Attention Deficit Disorder & Life Skills: How & Why to Help People With ADHD Learn to Plan for the Future by Brian King


Attention Deficit Disorder & Life Skills: How & Why to Help People With ADHD Learn to Plan for the Future

Many with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have difficulty thinking about the future – their sense of time experienced in terms of "now and not now." This makes them more likely to give in to impulse. It's important to learn to plan:

  • Plan a meal.
  • Plan a trip to the store.
  • Plan your day.

Then you can start thinking about planning your week and so on. Planning for something where the reward requires some waiting has many benefits:

  • It teaches delayed gratification.
  • It fosters the value of the journey toward the goal.
  • It teaches the ability to create and work a plan toward a goal.
  • It teaches that you do have a say in the direction of your life and are not at the whim of whatever happens.

Planning in simple ways lays the foundation for longer-term planning. Questions?

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