Communication Skills For ADHD Adults

Topic: Communication Skills for ADHD Adults. See the other Adult ADHD Issues.

Facilitator: Pete Quily

December 1st 2004 Meeting Notes for the Vancouver Adult ADD Support Group

New Location:

Ravensong Community Health Centre. 2450 Ontario Street. 2 blocks west of Main Street 1/2 block north of Broadway. Parking in lot and on street/buses along Broadway

Visit the Vancouver Adult ADD Support Group’s website for more information about the group, links and resources

Children’s Hospital now has an Adult ADHD Clinic to go along with the Children’s ADHD Clinic.

You will need a doctor’s referral Ph: 604-875-3551 email adhd@cw.bc.ca

Gay Neale 604-875-8145. Retired special ed teacher with a focus on kinaesthetic learning,

She demonstrated the Purple Perch

Using a device to assist in learning, 3D learners get the inner ear movement, kinesthetic learners see in three dimensions, centre the core and the ocular to focus on 2d problems, use the yoga balls as another option.

Intros:

Seems to be lots of referrals to the group and most found out about the group from Pete’s website.

Warmup: Introduce yourself to 2 people you don’t know.

Name
One area of communications skills you’re good at
One area of communications skills you’re want to be better at
Communication Skills. Gave them an adult ADD social skills checklist from the book

What does everyone else know that I don’t? Social Skills for Adults with ADD By Michele Novotni, 1999 Used with permission

Everyone did the questionnaire in the back of the book. From the headings, we broke into groups to discuss the area where we are the most challenged.

II. Verbal Communication Skills:

Challenges: trying to prioritize, fast verbalization, can’t keep up to all the facts, wanting to verbalize to much, cannot identify others feelings, lack of focus, missing pieces, asking for help, blinks- zoning out even when reading

Strategies: coaching with Pete, meds, pills don’t teach skills but put you into a better condition to learn the skills, repeat the question, if you don’t understand ask, supportive friends to keep eyes, diarize, review your strengths and weaknesses, to do list on the challenges, prioritize,

III. Nonverbal Communication Skills:

Challenges: Eye contact, can’t think, people uncomfortable, can’t read social cues, body language,

Strategies: explain we do have a problem with that and carry on, watch a movie without the sound so you can practice what the emotions, overestimation, look at their nose, dark glasses, scanning pattern, in a coffee shop face into the corner, distracted by the other person and loose my train of thought,

IV. Communication Roadblocks:

Challenges: talk excessively, and take control, interrupting others

Strategies: condense what you want to express in 15 seconds then add onto later if needed, smile and nod on the zoning out, outspoken… ask for feedback on how we work,

take a deep breath before blurting out, ask for other’s opinions, ask for feedback on your behaviour, ask people to help out before, getting help at work or at school, advocate for ourselves,

V. Organizational Skills, Trustworthyness:

Challenges: rigid organization done your own way and not change it, baby steps to begin compromises, too many people’s input and nothing gets done, the balance between acquiescing and assertiveness,

Strategies: be strong about own ideas, list pruning, taking things off the list, can function under duress and crisis, color coding, different lists,

Handout Pete Quily’s Ten steps to behavioural change

Next meeting: December 21 at the Firehall at seven pm,

Strategy for change on item

Ask for support on this for next meeting accountability… get curious,