One of the biggest struggles we face with ADHD—perhaps the struggle—is time blindness. Nothing feels more important than what we’re doing right now. Because of that, planning ahead or organizing our lives around future goals often feels nearly impossible.
In the following clip, Dr. Russell A. Barkley explains this concept with clarity and humor. He even summarizes ADHD in a single phrase: “ADHD is time blindness.”
ADHD and Time Blindness: Living in the Now
Dr. Barkley defines time blindness as a kind of nearsightedness to the future. In a story that’s as funny as it is revealing, he describes how people with ADHD often get pulled along by the moment—no matter what their plans were.
He also explains how the frontal lobe helps us organize our behavior over time, and how ADHD disrupts that process.
“People with ADHD cannot deal with time, and that includes looking back to look ahead—to get ready for what’s coming at you. (…) The now is more compelling than the information you’re holding in mind.” —Dr. Russell A. Barkley, Ph.D.
For Parents of Children With ADHD
Dr. Barkley reminds parents that ADHD isn’t about a lack of knowledge or intelligence—it’s about difficulty using what you already know.
“ADHD is a disorder of doing what you know. It is not a disorder of knowing what to do. (…) So you can get the smartest person on this planet, and you’re still gonna do some pretty stupid things. Because it’s not what you know—it’s doing it.” —Dr. Russell A. Barkley, Ph.D.
If you’ve ever wondered why ADHD makes it so hard to follow through—even when you want to—this short talk will make a lot of sense. I hope you enjoy it!
Happy as clam! That’s how I was when I wrote that “having ADHD saved me from a lifetime of Trauma,” after having received my diagnosed.
But I was in a bubble… I had never followed the hashtag ADHD. I had never seen how much so many neurodivergents (especially recently diagnosed) were struggling and feeling, “All that time lost…”
One day I came across a tweet which read:
“GPs / Psychiatrists…PLEASE stop telling patients that it would have been impossible for them to have gotten a degree if they had undiagnosed ADHD. It could not be any further from the truth.”@NDaoshea, June 10, 2020
And I thought, “Yes!” But as I was scrolling down throughout the thread, I read:
“Fair enough, but please can we remember that it is very difficult for people whose ADHD did prevent them from completing a degreeto read this. The rhetoric of success can really diminish what they went through.”@AlisonHoneyBone, June 10, 2020
And I thought, “Oops.”
So I got to thinking, do you feel this way? Because I might be able to help you feel better…
My Academic Resume It’s Far From My Life’s Resume
If you read my resume, you’ll probably think, “Oh, she is super motivated because she did a lot.” But the truth is that paid a high price for it, almost with my life.
AND if you’re thinking, “But Laly, still! You got all those degrees!” I’ll ask you to please give me the chance to explain…
When the time to choose a University arrived, I knew I wanted to become an author (slash artist). During primary school, my literature teacher wrote a note on a short story I had written, telling me, “This is how writers begin.”
I have it framed; my mother sees the dust in the frame. I went to Law School because my parents gave me no other choice.
Actually, here is funny story: when I had to choose a career (at 17) I signed up at two community colleges: Law School and Med School. That’s how confused I was. So in the morning of the first day of class, I sat down in my bed for half an hour or so and considered: “Which one should I go to? I’d like to be a pathologist (to discover mysteries and the human body doing autopsies)… but my godmother is a Lawyer so she’ll make it easier for me. Law School it is!” I shit you not.
I attended one year and I couldn’t take it anymore. So, my parents gave me one year of grace and I signed up for Drama School. The dean one day whispered to me, sitting on a small stool in a dark room during an improv class: “Don’t ever quit; you’re a natural.”
So I rushed to tell my parents the great news! … and they went like, “We’ll pay for you to go to a private Law School; do it and then you can do what you want. You are young.”
I Hit Rock Bottom, Hard and Multiple Times
After that, my life started to crumble down. And I’d say I lost twenty years before getting the chance to do what I wanted.
Not pursuing my dream, not being happy – while carrying a backpack filled with traumas – lead me to doing drugs, almost becoming an alcoholic and to a ten-year abusive relationship (plus forty pounds of fat).
But I choose to not say it…
I am grateful for the knowledge I gained, and proud for those degrees. However, do you know what I’m most grateful for and proud of? “Having made it this far alive, with the chance and the will to start over.”
I did try to kill myself once… almost twice… (without counting an “Oops, I didn’t mean it” near death experience)
Growing up with an undiagnosed or untreated ADHD, or without the proper guidance to help us thrive, is a torture. It’s painfully frustrating. It eats our soul.
Hence, my biggest achievement is that I am still here.
Isn’t it yours too?
What Is Success Anyway? My Life Is Far From Being Easy
Success… It’s such a tricky little word… For some is money, a college degree. For others is raising happy children. If success is one of these things to you, go get them, now.
Holding a grouch is going to do for you only one thing: hold you back. Do you want that, after all the time you feel you’ve lost?
Tough love? Yes. Doing what I love (this blog) is no walk in the park. Make no mistake. I am not cheerful all day because “I’m finally doing it!” Hell to the no. This puts everything my brain doesn’t like over my desktop, and says, “Just do it, dopamine or not.”
I am planning and scheduling, when I’m time-blind. Surrendering to perfectionism, sometimes gives me blurred vision for hours after having published a post. I have the strict routine of cloister nun from 3.15AM to 8PM. This is far from being easy.
And in case you missed it, it is my brain the one saying, “Just do it, dopamine or not.” Because a clear goal in our pre frontal cortex is like getting help when we’re a single parent of seven and the CEO of Google. Having a purpose is everything; I’ll say it until either you get tired of me or join the Hummingbirds Academy.
Time, especially for us with ADHD, goes by in the blink of an eye. There is no more time to loose and so much time to win.
Isn’t that inspiring enough? Ok… My godmother was a kindergarten teacher with two children. Things got difficult in her life, so she quit… Decades later she said “enough,” and she pursued her Law Degree at sixty-two years old. And she had quite a good run.
She didn’t have ADHD, but her life was a nightmare and she refused – in her 60s – to continue living that way… So I’ll tell you another one:
My doctor told me about a patient, recently diagnosed, who had quit Med School ten years ago with only one class left. The patient started his treatment, and now there’s a new doctor in the city.
It’s never too late. It truly isn’t. And I’ll say this one more time so you can print it in your neurons:
“…holding a grouch is going to do for you only one thing: hold you back. Do you want that, after all the time you feel you’ve lost?”
With ADHD, We Define What Success Is For Us
Success is something you can define in your own terms.
“Today”, success could be doing the laundry or organizing one folder in your computer. Our brain needs small tasks so we can feel a quick reward. And that, in our hyper lives, is a path to success.
If you feel you haven’t achieved anything, you are mistaken. Because you, you made it this far. You are exhausted but you keep seeking for motivation in blogs and in anything that could give you a boost of dopamine. You are resilient. You are not a quitter.
Thus, congrats! I take my hat off for you! You are a survivor, and you’ve got a bunch of great ideas waiting to come alive and youknow you can make it.
“Where to start?” After receiving our diagnose, many of us find that doctors don’t know enough; so, we start googleling for articles, searching on YouTube for a five or ten minute video that can explain it all; we begin following the ADHD hashtag on social networks, retweeting and reposting every time we feel, “This is totally me!” We may even take a course…
I did it all, and I learned I should have follow my doctor’s guidance sooner than I had because: not everything that’s out there is accurate and, also, it may not applies to us.
Thus, I thought about reflecting on what we are reading, how it can have a bad impact on us and how we can take care of ourselves.
Learning on Our Own
If we want to learn how to master our ADHD brain, we’d start by learning what’s happening up there; do you agree? Then, if we want to learn how an ADHD brain is different, first we’d need to know how any brain works; right? That’s how I started; digging about the parts of the brain, on recognised websites.
I wanted to find “one” image that would give me the whole picture; instead, I found a lot of different classifications and many of those had even another take; for instance: one of those divides the brain in two or three parts according the human evolution, and it says that the “limbic” part is the oldest. Exhausted, I asked Dr. K about it and he said, “No; forget about it; it’s a theory; read this.”
He gave me a list of Med Journals to search for papers (which I’ll post asap in the Guide)
One the first books he lent me was “The Power of Neurodiversity” by Thomas Armstrong PhD; very enlightening;
Then I started taking classes of neuroscience with him (lucky me, this psychiatrist specialises in neuroscience and ADHD, and he is a Professor)
And about those papers…. When I started my treatment, one of the side effects I used to have was blurred vision. One day it got so bad that I went straight to PubMed and I found that the methylphenidate could cause glaucoma in children with ADHD. I freaked out, told my doctor and started directing all my executive functions to get an appointment with an ophthalmologist.
My doctor said, “Wait; stay calm; try quitting them if you wish until you see the ophthalmologist; still, your PTSD may be causing those side effects; try to avoid stress; remember to drink plenty of water.” And he asked, “What did you read?” And I said, “I know the study has seven subjects, but still!”
“Seven.” Or so…, I can’t remember… But, you get the point, right?
Taking ADHD Courses
Recently I spent all my savings, U$S 675 (which in Argentina feels like over a hundred percent more) [1] on an ADHD course “approved by the International Coach Federation (ICF);” that seems extremely serious and trustworthy, right? Well…
At the “Simply ADHD” course offered by ADDCA, I received a manual from which I read: “The brain takes in incredible amounts of information from our senses, the environment, our interactions, feelings, and memories.” I went nuts; how could a course that trains ADHD coaches can say this? That’s Biology 101! The brain only receives information from our senses!
Then I read, “The mind is the essence of our being, (…) or the commander of our command center who can pause, make thoughtful decisions, and take thoughtful action. Our mind resides in and around the brain (…)” I laughed. I mentioned this “concept of the mind” (which is a psychological theory,) to Dr. K and he went like, “Don’t even…”
Following #ADHD on Social Networks
There are a lot of well-known Twitter accounts from ADHD advocates, saying what ADHD is; they share their struggles: they give us a great dose of motivation but also, make a lot of people believe ADHD is the same for everyone.
We are so much alike, that when we read another neurodivergent saying the same things in the exact way we say it, we believe, “Who am I? Am I clone? Do I even have a personality?”
You do. You do have a personality; ADHD may define a lot of your behavior, but it doesn’t make you equal to every other neurodivergent. Your upbringing, your own values, your own strength; these are the things that shape who you are at the end of the day. How you manage your ADHD shape your neurodivergent nature.
A Humble Advice
Living with ADHD is quite a challenge, and the discovery path we take to understand it is very difficult; we are learning about neuroscience! But above all, what we discover can hurt us, bring us down if we don’t count with the proper guidance; and this guidance, must come from our doctor.
There are great books; Russel A. Barkley and Thomas E. Brown are, for instance, the two most recognised authors on ADHD; but, each of them have their own vision; they even have their own “list” of executive functions. Why is that? Because no one has agreed yet on which the executive functions are.
So, here is my humble advice (besides, of course, finding a doctor who can guide you)
If you find what it seems to be a nice research study, pay attention to the methods they’ve used and how many patients have participated; then, search for another one and “ask your doctor.”
If you’re taking a course, please don’t make the mistake I made and check who’s behind that course; the people who instructed me at ADDCA are coaches (not doctors, not specialists in neuroscience, not professors).
Bear in mind that the research on ADHD is in diapers; question everything; double check with your doctor;
When you read something on social media or an online magazine: check the author’s profile; and above all, ask yourself how do you feel about it; does it apply to you? It may not.
As I said before,
“ADHD may define a lot of your behavior, but it doesn’t make you equal to every other neurodivergent. Your upbringing, your own values, your own strength; these are the things that shape who you are at the end of the day. How you manage your ADHD shape your neurodivergent nature.”
I Take It Like My Horoscope
I don’t believe in horoscopes… but I do wonder, “If the moon has influence over the tides and the human body is mostly water, it could influence us too.” For that reason, I never paid much attention to the zodiac horoscope; but the Chinese one …, something about it got me hooked.
Twenty years ago I went to the book signing of Ludovica Squirru, a recognized Argentinian author of the Chinese horoscope; and what she said, changed my whole perspective. She said something like,
“This is what the starts have aligned for you, but it doesn’t mean this is going to happen to you. A horoscope should be seen as a guide; if it says we’re going to lack of money on September, save for September!”
That is how I take everything I read on ADHD. If I read my brain has a challenge when it comes to its the executive functions, I wonder, “How does this apply to me?” For example: everybody says we all have a lot of problems with our “organization skills;” but I never had an issue with it.
… That could be thanks to the nuns in School or due to my military father who is the epitome of what an organized person is; I don’t know… but I’m the Marie Kondo of my dopamine (with a current help of that thing called “Ritalin”; I must give it a lot of credit these days.)
It’s said that we are wired to see the good in people; so, I’d say trust no one until you corroborate they are worth your trust.
And remember that even though you have a neurodiverse nature, you’re still unique; wonderfully unique.
Notes
[1] A dollar in Argentina is over 150 pesos; thus, my wallet payed for that course what in the US would be over six thousand dollars.
When I was a teenager, I thought I was “smart but dumb.” I couldn’t understand how despite being so intelligent I’d make such poor life choices. In the early 90s, without internet, I couldn’t google “how do I find my inner voice”. So, I’d ask friends about it, my dad’s wife, my aunts. But they didn’t help much.
Today I know we can find our inner voice with science: by knowing what information we hold in our brains, and how our brain processes that information.
Let’s make this fun.
Between Two Opposite Inner Voices
Knowing I was smart, but feeling I was so dumb, I’d think, “What’s wrong with me?” Like Indiana Jones in the final puzzle of the “Last crusade,” I used to jump from “I don’t know” to “probably yeah,” and then to “nope” and “Oops, I did it again.”
I began asking people for advice, whenever I’d needed help to decide and avoid the “Oops, I did it again.” And they would always tell me, “Listen to your heart.” (Ugh)
I’d reply, “What does it mean? Give me a proper answer! Is it something I need to feel?” (And let me tell you, Roxette coming out with the “listen to your heart, when he is calling for you,” made me consider my musical choices.)
So, that didn’t help much.
Whenever I’d have to make a decision, I used to have this issue:
Something in me was telling me, “I really want to do this!”
While another part of me was saying, “Mmm. better don’t do that.”
Did I have two inner voices? If so, which one was right?
one, that we can wrap up all the information our brain has in two categories: purpose and passion.
and two,
that our “passion” is information we’ve gathered sort of naturally
that our “purpose” is information we’ve worked on.
Purpose and passion are simply names I came up with to distinguish easily what scientist say.
Now, Those two categories are in two different parts of our brain: in the back bottom, and in the upper front. And they compete.
“Bottom-Up” and “Top-Down” Processing
“Bottom-up” and “Top-Down” processing, are scientific terms to explain how our brain processes information (according to most scientists)
When we are trying to make a decision, those two parts begin chatting with each other:
the “bottom-up processing” (which kicks in automatically, like “right away”) says, “Let’s do it! I really want this!”
and the “top-down processing” says (hopefully), “Wait. Let me check if I can allow it.”
Therefore, I had in fact two voices.
Let’s break it down with a couple of examples.
Example: The People Vs. Madonna
I grew up in the 80s surrounded by women who’d tell me that, “Men can be bad, and cheat. Women must put up with it. It is the way it is and has been.”
That “information” was stored in the back bottom of my brain (sort of speak) Those “teachings”, took root in my brain becoming a habit to choose bad boys. I wanted to choose a good one, but my intention wasn’t that strong.
So, every time I’d meet a gorgeous bad boy, he’d become the project I could fix and the torture I’d have to endure. (Because I was woman, and that’s how things were)
Then I discovered “Madonna”, and she’d tell me to “express myself”, to be strong. I wanted to follow her advice because it seemed according to my own beliefs of how a woman should live her life.
However, “old habits die hard”. So, even though a little voice within me started saying, “Choose the good boy,” I couldn’t answer to it.
Needless to say, it took me a long time to erase what the women in my life had taught me and to embrace my own beliefs, my own way of living and my path to happiness.
This is important:
The brain grows from the back bottom to the upper front. And as we grow, we begin storing information there (sort of speak) So, our passion, that kicks in automatically, will be stronger. It is our job to work on our goals and beliefs, so that they can win the fight.
We are to take as much as we need to see where is the balance.
Because… our “passion” may not always be bad. Cue for another example!
Parting Vs. Saving Money
Let’s say I’ve been working a lot so I could save money to buy a new computer, which I really need for my work.
But I get an invite to a super cool party, and, what’s the harm? A friend will pick me up and bring me back home. I won’t spend money “at all” and I deserve some fun!
The party was mind-blowing, and so was the hunk my friend hooked up with. Now it’s 3am, and how do I get back home?
My instinct wisely says, “take a cab, it would be dangerous to walk back home.” My instinct is correct, but it collides with my goal of saving money.
So how would I get out from that crossroad?
By avoiding it in the first place.
I had put a “bet” on the fact that I wouldn’t spend money. Why would I bet when I have an important goal?
This is specially important for those of us with ADHD. We tend to not see beyond what’s happening now, what we want now.
How Do I Find My Inner Voice
Whenever I need to make a decision and I feel the two parts in my brain are driving me insane, I let them talk… And I wait…
Then, when I feel at peace with the result of that chit-chat, when I feel there is no more doubt, that is when I act.
And if I need to make a decision “now”? Well, if I have my purpose very clear, and I know which of my instincts are correct, the time to reflect will certainly be shorter.
So, if you think about it, that “Listen to your heart” response, wasn’t that wrong. When I feel my heartbeat is normal, when I stop feeling the doubt punching my chest, that is when I know I’ve found my inner voice.
Footnotes
These concepts have been explained based on Dr. Klijnjan’s “Bases neurobiológicas implicadas en el comportamiento” [PPT] Carrera de Posgrado en Psiquiatría ↩︎
Perhaps I should resume this new blog by telling you why I am specializing on ADHD coaching; but, since I left a hint on my previous post and recently someone asked me “What is an ADHD coach”, my brain took another turn.
Thinking about an answer to that question, as I was driving the other day (I drive stick), a metaphor pop up in my head; I’d say I thought something like, “OMG; a neurotypical brain is like an automatic car and a neurodivergent brain is like a manual car; and just like you go to an instructor to learn how to drive, we go to an ADHD coach to guide us on learning about the particularities that are behind driving a “manual brain.”
Then, I did my best to explain it.
Quick Intro
I’ve been driving stick since I learned how to drive, and I love it so much that when I drive a manual car I feel I’m not driving (it’s so easy that is boring!) To do so, as I’ll explain, one must learn how to use three pedals and a stick shift with seven positions, and also how to listen to the engine; the sound of the engine is what tell us what do next.
It’s like becoming one with the car; one must be completely aware that we’re driving… and this, this makes every ride so much enrichening…
Now, bear in mind this: a manual and an automatic car are the same (mostly). A few years ago, I got a brand-new Chevrolet with a payment plan and the dealer asked me, “Will you be taking the automatic or the manual one?” The question was simple because the difference between them were superficial (like, having a button to “roll down the window” or not ); but they both had the same horses, the same motor, Bluetooth! Therefore, the main difference relies on how to drive it.
How to Drive a Manual Car
Attention peeps! This is cool; in a manual car, there are:
three pedals; from left to right:
the clutch (which you press with your left foot)
the brake, and the gas or accelerator (which you press with your right foot)
and the stick shift has different positions
reverse and five velocities
neutral gear
My manual car ☺️
And this is how you drive it:
Enter the car and make sure the shift stick is on neutral;
Put the keys on and start the engine; (well, duh)
Press the clutch pedal and while you’re pressing it move the stick to “1”; release the clutch smoothly as you press the gas to drive for half a block or so; you’ll hear the engine asking you for more; then you:
Press the clutch pedal again, move the stick to “2” and press the gas to drive for two blocks or so (always listening to the engine) And once again you,
Press the clutch pedal, move the stick to “3” and – finally – press the gas and start enjoying the ride.
Then if you:
want to go faster: continue pressing the clutch pedal and switching to “4” and then “5”, always listening to the engine;
need to stop: press the clutch pedal, move the stick to neutral and press the break.
Bear this in mind: when you are pressing the clutch pedal to move the stick, you must release it very slowly while pressing the gas; you can’t simply lift your left foot because the car will choke. If you think about it, it’s like learning a choreography.
It seems a lot… It is a lot; but once you get used to it, it comes naturally; what’s more difficult to learn is to listen to the engine to see when it needs more gas, and how to carefully transition from the clutch to the gas without choking the car.
An ADHD brain, works exactly like that.
Driving a Manual Brain
A neurotypical brain, which is automatic, is easy to drive; you put the keys on, move the stick shift to D and press the gas to “just start driving.” A neurodivergent brain, on the other hand, is manual… and it needs more of our help.
First, we must decide to get into the car and that is a huge deal; if where we must go is not of our interest, we won’t even bother to find the keys we’ve left “somewhere.”
Then, we must be aware that we are driving and pay attention to the sound of the engine telling us how much power it needs; and of course, to the signs, the other cars and to those people who don’t cross the street from the corner!
When we make a switch, we must do it smoothly and step by step; we cannot go from 1 to 3; we must change our gears step by step: 1, 2, 3, 4, full power!
And, if an old lady wants to cross the street – and we have to release the gas, press the clutch pedal, move the shift stick to neutral and press the stop pedal – by the time grandma gets to the sidewalk, we may have forgotten where we were going to or lose interest in it; hey, we may even go back home thinking, “why did I go out in the first place? Oh… Toilette paper!”
There is a lot more to it; but the fundamentals of driving a manual brain relies on this:
having interest in going somewhere;
starting with a pause;
being aware that we are driving (where to; what’s around us);
listening to the engine to see what it needs;
paying attention also to the transition process to switch gears;
do things one by one, following an order;
forgive the old lady without having a meltdown.
So, What’s an ADHD Coach?
It’s a neuro instructor! Is a person that will guide us to understand how this manual brain works so we can go to the moon and back because, …, yes, manual brains can also fly; and some of them can do it really fast.
My Jalopy
While driving a manual brain, we may feel that we’re stuck with a jalopy, with that old car our great grandparent got at an auction… and do you know what? In a way, we are; because when we get in, we see it’s full of surprises, treasures we never imagined there could be.
In mine, I found in the trunk a map to a fantasy world where only I can go and where I can fly; under the driver’s seat, there’s a mysterious formula that makes my brain race at the speed of light and it’s hyper-awesome! The ceiling is covered with countless pictures of places, people, and things I long to visit, see and feel… And the wheel! O-M-G; the wheel has a silly smiley face over the horn, so every time I run into something that gets in my way, I smile ☺️
A neurotypical person may wonder, “All of that?” and I’d reply, “Not even close.”
I drove like an F1 driver for twenty years; with purpose, listening to my engine, being aware of everything around me and absorbing the knowledge from every person I’d meet and their new stories… But then, I crashed more times than I’d have expected.
During my mid-twenties, I forgot about the cooling system and it ran out of water; and I kept pressing the gas to keep going – without listening to engine – until I broke my manual brain… Life, traumas and my own bad choices literally choked my brain until it went: “kaboom.”
Maybe if I had known there was also a cooling system I needed to care of, I wouldn’t have failed; but then again, I wouldn’t be here telling you: “Even if you crash your brain into pieces, you can fix it.”
Last but not least, I never lose my keys; I attached them to something big that I cherish, to something that brings me happy thoughts, so they are always at plain sight.
… If you’d ask me, driving automatic is totally overrated.
I’ve got a question for you: while studying or working, have you ever noticed that sometimes it’s easier or more difficult to read, but you don’t know why? Have you ever opened a webpage or a book and felt, “I can’t read this,” even though you were really interested in it?
I have — and I’ve found that our inability to focus on something we need and want to read could be related to the type of font used in the text. In my case, it actually is.
Check out these two screenshots and see which one seems more compelling to you, more soothing to your eyes:
(Click to enlarge)
Did you feel a difference?
What Matters in the Legibility of a Text?
In any given copy, what matters the most is basically:
the type of font (for instance, Times New Roman is a “serif” font, while Arial is a “sans” font),
the line height (the space between lines in a paragraph), and
the color (the contrast between the text and its background).
For the purpose of what I’ll be sharing with you, we’re going to assume that a text has a nice line height and color contrast, and we’re going to focus on the difference in the type of fonts.
The Difference Between Serif Fonts and Sans Serif Fonts
Among the different types of fonts [1], the two most commonly used are the serif fonts and the sans serif fonts. The main difference between them is the small lines attached—or not—to the letters: serif fonts have these lines, while sans fonts don’t.
Serif fonts give us a sense of professionalism—an old-school kind of writing—while sans fonts look more informal, but also clearer. We could go deeper to discover more differences [2], but our eyes don’t lie. Here’s a list I made of my favorite fonts:
Learning How to Write and Read
I began noticing the difference between those fonts when I was in Law School. Presenting our papers in Times New Roman was mandatory and, for some reason, there was something about it that bothered me. Eventually, I tried writing in Arial and felt something like, “Wow, now I can see.”
I’m going to take you a little bit back in time so we can understand where this difference comes from and why it matters.
From Block Letters to the Cursive Style
When we’re children, we begin learning to write with block letters—which is no surprise: we learn the letters of the alphabet one by one, and then we start putting them next to each other to create words. Eventually, teachers make us move on to the cursive style because “it looks more professional and that’s how adults do it.”[3]
I switched from pencil to pen, and from block letters to cursive style, during my first year of primary school. I remember many of my classmates (if not most of them) struggled a lot with the change, but I didn’t. Calligraphy class was “art” for me; I wanted to be a writer, and that was my pass. I simply loved it.
I also believe—when it comes to my ADHD—that the change wasn’t difficult for two more reasons:
one, the high-protein diet we need is basically the daily diet in Argentina (where I grew up);
two, my need to drain hyperactivity so I could focus was also being taken care of. I was outside climbing trees and running all day long, and I started doing sports at seven.
From Analog to the Screen
I loved writing in cursive, but it was hard to read from it. So when I got to college and had the freedom to take notes however I liked, I started writing with block letters again and left the ink for the sinful Bic rollerball pen (I went to a private Catholic school; using a rollerball pen was a ticket to the confessional).
But later, technology arrived. We had to start typing our papers on computers using the mandatory Times New Roman font. During the late ’90s, it was “trendy” when trendy wasn’t even a word—and I simply didn’t like it. It didn’t feel like my own writing.
Somehow, at some point, I typed my notes using the Arial font… and it felt different. I printed them and studied from them, and—as I said—I felt I could finally see. The text looked so clear, as if I didn’t even need to pay full attention to what I was reading because the keywords just popped out from the text. So, I stuck to it.
What’s Out There: Designing for ADHD
When I started writing again and opened my blog, I used the Adobe Carlson font (a serif font). That’s the one The New Yorker—one of my favorite magazines—uses, and I love it. In fact, serif fonts are so beautiful that most websites with serious writing, so to speak, use them.
But then, after publishing my second post one day I tried to read it and couldn’t get to the second paragraph—of my own post! And so that old thought came to mind: “Arial’s clarity,” and the question, “Could the font style be messing with my legibility?”
Besides Poole (2020), who wrote about the legibility of serif and sans serif fonts [2], I believe McKnight (2010) is worth reading. In Designing for ADHD: In Search of Guidelines, she mentions the use of “large print (12–14 point) and clear sans-serif fonts such as Arial.” [4]
I went over the bibliography she used, dug a little more, and found that this idea comes from guidelines used to print children’s books. Sans fonts are clear for children, and that’s why designers use them. The literature on that is quite abundant, but when it comes to legibility for neurodivergents (with ADHD in this case), there’s a huge void.
My ADHD and the Rounded Fonts
After reading the first study, I didn’t think twice. I downloaded the Open Sans font (by Google) and installed it on every single software I use—and I saw the light. A whole paragraph was suddenly clear as water, making it easier for me to pick out keywords.
Still, it was a big change for me. At first, I even felt I wasn’t writing “something worthy of a writer,” but then… look at me posting!
Later, I paid a visit to my psychiatrist—who has ADHD too—and without giving him a hint, I started asking about his experience in Med School. I believe the first thing he said was, “I hated Times New Roman!”
My ADHD gut never lied to me (it’s one of our superpowers!). So, before I procrastinate and jump into writing a thesis, I’ll leave my humble hypothesis here:
“The use of sans fonts improves legibility for people with ADHD.”
Improving the Legibility for People With ADHD
As I said at the beginning, many factors influence the legibility of a text besides its font—such as line height and color contrast. Furthermore, when we visit websites with pop-ups, inconsistent color palettes, or when we read PDF files filled with huge logos and images, all that really gets in the way of our attention.
The world has changed, and we don’t know if or when things will be as they were. Now we find ourselves living in front of screens and teaching our children through digital devices—when the ADHD brain craves the analog.
Thus, if the use of sans serif fonts influences legibility for people with ADHD, this could have a huge impact on our lives. Just by changing the fonts I use, my quality of life changed. I’m a writer; all I do is read and write—and now I can do it effortlessly.
I humbly believe that now, more than ever, this should at least be a topic worth discussing.
If you’ve read something or know better than I do, or if you think you could help with this research (by defining variables, etc.), please enlighten me in the comments or contact me.
If you’d like to try the fonts on your computer, check out how to install them from my Blogging Toolkit.
Footnotes and References
Adobe classifies fonts into eight (8) categories, and Google into five (5).
Poole, Axel. Which Are More Legible: Serif or Sans Serif Typefaces? [Last visited: May 2020].
Rueb, Emily (2019). Cursive Seemed to Go the Way of Quills and Parchment. Now It’s Coming Back.The New York Times. URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/13/education/cursive-writing.html [Last visited: May 2020].
McKnight, Lorna (2010). Designing for ADHD: In Search of Guidelines. URL: http://homepage.divms.uiowa.edu/~hourcade/idc2010-myw/mcknight.pdf [Last visited: May 2020].
To Alicia Maggi: I still think of you when I feel proud, wondering if you would be too.
Some say that we cannot finish anything; I say we don’t waste our time on anything we don’t like. Our awesome brains need happy things; exciting things and reward! But the classroom… It doesn’t seem to be the best place to look for that, right? Classes can result tedious and the reward (the degree) could seem far away. So, how about turning it into a cool place where we could instantly feel rewarded?
Whether on primary or superior education, the classroom is the same: inside four walls (with windows calling us to chase birds and squirrels) we need to stay quiet, focus on the speaker’s speech instead of their odd choice of outfit, and print in our minds a knowledge that – many times – seems boring, useless, too easy for our royal attention or way to slow in the delivery.
Those were my challenges, and these were my ways to overcome them: great teachers who realized I needed a push; breaks! certain accommodations and finding a quickly reachable goal that would make feel awesome.
“Teacher, Make a Plan for My Brain”
I had a plan in High School: “Why would I waste my time on studying something I don’t like and that I’ll never think of again? I’ll just do what’s necessary to pass.” But, one teacher discovered my lame strategy, crushed it, and probably changed the course of my life.
She was my history teacher, Alicia Maggi, the tallest woman I’ve ever met, who’d wear huge Tutankhamun earrings and talk about history as if it were her only passion. One time I got a very poor grade on a test, and she wrote on it – with a striking green ink – a big “sixty something percent” and a long note which read, basically, “Why, Laura; Why; Come see me after class.”
So I did, and she told me, “Do you know why I wanted to talk to you? Because you can do more; why do you settle for this?” I understood what she was saying, … but there was actuallynothing I could do; and I guess she realized that too, because she did it for me:
Every morning, for a year, she would enter the classroom, greet the class, sit at her desk – dead silent -, open her black leather notepad (while we would all start to sweat), raise her sight and say, “María Laura.” I’d stand up, praying I could focus on at least one word of her question, and I could manage to come up with “something.” Me being summoned, every single day, was so evident that it became the joke of the class.
Back in the early 90s, Alicia did her best, probably thinking I was a lazy girl with potential; I tried to answer to her encouragement, but it was hard, so hard; an ADHD brain working with nothing but willpower, can lead to a devastating frustration… however I did get through her class because she’d make it fun; listening to her was like watching the coolest History Channel documentary…and, honestly, I just wanted to make her proud.
These days, we can tell our teachers we have ADHD, and they can develop for us an IEP (individual education program) [1]
Put Me on the Front Seat
I used to pay so much attention… in the teen magazine I’d have hidden below my desk, talking and passing jokes in little pieces of paper, hand to hand among “those twelve in the back.” After many visits to the Mother Superior’s office, saying, “Sorry, I won’t bring them again; by my fault, by my fault, by my most grievous fault,” magazines were: gone; and since I needed to close my mouth and pay attention, I was brought: to the front.
Little they knew (or much did they?) that – one way or another – I would have to talk; and so a new version of me was born: that one who always has her hand up. Since that first year of High School and throughout every single course and career I attended, I sat on the first row, willingly, because I knew it would:
Put me on the spotlight, keeping me from talking to other people or chasing squirrels with my sight;
Force me to pay attention… at least some;
Push me to participate, to raise my hand, which would give me another benefit: getting rid of my doubts, right there, so I wouldn’t have to lose my precious royal time studying at home.
Seating a student where there are fewer distractions [1], it’s been always a must for teachers to keep students quiet; but, for those of us with ADHD, is not only helpful but necessary.
In the US, there are two laws that govern special services and accommodations for children with disabilities: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 [2]
I’ll Set a Goal to Raise My Hand (And Make It Fun!)
Does raising hand seem something that could intimated you (or your child)? If so, here are a couple of things to bear in mind.
First, “We are in the classroom, to learn” (Mind-blowing, right?) We don’t have to have the right answer, not even the right question! We are there, to learn. A professor once said to my class, “There’s no stupid question;” I’m so grateful for that. The learning process is not only about acquiring knowledge, it’s also about learning how to get that knowledge. Teachers hold the wisdom, and it’s our job to squeeze their brains by any means.
Second, our ADHD brain holds some special powers: speed, creativity and an “out of the box” way of thinking. During High School, I used to come up with questions that teachers would answer by saying, “Good one, but we’ll see that in three months” (that was my hyperactivity processing data at speed light) and, “Oh… Ok… That’s something we should discuss” (out of the box!)
As I became aware of this during my college years, I used to get ready for the classes only to come up with the oddest question to ask the next day; it was fun! (Sorry teachers; we do need our fun time)
Needless to Say, “Give me break!”
I attended a High School that instructed me to become an educator, so I experienced my own learning process as I was learning also “how to learn and how to teach;” there they taught us the human brain can hold its attention for 40 minutes before beginning to drop, and they put it on practice: we used to have 10-minutes breaks every other 40 minutes, religiously, and for me it worked like a charm.
At University, however, professors were always in a rush to cover the curriculum of the day, because “there’s so much to cover and so little time!” (I wonder if this happens in other countries…) We did complain about it; it’s their job to make a schedule that fits the content! But one could guess the answer we received. Therefore, I’d take my own breaks; countless times I raised my hand to say, “Could we please stop for ten minutes?” and all the class would sing along, “Yes! Please!” (Eventually my classmates began looking at me with a, “Do it, do it now!”)
To this day, I set a timer to write or study, and to take breaks. The IEP and 504 Plans, also mentions, “Allowing breaks or time to move around” [2]
To Conclude
We can find pleasure and reward in the classroom; I did it without knowing I had ADHD, encouraged by one good teacher who held my hand and wouldn’t let go; I did it by listening to myself, acting accordingly, asking for what I needed, and by making my learning process fun, as it should be! You can do it too.
These days are good for us because the Law and Institutions are beginning to realize the importance of giving us extra help; however, there are still myths and ignorance, so it’s up to us to keep our head high and make to perfectly clear that we are not lazy; in fact, we’re the opposite! With proper guidance, we can reach the goals that we are imposed, and even go further!
The learning process is like a puzzle; teachers give us the little pieces for us to put together; it may seem endless, boring, but once we focus on it, once we see the whole picture by zooming in and out with our hyperfocus, we’ll surely end up arranging the pieces to create a puzzle no one imagined was there.
Alicia Maggi handling me my Bachelor’s Degree. Argentina, 1994
Have you ever had that feeling, “I don’t know what to do with my life… I’m happy, I guess; but it feels like something is missing.” If so, this is for you.
