| You Mean, You Weren't Just Being A Pill? |
[Aug. 31st, 2011|01:43 am]
Kelly J. Cooper
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The other day I bought Organizing Solutions for People with Attention Deficit Disorder: Tips and Tools to Help You Take Charge of Your Life and Get Organized by Susan C. Pinsky.
Now that I've read it, two passages really stand out for me. The most difficult part of any job--getting started--has to be confronted and overcome multiple times for the ADD sufferer to accomplish even the most banal of tasks, like taking a shower. The attention-able need to overcome inertia and motivate themselves only once to begin their shower; people with ADD may have to motivate themselves four, five, or six times. They may start for the shower, only to find themselves back in the bedroom because they were distracted while fetching a clean towel from the hall linen cupboard; they may again start for the shower, only to end up in the ktichen, where they wandered after traipsing to the basement to rummage among the economy-sized supplies for a pack of soap bars. Again and again they must exercise the self-discipline to start for that shower, knowing full well that there is some chance that they will again be frustratingly sidetracked. And while they expend this extraordinary mental energy to remotivate themselves, unshowered family members are probably berating them for laziness and lack of consideration. Is there any wonder that they are discouraged? (Page 12) Exactly! Holy crap, motivation is HARD!
And this one... in response to the problem statement, "My son has tons of clothes, but he won't wear most of them because the seams bother him or the material is too 'scratchy.'" Get rid of the clothes he won't wear and buy duplicates of those clothes he will wear, whenever possible. Many ADD children exhibit tactile hypersensitivity, but there are ways for you to make them more comfortable and get more value out of clothing purchases. For example, let your son wear his underclothing inside out if he wants. This really helps to reduce any irritation from seams. When purchasing socks for such a child, buy one pair in many different styles. Keep the socks with their packaging so that when you discover one that "feels right," you can go out and buy two-dozen pairs of that brand. Donate the "reject socks," and accept that although this method is expensive, it is the most efficient way to get through the morning dressing ritual. This method also works with underwear. Do not give up on a new shirt of pants for your ADD child until you have run it through the wash several times and cut out the tags. (Page 101) I still wear my socks inside-out. And I have to wash my clothes before I wear them because my skin reacts to either the too-fresh dyes or some sort of preservative that's on new clothes.
An excellent book. LOTS OF PICTURES. Well-organized (heh). The only bit I disagree with is her condemnation of hangers with swivel hooks. She thinks we ADD folks won't waste the time on them. I say, no matter which way I put the damn shirt on the hanger, it doesn't matter cuz I can swivel the hook to go the right way. Infinitely better than the molded plastic ones she likes. I hate those. |
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