Joanna Smith (ADHD In Adults)
Joanna Smith is a Specialist Occupational Therapist and ADHD Practitioner at Healios, with a focus on neurodevelopmental conditions. In this discussion, she sheds light on adult AD...
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Who are you?
Hi, my name is Joe. Ask me anything about A-D-H-D-A-D-H-D assessments and how best to get support.
What is ADHD?
A DHD stands for Attention deficit hyperactivity Disorder, but there's way more to it than just those four ridiculously long words. It's if you are looking at the diagnostic criteria, which we use here in the uk, you are looking at difficulties with attention. Your concentration focus, high energy levels, impulsivity, but it can vary so much from person to person. And there's so much included in A DHD that just isn't covered in our very, very specific diagnostic criteria. But so many people feel the experience, lots and lots of different things, both ranging from challenges, just strength with A DHD.
How does ADHD differ from other neurodevelopmental conditions?
A DHD is different to other neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism and dyspraxia because it looks at predominantly focusing on difficulties with attention, which aren't part of the diagnostic criteria for other neurodevelopmental conditions. It's also much more specific in that it looks, when we're looking at attention, we're looking at that very much in its own right, rather than it being led from other things such as dyspraxia, where you'd be more likely to see something like clumsiness difficulty with your motor skills. A DHD is very much a diagnosis in its own right, but it can often be seen alongside other neurodevelopmental conditions too.