Could This Be Adult ADHD symptoms?

Part 1: Inattention

One of the core ADHD symptoms (symptoms are really just natural variations in being human) is described clinically as inattention, but a more accurate and strengths-focused framing is multi-attentiveness.

I once worked with a client who needed a new role, not because they lacked ability, but because their highly capable, creative thinking style was colliding with structural expectations that didn’t match how their attention worked.

(All client details have been changed for confidentiality.)

Part of their job involved driving around town. Over a year, they accumulated more than £1,200 in parking fines. This was not due to irresponsibility, but rather to the natural consequences of processing information across multiple channels while navigating complex environments. A mistyped street name, a wrong map pin, confusion about city restrictions, or losing track of where the car was parked are all common experiences for people with multi-attentive attention patterns, especially under pressure.

In this case, the challenge wasn’t simply the client’s attention style. It was the combination of a system that:

• expects single-threaded focus

• applies financial penalties for small administrative errors

• provides limited reminders or buffers

• can create administrative difficulties, such as letters going to an outdated address

Through a social-model perspective, the primary barrier was the environment’s rigidity rather than a deficit within the individual.

Clinically, this is described as inattention (NIMH, 2020). But the social model highlights that many behaviours labelled inattention can also reflect:

• multi-attentiveness

• big-picture thinking

• parallel processing

• high creativity

• distributed cognitive focus

These traits excel in environments that value innovation and divergent thinking. They become challenging in settings that rely on narrow focus and heavy administrative precision (Colomer, 2017).

Part 2: Hyperactivity

The second ADHD category, clinically called hyperactivity, can also be understood as high-energy regulation.

One client shared:

“Workplaces told me I spoke quickly, jumped between topics, and used animated expressions. I used to move around or fidget in meetings, but people said it looked disrespectful, so now I try to sit still, but it’s exhausting.”

Here, a natural form of regulating attention and emotion was being constrained to meet workplace norms. Internally, the client’s mind remained full of motion and ideas:

“I keep thinking, thinking, thinking. My body wants to move.”

From a social-model viewpoint, the difficulty wasn’t the person’s energy, but the expectation of stillness, which can sometimes:

• interpret movement as a lack of respect

• limit natural regulation strategies

• make it harder for some individuals to remain comfortable or fully engaged

Many neurodivergent people support their thinking through movement. When permitted to:

• walk during calls

• fidget

• use kinetic tools

• shift positions

their engagement and productivity often improve.

What is called “hyperactivity” can also be understood as:

• energy

• momentum

• creative drive

• somatic intelligence

• dynamic thinking

  
  

Challenges arise mainly when environments restrict the movement that supports these abilities.

Part 3: Impulsivity

The final category, impulsivity, can also be reframed as fast-response thinking.

Another client shared that they submitted important paperwork without checking in with their coach, even though they had a plan:

“I panicked when the letter came. I forgot the plan. Work was so busy, so I just sent it off—and later realised the mistakes.”

Clinically, this is labelled impulsivity. But in context, it was a rapid stress-response to a time-sensitive administrative demand.

The situation created feelings of:

• urgency

• pressure

• worry about consequences

Their response: quick, reactive, intuitive, was consistent with how many neurodivergent thinkers operate under stress.

In supportive environments with clearer timelines, reassurance, structured communication, or collaborative planning, this same “impulsivity” often becomes:

• rapid problem solving

• decisive action

• intuitive judgment

• creative leaps

• fast idea generation

  
  

The difficulty lay primarily in the pressure of the administrative process, not in the person’s cognitive style.

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Putting it Together: ADHD Traits Through the Social Model

Although these traits are traditionally separated into inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, they can also be understood as a cognitive profile characterised by:

• multi-attentiveness

• high energy

• intuitive decision-making

• creativity

• sensitivity

• quick thinking

• parallel processing

These traits can become challenging when environments are:

• highly rigid

• heavily administrative

• time-pressured

• sensorially overwhelming

• designed primarily for linear, single-focus thinkers

  
  

From a social-model standpoint, many difficulties arise not from individuals themselves but from systems that are not designed with diverse cognitive styles in mind.

When workplaces offer:

• flexibility

• clear, accessible processes

• movement-friendly norms

• supportive communication

• collaborative planning

• strengths-based roles

these cognitive traits often become significant strengths rather than obstacles.

Many adults with ADHD thrive in dynamic, fast-paced, and innovative environments (Sarkis, 2014). This varies for individuals—especially those with ADHD–autism overlap—but the core point remains: aligning environments to diverse ways of thinking can reduce barriers and enhance wellbeing.

Shifting from a deficit-based view to a strengths-oriented, design-focused perspective fosters understanding, reduces stigma, and supports meaningful collaboration across teams and workplaces.

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References

Colomer, C. (2017). The impact of inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and executive functioning on academic achievement. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 540. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00540

National Institute of Mental Health. (2020). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd

Sarkis, E. (2014). Addressing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the workplace. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 8(5), 314–319. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827614530730