COGNITIVE PROBLEMS

Dr Norman Zimmerman says that he sees ADHD as having only three main cognitive problems, which cause the large number of symptoms. They are:

1 Distractibility

People with ADHD tend to have many thoughts on many tangents. This reduction in brain inhibitory control also causes difficulty being still, fidgetiness and restlessness.

2 Difficulty with task initiation and completion

This is a very physical thing and nothing to do with laziness, lack of motivation or procrastination. At a brain level, the brain is not in gear. It is like trying to drive a car in neutral; there is a want to move but the want is not translated into action. Once medicated for ADHD, people often say “I want to do it and now I can just do it.”

3 Low working memory

This is a difficulty with holding a lot in mind at once. Low working memory is the cause of many ADHD symptoms such as losing things, leaving keys in the door and going into a room and forgetting why you went in.

It also explains difficulties with reading, writing, conversation and listening to verbal instructions. In all these situations you need to hold a lot of words in mind for minutes to process them and extract meaning. Low working memory also contributes to acting on impulse. The impulse fills all the available low working memory so there is no capacity left to think through an impulse before acting on it.