IT, Autism/ADHD, and Life.

In my life I’ve learned to lean on my Autism/ADHD traits. Actually I find about 80% of the people in my industry (IT) are on the spectrum to one degree or another because it allows you to: think outside the box, visualize what can be, and focus on mundane things for exceptional (and I do mean exceptional) amounts of time.

The one challenging area is the combination of Sensory Integration Disorder (senses work but are either high strung or under sensitive) and the heightened emotional sensitivity. However once you get in front of the “blow ups” which result in a-typical behavior or a flight or fight response, the sensitivity can allow you to read people extremely well even as they try to hide their intentions. Also you can outlet the creative, bottled up energy into creative enterprises. For example, I put out a book this week – http://amzn.to/1j7tOpx .

I find navigating this life with Autism/ADHD is all about acknowledging and accepting the condition, finding a way to leverage the difference, and owning and managing the symptoms of the condition much as you would take care of a child who needs the extra attention.