Advantages to Dyspraxia, Executive Dysfunction, ADHD?

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I have made peace with my AS, realized it has certain advantages and have developed a somewhat Love/Hate relationship with it now, but do you think there are advantages to those other conditions? dyspraxia is a particular b***h. My handwriting has vastly improved but I still have trouble doing basic functions such as making my bed and tying my shoes.

I can't really think of any advantages of Dyspraxia, but ADHD is sometimes associated with creativity.

There is no conclusive link between ADHD and creativity. I don't really want to be associated with ADHD since many kids and their parents use it as an excuse for bad behavior. Mine was very different, I never used it as an excuse to disrupt class, I just couldn't concentrate because I was just engrossed by other things. I felt stimulated by pulling the lint off my clothes or splitting my split ends.

At least dyspraxia and executive dysfunction will give me a lifetime's supply of jokes at my own expense

i have found that my difficulties to concentrate help me when i write poetry. I just put a sheet on the floor and write all the stuff that goes through my head, i rearange it a bit and before you know it, i've made a new poem! I also make very interesting drawings when i'm hyper.
My doctors say that i don't have ADHD, but i have such trouble concentrating that i'm pretty sure i have something similar.

I can't think of any way that ADHD is a gift.

I don't care about being associated with it, I don't care if people use it as an excuse for poor behavior. I do have to question in each case whether it is really being used as an excuse or perceived as such because there's so much default negativity about ADHD's symptoms as moral failings. What is perceived as bad behavior is often simply symptomatic.

I'm on an ADHD forum as well, which has a sub forum for non-ADHD partners and spouses, and it's amazing how many of these people will come in, describe how their partner has ADHD, and then tear them to shreds for having the ADHD's symptoms, as if willpower or self-control could somehow just shut them off.

There is no advantage to the inattentiveness/executive dysfunction that I know of, and I've looked at a lot of research (it's one of my ever-rotating special interests). Some, but not all, adults with hyperactivity as well, say that they believe it makes them more fun to be around and that they miss the hyperactivity when medicated.

Although on average people with AD/HD earn less money, according to British research there is also a disproportionate number of people in the higher earnings brackets with higher AD/HD symptom ratings than average. In other words there is a greater gap between the rich and the poor in AD/HD populations, with ending up poor being the much more likely possibility but being rich for some reason also being slightly more likely than if you didn't have the greater number of AD/HD symptoms (diagnosis wasn't done or looked at in this study, just screening test ratings).

The non-hyperactive people seem to be the most negative about their AD/HD (myself included), and are less likely to be opposed in priniciple to science ever curing or preventing the condition, even though statistically our life outcomes are less severe in general (we are neglected rather than rejected by childhood peers for example and aren't anywhere near as likely to end up in prison).

I think the reason for this difference is likely that inattentiveness alone confers no perceived advantages along with the disadvantages whereas many perceive advantages that come with their hyperactivity and impulsivity, and so they come to see it much the way many Aspies see their autism: something to be accommodated socially, not eradicated medically.

Also, hyperactive people, especially as children, move about and talk so much that the exercise - and as adults, socialisation - they get probably counter-acts their tendencies towards depression. ADDers without hyperactivity are often more lethargic than average and are more prone to shyness.

I read once that inattentiveness was a good thing in an environment where a large predator might jump out and eat you. Rather than fixating on specific things, the constant scanning of the environment for interesting stimuli would make you likely to see such a predator sooner. So the moron going on about how he got another cave-babe would get eaten while you get away.

Advantages to Dyspraxia, Executive Dysfunction, ADHD? In my view, there are none. I tend to view words like dyspraxia, executive dysfunction, and ADHD as neutral words and simply being descriptive labels which are correct and hint at what is actually going on neurologically for some people. Those words are simply part of the deck of cards which some people are given. The persons didn't ask to be dealt those cards but those are the cards they were given (simplified answer). There is good evidence, that for a few persons with ADHD (not everyone with ADHD), that the right medicine (historically a central nervous system stimulant - alerting agent such as: coffee, caffeine compounds, Ritalin, Dexedrine, Adderall, and so on) can temporarily reduce (for a number of hours like 4 hours or so) some ADHD symptoms a little (not a cure).

ADHD is for me actually gets me interested in stuff and I can tire of something so easily that if I've got nothing to do I might just do some house chores out of boredom.
The many thoughts give me ideas for creative writing.
The inattention + autism makes me look more at nature and focus on it, and with an attention to detail I can be doing this for a long time.
The forgetfulness with ADHD means I'll forget why I got angry at someone. Also the the getting bored easily makes me not care anymore.
Some days it gets me out of bed before my brain has even decided to get up.

Dyspraxia doesn't seem to have any positive effects to it, but remember Daniel Radcliffe has dyspraxia and he is a very open minded and bright young man. He has such a big heart too. He has a lot of interesting interests too. People with some kind of brain diosroder seem much more interesting people. Take Stephen Fry for example. If he didn't have Bipolar would he be the same?

Executive dysfunction has made me become a more organised person because it doesn't come naturally to me. I'm pretty strict in it too.

People without these issues takes the fact that they have no dysfunction for granted. Many don't look too deeply into themselves. We do when we try to make coping mechanisms for ourselves and along the way we start seeing the world in another way.

I mean sure my ADHD is annoying, at time impairing. My autism is pretty severe these days too. I even think my TLE makes me see interesting things though it's definitely the most debilitating condition I have. My motor skills are frustrating too but having problems really makes you want to better yourself. And personally, I end up bettering more about myself than just dealing with these separate issues.

^I really don't know where that thought came from.

One last point. My awkward scientists theory. I personally believe Michael Faraday had ADHD, at least inattentive. He wasn't really good at math but he was artistically talented and used diagrams to explain magnetism. If he was an average student would he have comes up with all his groundbreaking scientific ideas? And Marie Curie's husband seemed ADHD as well as Winston Churchill.
I really really do think positives come out of having disorders. Radcliffe never would have acted if he had self esteem as a child. And in the early HP movies he wasn't very good at acting at all but he pushed himself and he's pretty great these days.
Anyway, I'm done. Lunch. Have. Now.

What we call "inattentiveness" could be simply an extreme expression of what the Myers-Brigss model call "intuition" and "perception".

Then, the advantages of "inattentiveness" are simply the advantages that "xNxP" types have.

I'm not sure I agree with this. Most combined-type ADHDers I know (who have both inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive symptoms - and 98% of all ADHDers have inattentive symptoms, while the Primarily Hyperactive ADHDers probably do not exist past the age of 6.

I don't think impulsiveness is an advantage at all. It's cost me friendships, money, opportunities. I don't love it at all. When I am restless (hyper) my energy has no purpose or direction, and I can't easily direct or control it. I have major depressive disorder and the things that fuel my depression most are the things I failed at, which include things that definitely have to do with inattentive as well as impulsive symptoms. My physical hyperactivity largely subsided (except for occasional bursts of restlessness) before I turned 12, and it largely manifests in terms of thinking. Thankfully I can control it with caffeine and hold a thought long enough to finish it.

And the sluggishness?

My reply to the whole thread is here: http://latedx.wordpress.com/2011/01/04/ ... morbidity/

Oh and Verdandi I agree. Impulsiveness has cost me a lot in stupid overspending, compulsive overeating and gets me into rows with friends because I speak without thinking.

People with ADHD are wonderful. They glow golden. I wish I knew more of them.

This must be what keeps me awake at night.

I thought that was the ADHD.

Well it is in my case.
Brain suddenly wants to think about everything that has been dormant in my mind during the day.

That's usually what happens to me, but I think I like the idea of it being a wonderful golden glow.