Can High IQ Help You Cope with Attention Deficit Disorder?

According to a study to be published in the September edition of the Journal of Attention Disorders, three quarters of individuals with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder have significant deficits in memory processing and cognitive skills. The title of an article about the study, "High IQ Is No Help for Those With ADHD, Yale Researchers Find," on the site of the Yale University Office of Public Affairs, seems to imply that the problems that result from ADD/ADHD are no more manageable with high IQ than with average IQ. Is this true? According to Thomas E. Brown, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine and lead author of the study, "Many of these people are told they can't be suffering the loss of executive function (the ability to plan and carry out many day-to-day tasks) from ADHD because they are too smart.''

The study reveals that an IQ of 120 or above offers no protection against ADD/ADHD. That's actually good news for people who've been refused that diagnosis simply because they're too smart. If you have all the signs of ADD but can't get a diagnosis, you also can't get a prescription for the medication that might help control the symptoms.

The specific problems mentioned by the co-authors of the research paper are: lack of self-management skills, inability to focus, procrastination, forgetfulness, and inability to complete daily tasks. When these traits are so severe that they dominate your life and affect your ability to function effectively, they're a disorder, not just an inconvenience. Achieving something like a normal life will depend either on taking medication, or developing practical coping strategies.

If you choose not to take medication, for whatever reason, high IQ can offer significant advantages that may not be available to those with average intelligence. A passion for learning, the capacity for self-observation, and enhanced problem-solving abilities are part of the high-IQ package. How well the individual can use those abilities to cope with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is greatly dependent on maturity and life experience. Young children are the least likely to develop effective strategies on their own. Adolescents, particularly those who are both exceptionally bright and introspective, are much more able to do so. Even for adults, the discovery and employment of such skills can be a long trial-and-error process that includes as much failure and frustration as success. But maturity and the refusal to let Attention Deficit Disorder control your life does bring its rewards.

A common technique for managing ADD/ADHD is to use a coach or partner who can alert you to ongoing problems and help you stay on track with tasks. But a partner isn't always available, and depending on one isn't the best long-term solution. Figuring out your own individualistic ways to manage the condition under varying conditions will contribute far more to your everyday functioning. That may involve finding several different ways of compensating for poor memory, for staying aware of the passage of time, or adjusting to the swings from hyperfocus to distractibility.

No solution will ever be perfect, but self-observation and analysis can take you a long way toward a sense of control. What kind of activities are most distracting? Are there certain times of the day when you have better focus and attention span? What activities can you switch to when attention is in short supply? These and similar questions may be best asked - and answered - when mental fatigue or frustration have brought you to a halt. When you realize that you've let hours go by without accomplishing what you started out to do, it's time to look at what caught your attention and why it was so attractive.

Each person's problems and solutions will be different. Reading as much as possible about ADD/ADHD and learning how other people cope with it can offer clues to your own solutions. It's your intelligence that will enable you to figure out the variations that will fit you and you alone. Be grateful for your high IQ and use it well.

Source: High IQ is no Help for Those With ADHD, Yale Researchers Find