ADD dopers - random questions

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

  1. Can you exercise right before bedtime?

  2. How good are you at estimating things other than time? (e.g, volumes, distance, etc)

  3. When you’re doing a repetitive task, do you tend to count things?

  4. Are you visually, verbally or kinesthetically oriented? For reference:

  1. Do you tend to fidget a lot?

What quirks do you have that you think might be ADD related? (but don’t fall under the normal criteria)

  1. Despite all the common knowledge, right before bed is the best time for me to exercise. Maybe it’s that I’m out of shape and I wear myself out, or maybe it’s caused by what causes the tendency for AD(H)D to invert the effects of some medicines.

  2. I’m not very good at estimating any other measures, although I have a very, very good sense of direction (but don’t ask me which is left or right).

  3. I do sometimes count things if they are countable - but right now I can’t think of a good example. :smack:

  4. Very definitely kinestetic, which may be why I am such a good dancer.

  5. I’m fidgeting right now whenever I stop to think, and sometimes even when I’m typing.

2

I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD-I (Inattentive Type)

1. Can you exercise right before bedtime?

I could never form a good habit of excersize that I could follow through on. I find it tedious and boring. That could just be me, though.

2. How good are you at estimating things other than time? (e.g, volumes, distance, etc)

Above average. I scored very high on visual and spacial relations and reckoning.

*3. When you’re doing a repetitive task, do you tend to count things? *

Depends. I also struggle with a mild form of OCD, but I have been known to count things unnecessarily, like how many individual blocks I’m walking on the sidewalk, etc.

4. Are you visually, verbally or kinesthetically oriented? For reference:

Visual, definitely. My career depends on it.

5. Do you tend to fidget a lot?

Yep.

What quirks do you have that you think might be ADD related? (but don’t fall under the normal criteria)

Chronic procrastinator.

Tend to be late.

Overwhelmed easily by noisy crowds or too much conversation.

Horrible listener.

I tend to interrupt people a lot.

Tend to go off on tangents when having a conversation.

Aversion to formal affairs (funerals, weddings, church, even upper-scale restaurants).

Cluttered. Lose things easily.

Horrible at organization or scheduling.

Terrible speller.

I prefer communication of the written form, as it helps me straighten out my thoughts.

3

[quote=“Zyada, post:1, topic:583168”]

1. Can you exercise right before bedtime?
The same as I can excerise in the morning or afternoon. Why?

2. How good are you at estimating things other than time? (e.g, volumes, distance, etc)
Very bad. At time too.

3. When you’re doing a repetitive task, do you tend to count things?
Like what?

4. Are you visually, verbally or kinesthetically oriented? For reference:
Very kinesthetic. About the only way I can remember complicated stuff like the shape of molecules.

5. Do you tend to fidget a lot?
Yes yes yes yes yes.

What quirks do you have that you think might be ADD related? (but don’t fall under the normal criteria)
[Insert “Ooh, sparkly” joke here.]

Um, I have no idea. What are normal criteria?

I’m not at my best and brightest right now. I have to go replenish my blood sugar.

4

  1. Can you exercise right before bedtime?
    I’ve exercised nightly just prior to bed for nearly five years and sleep much more soundly than before. I’ve read that this makes it harder for normal people to sleep, but doesn’t bother many of us the same way.

  2. How good are you at estimating things other than time? (e.g, volumes, distance, etc)

Fair. I can closely estimate the size of something, but tend not to be very good at judging distance when driving so I’m probably overly cautious.

  1. When you’re doing a repetitive task, do you tend to count things?

Nope. I’m not a numbers person at all.

  1. Are you visually, verbally or kinesthetically oriented? For reference:

I don’t know. If you want me to do something correctly, you need to show me how…but as I’ll talk about below, I most definitely do not think in pictures. I might figure it out from a written description, but maybe not verbally (unless I’m allowed to take notes).
5. Do you tend to fidget a lot?

Constantly!

What quirks do you have that you think might be ADD related? (but don’t fall under the normal criteria)

I have a hard time visualizing things. Like, if you’re looking for something an say “it’s like X long, Y high, has this long curly part, and is purple” I have no idea what you’re talking about, even if it turns out to be something I’ve seen before. I also don’t picture anything when I read 99.8% and rarely do when I write, either…so I’m always startled when people read something I’ve written and say they can picture it, because I didn’t myself.

Like cmyk, I find noisy crowds overwhelming. I might enter a store with a set of things I need firmly in mind, but those thoughts evaporate the moment I encounter a lot of noise and motion. Sometimes I’ll even fail to get some things on a list in this situation.

5

That is quite common for AD(H)D. The only way I can exercise, in any shape form or fashion, is to have an added distraction. I find DVDs while I’m on a treadmill work best.

Generally, the medical/fitness community recommends that you not exercise right before bedtime because it will keep you awake. Me, if I exercise right before bedtime, I go to sleep faster. I was wondering if any of the other ADD dopers had this trait.

6

1. Can you exercise right before bedtime?
Excellent question. I don’t know - I’ve never tried it. Also, what is “bedtime”? I have to sneak up on sleep (and it’s an elusive bitch), so there’s no bedtime in my world.

2. How good are you at estimating things other than time? (e.g, volumes, distance, etc)
I can estimate time pretty good, with the enormous exception of estimating how long it will take to do something. I’m very bad at that, and extremely bad at it if the task involves using Microsoft anything. I’m okay with distance also, but hopeless with volume.

3. When you’re doing a repetitive task, do you tend to count things?
Absolutely. And I’ll remember the freaking count too. But not, you know, anything actually helpful.

**4. Are you visually, verbally or kinesthetically oriented? **
I’m very visual, but I learn best kinesthetically. I think.

5. Do you tend to fidget a lot?
Depends on what you call ‘a lot’. If you think 24 hours a day, including while sleeping, then yes, I fidget a lot. :wink:
What quirks do you have that you think might be ADD related? (but don’t fall under the normal criteria)

This is probably in the criteria, but I’m the most impatient person in the entire world. Much of that impatience is directed at myself, but my laptop gets a lot of verbal abuse. Traffic is a freaking nightmare for me.

I can’t follow a plot. TV shows and movies - forget it. I was, as I like to say, born without an attention span, plus I have problems recognizing faces, so I only watch crap on HGTV and DIY and Discover. I do like to watch other people work. With books (I love to read and always have), I can and do go back and re-read stuff. God I hate video. Hate. It.

7

Ok, I don’t know what I have, or care that much, but the Dr. says if he figures it out it might be named after me (not really, he says “No one else is like you, why bother”).

1. Can you exercise right before bedtime?
Sure, if I want to become wide awake and not go to bed.

2. How good are you at estimating things other than time? (e.g, volumes, distance, etc)
So so. Depends on the size too. I’m good within some ranges, like between 1 inch and 4 feet for distance.

*3. When you’re doing a repetitive task, do you tend to count things? *
Not well. I lose count.

4. Are you visually, verbally or kinesthetically oriented? For reference:
Read/write, I think, it wasn’t defined in your reference. I can learn a lot from a book. But kinesthetic is pretty important too.

5. Do you tend to fidget a lot?
Small minor fidgetting, but a lot. Usually just moving fingers, can’t keep my eyes on one thing for very long.

What quirks do you have that you think might be ADD related? (but don’t fall under the normal criteria)
I have a lot of quirks. I doubt I could attribute any of them specifically to ADD.

1. Despite all the common knowledge, right before bed is the best time for me to exercise. Maybe it’s that I’m out of shape and I wear myself out, or maybe it’s caused by what causes the tendency for AD(H)D to invert the effects of some medicines.
As noted before, it would tire me physically, but wake me up mentally. Pretty bad combo late at night.

2. I’m not very good at estimating any other measures, although I have a very, very good sense of direction (but don’t ask me which is left or right).
This is definitely me.

*3. I do sometimes count things if they are countable - but right now I can’t think of a good example. *
Nope. I just don’t like counting at all, I get distracted and lose count.

4. Very definitely kinestetic, which may be why I am such a good dancer.
Nope. Can’t dance. But I can juggle, and have some manual dexterity, but not to too fine of a level. For instance my handwriting sucks, but I can do woodworking quite well. It’s like my hands as a whole are more dextrous than my fingers.

*5. I’m fidgeting right now whenever I stop to think, and sometimes even when I’m typing. *
Somewhat, yup, there goes the thumb tapping.

8

[quote=“Zyada, post:1, topic:583168”]

  1. Can you exercise right before bedtime?

Yes. In fact, if I want to make sure that it happens regularly, that’s the time I have to schedule it. It also helps to have an exercise buddy because I can get off schedule easily.

  1. How good are you at estimating things other than time? (e.g, volumes, distance, etc)

Fairly good, but not very good for an engineer. Some of the guys are scary good eye-ballers.

  1. When you’re doing a repetitive task, do you tend to count things?

No, I tend to spin stories in my head. I’ll count if I’m doing something physical and stressed and under a deadline. All three must be present. And it’s not an accurate count. I’ll go up past twenty, face away from counting, then start again from, say, six - repeat.

  1. Are you visually, verbally or kinesthetically oriented?

A mix. For learning how to do things, physical practice or watching someone do it works best.

  1. Do you tend to fidget a lot? No.

What quirks do you have that you think might be ADD related? (but don’t fall under the normal criteria)

Daydreaming or story spinning. Which might be related to lucid dreaming.

9
  1. While I have good intentions to exercise, it only happens sporadically. Time of day isn’t an issue.
  2. I’m very good at estimating distance, length, volume, time not so much.
  3. yes. counting is sometimes comforting.
    4.Visually. I think in pictures. I have maps in my head, so I can drive or give directions for the most direct route, if I’ve been there before. If I don’t know where I’m going, I get very anxious. I also “see” the quickest way to build or repair something.
  4. I rock. No, I mean, I rock back and forth, or side to side, like blind people do. I’m rarely aware of it. It’s worse if I’m anxious.My husband stops me when we’re in public.

I have a good memory, not typical. I spell fairly well, now. I didn’t as a child.
I do math “wrong” I get to the correct answer in very odd ways. I flunked math in high school, but in college was able to use my strange methods, so did better.
I see more than most people. I don’t know if it’s ADD or OCD or something else entirely. I notice little oddities that others overlook. I can’t think of a discrete example right now.

10

I’m a “noticer” too. I see and make note of stuff that apparently other people don’t. In our household I’m always the first to “see” stuff: the dog suddenly limping, a new porch lamp at a house down the street, a dead squirrel in the bushes next to the gate to the park. The classic, and I do mean CLASSIC example was one time when my husband and I were in the backyard working and I suddenly straightened up and said “Look! A chicken!”, pointing at the neighbor’s yard. My husband thought I was joking, because he teases me with the ‘Look, a chicken’ thing, but there really were chickens strutting around on the other side of the fence.

I read a book on ADD some years ago that mentioned that our “ability to disengage from current tasks” allows us to notice things that non-ADD folks are too busy concentrating on their work (or whatever) to see.

11

I like the “noticing” thing. I tend to walk with my head down (which isn’t terribly flattering) and when I’m hiking in a natural area, I see all of the teeny tiny flowers that no one else sees.

Although unlike Dr. Woo, when I see something I don’t remember seeing before, I can never tell if I’m seeing something new, or if I just missed seeing it before.
Another quirk of mine, that I don’t think is caused by ADD at all - I crave eggs. If I don’t have an egg for breakfast every day, I end up being egg hungry until I have one for another meal.