Grant RiordanA Day in the life of a neurodiverse developer
A brief background
I was finally diagnosed by a psychologist with ADHD (combined type), Dyslexia, and Austic characteristics recently. In the UK in order to be diagnosed as Autistic you require to go downa full medical evaluation , which can be a lengthy process, currently around 1-2years here in the UK. Even though I'd often believed to be on the "spectrum" somewhere I never pursued it, due to the fear of it changing my personality / way I was perceived (especially in the workplace).
I was always scared that my fellow colleagues and management would see me as a hinderance to the team, because of the stigma associated with these neurodiversities. Individuals with ADHD are often seen as being unable to focus on tasks, easily distracted, and dyslexia is often linked with poor reading and writing skills. Although in some cases this is true, there are other strengths within these "conditions", such as creativity, logical problem solving and hyperfocusing.
Hyperfocusing for those who aren't familiar, is the process where you can completely zone out and focus so hard on something. It's highly focused attention that lasts a long time. You concentrate on something so hard that you lose track of everything else going on around you. Sometimes this is highly productive, and you can really get through the day and a lot of work. It can also be dangerous to both your health and your team. There's been times where I've forgot to eat, missed meetings (or been late to them). To combat this I set up notifications, alarms on phones to take breaks / meetings etc.
I have provided some links with useful information about ADHD, Autism and Dyslexia and their strengths, and challenges for you to learn more. I am a firm believer if you are not familiar with them, or someone in your team is neurodiverse, you should take the time to learn more about them and understand them better.
Myths and Facts of ADHD in Adults
Starting the Day
My phone alarm goes off at 7am and begins reading my agenda for the day. This is because I'm always forgetting things, so I overcome this by putting everything and I mean everything in my phone calendar and notes app. I'm forever losing things due to my ADHD, I misplace my keys, wallet, and phone if I don't put them in the usual place.
Logging onto my machine the first thing I do is check my ToDo list app, for any outstanding tasks, and then think about what I want to accomplish today. Like many others with Autism, we are sticklers for routine, it also helps me make sure I don't forget anything overcoming the challenge of ADHD. It keeps me focused, and also gives a sense of completion ticking tasks off throughout the day, making it more enjoyable, which really helps motivate someone who has ADHD.
One of the things individuals with ADHD find challenging is focusing on tasks that aren't interesting to them, or that they don't want to do. This is where the procrastination comes into play, because they aren't interested in the topic at hand and want to be doing something else that does. As an example, I hate doing tasks that are repetitive or where I'm not learning anything, (such as admin), I mean no-one enjoys doing admin tasks haha.
Therefore I always start my day, or at least try to start my day with something that I want to do, or something that interests me. Luckily for me I love developing so my work is always fun. This positive start to day really helps motivate me for the rest of the day, whereas if I started with the things i don't want to do (like some would think - get the bad stuff out the way) I would never get it done as I'd be too easily distracted , and lose focus or attention on it.
The dreaded meetings
We all have them, and majority of the time we all dread them. I would go and assume I dread them all for different reasons, not because I don't want to be in a meeting, but because they activate all my neurodiverse triggers. I have to control:
Impulsive interrupting of conversations - feeling the need to get the ideas out of my head before I forget them
Focusing on the meeting and not getting distracted by other tasks / jobs / interactions / messenger comms
Articulating my opinions / thoughts in a short and concise manner
To some these may seem an easy thing to overcome. However someone with Neurodiversities, it can be a real challenge, yet not impossible to train and overcome.
How do I handle meetings?
Interrupting - This was something at a young age I always struggled with, and was often told in school reports I interrupted and always was seen to believe my voice had to be heard as more valuable. This couldn't be further from the truth, after receiving my diagnosis and some workplace provided coaching, I now know this was due to having ADHD and my brain just needed to get the information out before I forget it, and my brain can lead me to being quite impulsive.
To combat this I utilize the Raise Hand feature within most major video chat software, which allows the participants to know you have something to say without interrupting the conversation. It may be a while before I can discuss my thoughts, so I make sure to write them down on a notepad file, or notes, 'cos you know otherwise, I'll lose my train of thought.
Focusing on the meeting - To keep my concentration within a meeting I try to refrain from "doing my work" during meetings. It's often tempting to continue to work during meetings, as you "can't afford to lose the dev time". However it's really important to give your full attention to the meeting. So in order to accomplish this I try to take notes (even if I don't use them later), forcing me to listen to what's actually being said. I also have a variety of fidget toys (including my fav infinite cube) to keep my hands busy during meetings and it really helps me focus on the meeting at hand.
Don't be scared to tell your team of your challenges, and ask them to consider you when creating meetings and facilitating them. Request they mix up meeting techniques, for example adding in more visual material, audience participation etc. Make meeting more fun, and you'll have more peoples' attention, and they'll be much more likely to listen to what you're saying.
Networking and Relationships
In my company we have a neurodiversity community and meet regularly for just a meetup (virtually or in person). We discuss all things from what challenges we've had this week, random funny encounters and stories, and help anyone struggling.
I highly recommend setting this up in your workplace for like minded people, if you don't already have one.
I hope this article has helped give you an insight into neurodiversity and the things we overcome on a daily basis.
Don't forget you can hit me up / follow me on Twitter @GWeaths
