I feel pretty much everywhere with permanent WFH is ok for neurodivergent folk. I'm in the spectrum and I know this setup is so much better for me.
Ask HN: Neurodiversity/ADHD Friendly Companies
131–140 of 224 posts
Re: Ask HN: Neurodiversity/ADHD Friendly Companies
#132Earlier quoted context omitted.
Can you go into more detail about what withdrawal is like for you? I've been taking methylphenidate for ADHD recently and I want to know what to look out for.
For me, it feels similar to when I'd go cold turkey from 2-3 daily cups of coffee (before I started taking medication). 2-5 days of shitty mood, then back to baseline pre-coffee. It sucks, and it will sour your mood when your ability to function drops significantly for a few days, but it passes.
cold turkey
Re: Ask HN: Neurodiversity/ADHD Friendly Companies
#133As someone with high functioning autism could I suggest you look into the healthcare sector? I work (remotely) for one of the top EU hospitals - Cambridge University Hospitals Trust - as a senior analyst/programmer in clinical trials. They are putting neurodiversity into practice (they reached out to all ND staff to contribute in this) and whilst may play into the cynical view of lip service if you hold that view, I…
The UK is no longer in the EU and the new visa requirements have kicked in :-( https://www.gulbenkian.co.uk/can-eu-citizens-work-in-the-uk-...
Very true. I think I should have said European region/Western Europe. Philosopically I'm a European, Brexit or not.
Re: Ask HN: Neurodiversity/ADHD Friendly Companies
#134Earlier quoted context omitted.
I would be cautious about what people say in the survey on Stack Overflow. How many of those who claim to have ADHD or Autism have an actual diagnosis of those from a professional?
That works the other way too. You will also have a lot of people reporting they do not have ADHD or autism when they actually do. What matters for those type of surveys is how many people report struggles. If someone struggle with attention but does not have the exact number of symptoms required for a formal diagnostic, they are still struggling.
ok, but the whole grand parent comment is a comparison to the global population. Those global statistics are not self reported, they're official diagnoses so will also be missing "people reporting they do not have ADHD or autism when they actually do".
That people struggle is an important statistic, but shouldn't immediately be counted as ADHD or autism. There can be other factors at play.
Re: Ask HN: Neurodiversity/ADHD Friendly Companies
#135I wonder why ADHD gets singled out so much. If I look at the suggestions that would help people with ADHD, then I see suggestions that would help lots of people. Eg. not being reprimanded for being late when it has no consequences would help everyone. Good calendar software also helps everyone. There are lots of people who are struggling with the demands of the workplace -- in fact, I'm not sure I know anyone who doe…
You make a lot of great points.
I totally agree: the things that help neurodiverse folks (whether we're talking about tangible affordances, or just a general sense of inclusion and empathy) are generally also the things that would help literally anybody.
If I look at the suggestions that would help people
with ADHD, then I see suggestions that would help
lots of people
Think of physical differences: a wheelchair ramp can be useful for lots of people, but for some people it's a real necessity.
I wonder why employers need a "Neurodiversity program"
to make their workplaces less toxic.
So it's the kind of thing you want to formalize a bit. Because, I mean, what is a "program?" It's just a formal recognition that this is an ongoing effort, not a one-time thing.
Re: Ask HN: Neurodiversity/ADHD Friendly Companies
#136I literally just off the phone to my GP trying to get a referral for an adult ADHD diagnosis. She basically said, there's a massive backlog and underfunding of the service, and instead of her referring me to the adult ADHD and autism psychology services directly I should approach a more generic NHS Adult Mental Health service and try to get them to refer me for a diagnosis, or write a letter asking her to. Just seems…
I was referred by my GP over a year ago for an adult ADHD diagnosis. I used the NHS Right To Choose so that I could use a private clinic, however even with them the wait has been a year and they're saying the earliest I'm going to be seen is October. My GP has contacted me to say there's a new service they're starting soon and that I've been referred there too, but they couldn't tell me how long the wait would be - basically they said to go with whichever one is available first.
If you can get a referral from your doctor, I would have a look at Right To Choose and go with someone private like Psychiatry UK as you shouldn't have to pay, the NHS will take the cost of that. (Also a note that paying them money doesn't get you seen any quicker, I've tried asking)
Re: Ask HN: Neurodiversity/ADHD Friendly Companies
#137Like others I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, 31, 10 months ago and I have been taking medication since then. I am also in EU. Nothing major to add, since there are some good comments from other commentators. Retrospectively I have realised ADHD has been perhaps an advantage in some areas. But additionally an absolute self sabatoge generating machine for the seemingly simplest of things. Currently near the end m…
I was diagnosed at 25, about a year ago. I relate to the comment about ADHD being an advantage. I've often thought my brain is well suited to the information age. My home reflects this, I keep a lot of things in plain sight that stimulate my curiosity.
We live in times of unprecedented peace and prosperity, and rather than seeing my wiring as a liability, I see it is a competitive advantage. I may not have all the same strengths, but the ones I have can be very well leveraged.
Re: Ask HN: Neurodiversity/ADHD Friendly Companies
#138It’s worth everyone knowing that there is a high proportion of neurodiverse people in our industry, relative to other industries and the general population. The 2021 Stack Overflow Survey [0] puts ADHD at 8.51% (double the rate in the US [1]), and autism at 3.7% (about 1% globally [2]). The point here is that, you all already work with people who have ADHD or are autistic. If your company isn’t doing right to retain…
Is there a correlation between ADHD and doing better with a late start?
Re: Ask HN: Neurodiversity/ADHD Friendly Companies
#139It’s worth everyone knowing that there is a high proportion of neurodiverse people in our industry, relative to other industries and the general population. The 2021 Stack Overflow Survey [0] puts ADHD at 8.51% (double the rate in the US [1]), and autism at 3.7% (about 1% globally [2]). The point here is that, you all already work with people who have ADHD or are autistic. If your company isn’t doing right to retain…
Is there a correlation between ADHD and doing better with a late start?
"Delayed Circadian Rhythm Phase: A Cause of Late-Onset ADHD among Adolescents?"
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6487490/
"Up to 75% of adults with childhood-onset ADHD exhibit delayed circadian rhythm phase, including a rise in salivary dim-light melatonin onset (DLMO) and alterations in core body temperature and actigraphy-measured sleep-related movements occurring approximately 1.5 hours later in the night than healthy adults. In addition, adults with childhood-onset ADHD exhibit a delay in early morning cortisol rise (i.e., a hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenocortical (HPA) marker of circadian phase), with secretion occurring two hours later than healthy controls. Adults with childhood-onset ADHD are also frequently “night owls” who display delayed circadian preference and increased alertness in the evening (Kooij, 2017, Coogan and McGowan, 2017)."
Re: Ask HN: Neurodiversity/ADHD Friendly Companies
#140I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult in my thirties and I have been taking medication for the last two years. I am also in EU. I would recommend two things (YMMV). First, use ADHD to your advantage. People with ADHD have tendency to be inquisitive, but easily bored. Because of this I have become a jack of all trades. Although I have my specialty (ML), employers really appreciate that I also able to do Linux administ…
Regarding freelancing, how do you deal with the multitasking related to getting the next project while working on the current project? Did you outsource this? The organizational work, the back and forth, the scheduling of interviews, etc. It seems like something that's very difficult to do with AD(H)D.
You hire people as quickly as you can to help. Otherwise you focus on the task b/c you need to get paid to eat.