNWORKABLE.
It's like living in a soft rain of post-it notes that keep presenting themselves demanding to be read, then posted on your bulletin board.
This happens every single waking moment, and we have to manually examine each thought, check for relevance, and try desperately to remember what the thing was we were thinking before it came along, if not. Most often we forget, and if we aren't caught up in the intricacies of doorknob engineering, we cast wildly about for context, trying to guess what the hell we were up to from the clues available.
On the other hand, we're extremely good at working out the context of random remarks, as we're effectively doing that all the time anyway.
We rely heavily on routine, and 90% of the time get by on autopilot. You can't get distracted from a sufficiently ingrained habit, no matter what useless crap is going on inside your head... unless someone goes and actually disrupts your routine. I've actually been distracted out of taking my lunch to work, on several occasions, by my wife reminding me to take my lunch to work. What the? Who? Oh, yeah, will do. Where was I? um... briefcase! Got it. Now keys.. okay, see you honey!
Also, there's a diminishing-returns thing going on when trying to concentrate on what you might call a non-interactive task. Entering a big block of numbers into a spreadsheet, for instance. Keeping focused on the task takes exponentially more effort each minute, for less and less result. If you've ever held a brick out at arm's length for an extended period, you'll know the feeling. That's why the internet, for instance, is like crack to us - it's a non-stop influx of constantly-new things, so we can flick from one to the next after only seconds. Its better/worse than pistachios.
The exception to this is a thing we get called hyper focus. Occasionally, when something just clicks with us, we can get ridiculously deeply drawn into it, and NOTHING can distract us. We've locked our metaphorical office door, and we're not coming out for anything short of a tornado.
Medication for some, beer or wine for others often takes the edge off. It reduces the input, it tones down the fluster, it makes it easier to ignore trivial stuff, and it increases the maximum focus-time. Imagine steadicam for your skull. It also happens to make my vision go a little weird and loomy occasionally and can reduce the appetite a bit.
b>General Discussion I found the following (below listed) research at http://www.dyslexia.com/library/symptoms.htm authored by Ronald D. Davis
Most dyslexics will exhibit about 10 of the following traits and behaviors. These characteristics can vary from day-to-day or minute-to-minute. The most consistent thing about dyslexics is their inconsistency. Read more: http://www.dyslexia.com/library/symptoms.htm#ixzz2v6ubOrO9
•Appears bright, highly intelligent, and articulate but unable to read, write, or spell at grade level.
•Labeled lazy, dumb, careless, immature, "not trying hard enough," or "behavior problem."
•Isn't "behind enough" or "bad enough" to be helped in the school setting.
•High in IQ, yet may not test well academically; tests well orally, but not written.
•Feels dumb; has poor self-esteem; hides or covers up weaknesses with ingenious compensatory strategies; easily frustrated and emotional about school reading or testing.
•Talented in art, drama, music, sports, mechanics, story-telling, sales, business, designing, building, or engineering.
•Seems to "Zone out" or daydream often; gets lost easily or loses track of time.
•Difficulty sustaining attention; seems "hyper" or "daydreamer."
•Learns best through hands-on experience, demonstrations, experimentation, observation, and visual aids.
Vision, Reading, and Spelling
•Complains of dizziness, headaches or stomach aches while reading.
•Confused by letters, numbers, words, sequences, or verbal explanations.
•Reading or writing shows repetitions, additions, transpositions, omissions, substitutions, and reversals in letters, numbers and/or words.
•Complains of feeling or seeing non-existent movement while reading, writing, or copying.
•Seems to have difficulty with vision, yet eye exams don't reveal a problem.
•Extremely keen sighted and observant, or lacks depth perception and peripheral vision.
•Reads and rereads with little comprehension.
•Spells phonetically and inconsistently.
Memory and Cognition
•Excellent long-term memory for experiences, locations, and faces.
•Poor memory for sequences, facts and information that has not been experienced.
•Thinks primarily with images and feeling, not sounds or words (little internal dialogue).
Behavior, Health, Development and Personality
•Extremely disorderly or compulsively orderly.
•Can be class clown, trouble-maker, or too quiet.
•Had unusually early or late developmental stages (talking, crawling, walking, tying shoes).
•Prone to ear infections; sensitive to foods, additives, and chemical products.
•Can be an extra deep or light sleeper; bedwetting beyond appropriate age.
•Unusually high or low tolerance for pain.
•Strong sense of justice; emotionally sensitive; strives for perfection.
•Mistakes and symptoms increase dramatically with confusion, time pressure, emotional stress, or poor health.
Hearing and Speech
•Has extended hearing; hears things not said or apparent to others; easily distracted by sounds.
• Difficulty putting thoughts into words; speaks in halting phrases; leaves sentences incomplete; stutters under stress; mispronounces long words, or transposes phrases, words, and syllables when speaking.
Writing and Motor Skills
•Trouble with writing or copying; pencil grip is unusual; handwriting varies or is illegible.
•Clumsy, uncoordinated, poor at ball or team sports; difficulties with fine and/or gross motor skills and tasks; prone to motion-sickness.
•Can be ambidextrous, and often confuses left/right, over/under.
"© 1992 by Ronald D. Davis. Reprinted with Permission from Davis Dyslexia Association International"
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