Neurodivergent Adult's Unnamed Newsletter Issue 5, March 11 2024

Hello and welcome (or welcome back) to the STILL unnamed Neurodivergent Adult Newsletter. This week we are discussing ADHD focus music, online Autism tests, an update about the ADHD medication shortage, and much more.

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Does ADHD Focus Music Really Work?

If you watch videos on Youtube about ADHD then you’ve probably seen ADHD Focus Music recommended to you at least a few dozen times, I know I certainly have. I will admit, it had me curious, does ADHD focus music actually work? I decided to do a little experiment of my own as well as looking at research and what others with ADHD have said about it.

First, there don’t seem to be any studies yet specifically into ADHD focus music. Instead, they have looked at if music helps you focus. It turns out that yes, music helps the ADHD mind get into the right frame of mind for learning. It can also help with impulsivity, aggression, and social skills when used as a form of therapy. One study looked at music in video games and its impact on ADHD and found that music improves immersion as well as timing skills.

When it comes to music that helps you focus, being repetitive is vital. For this reason, a lot of research is based around classical music which tends to have a lot of repetitive elements. But, ADHD Focus Music takes that repetitiveness to a whole new level. To put it in simple terms, ADHD Focus Music repeats a single sentence over and over again, often for hours. The video that resonated best for me is just shy of 8 hours long, meaning that I could in theory listen to it for an entire work day without having to look back at youtube and risk getting distracted.

I’ve always needed noise when I work. I’ve been lucky enough to work from home for more than a decade now and in the beginning the noise was the television. I needed some human voices talking nearby but not at me. DIY and house hunting shows were great for this. But, eventually I started to find them too distracting so I moved to Top 40 music. That worked well when I didn’t need to do much reading or writing, but it was impossible to focus on the words I needed to write or read and have music with lyrics playing. So I moved to classical music which works…sometimes.

Then I discovered ADHD Focus Music.

I’ve tried a few different ADHD focus music videos, but the first one I ever listened to seems to be the most effective for me. How do I judge its success? Well, first, I get a lot of work done when I get into the flow with it. In fact, I’m listening to it right now and the words are just flowing from my brain and into my fingers to the keyboard effortlessly. I’ve written 500 words in 30 minutes, and that includes the time I needed for warming up as well as research. I can also tell its working because when I get pulled out of the flow, by my cat, my husband, or my phone ringing I can feel a pulling sensation in my brain. It’s a similar feeling to when you glue your hands together then try pulling them apart, only it's in your brain and it’s actually kind of painful.

For me the music only works when I’m trying to get words out of my head. As a writer this works well, but if I’m trying to do something else, like practice pixel art then it is all wrong and clashes in my head horribly. I also can’t listen to it if I’m trying to read a book or listen to someone talking like in a class. For me, ADHD Focus Music seems to be extremely situational and I can certainly burn out on it too. If I listen to it more than once or twice a week it seems to lose its ability to pull me in. The rest of the time I listen to classical music and soundtracks from some of my favorite movies. With a healthy rotation of music to listen to I burn out less often. I feel like I am most productive on days where I’m listening to my favorite ADHD Focus Music.

Across the internet it seems nearly universal that people with ADHD need to listen to something while they work. Often that is classical music. Magazine ADDitude made a playlist of classical music to help you learn by.

ADDitude also have an article about 10 benefits of music on the ADHD brain [ https://www.additudemag.com/benefits-of-music-adhd ] which is an adaptation of a webinar they hosted in 2020 with board certified music therapist Patti Catalano. It’s a really interesting read if you want to know more, but the tl;dr is…

Does music help you focus? I’ve asked the question over on Facebook, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Diagnosis Meme Unpacked

First of all…as someone who didn’t get diagnosed (ADHD) until her mid-30s… big oof. That one really hurts. I masked well, so well in fact that I didn’t even know I was doing it. I was always “a pleasure to have in class” and I always got my work done, and done well. No one ever saw the anxiety, stress, and depression I was experiencing. None of the adults ever saw the struggles I went through or the shame. Those feelings were all still there, I just kept them hidden.

I didn’t talk a lot in class, I wasn’t messing around, and until high school, I did my homework and my projects. Sure, the projects you were supposed to work on for weeks would all get done the night before they were due…but they got done and my teachers had no idea. I remember when one of my friends got diagnosed with ADHD in elementary school. By then I had already been struggling silently in school for several years while he was the hyperactive class clown. How different might my life have been if I was diagnosed at 12 like he was?

Why didn’t my parents get me diagnosed? They put all of my struggles down to being lazy and irresponsible. To this day, on the doorstep of 40 I still struggle with calling myself lazy and irresponsible. These things stick with you…seemingly forever.

I never got diagnosed as a child because I wasn’t causing any trouble. I was well behaved and all my struggles were inside and only hurt myself. My husband never got his Autism diagnosed because…though he was odd, it was viewed as, “Oh that’s just [Husband’s name], he’s a little strange, but he has a sweet heart.” He wasn’t troublesome, he had an appetite for learning, loves science fiction, and was happy to keep to himself. Again, he didn’t cause any problems for adults…so his struggles were ignored. How different might his life have been if someone in his life had realized what he was going through?

And yet…even having had that experience growing up I find myself hesitating when I suspect a friend has a neurodivergent child. Society tells me that it isn’t my place to speak up. But if I don’t…how long might that child struggle? If someone doesn’t say something then they might never know…they might have to go through the very same struggles that I went through. Maybe as an Elder ADHDer I have a duty to tell their parents. I asked once on Facebook if I should and the general consensus was that I should mind my own business. But…is that really what is best for the child?

3 Great Autism Tests Available Online for Free

Whenever the topic of autism comes up in conversation the person/people I’m talking to eventually ask me if there are any online tests they can take to see if they're autistic or not. There are three that I recommend more than any others. These are the very same tests that my husband used when he started on his autism diagnosis journey. They seem to be surprisingly accurate and so I want to pass this information on to you.

If you think you might be autistic and you plan to seek formal diagnosis take the results of these tests with you. While they aren’t a replacement for a diagnosis, they can help those doing the diagnosing. The more evidence of your autism you can bring with you, the better your chances are of getting properly diagnosed. If you can’t get a formal diagnosis for one reason or another, know that many journeys into self-diagnosis have started with these tests and that self-diagnosis IS valid.

RAADS-R - The Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnosis Scale - Revised (RAADS-R) is a rather long questionnaire that is often used by clinicians to identify autism in adults. It is possible that if you go to a professional to seek an autism diagnosis this is the test you will be given. There are scientific articles online that back up the accuracy of the RAADS-R, so, if you were only ever going to take one test I highly recommend that you make it the RAADS-R. You can find it here: https://embrace-autism.com/raads-r/ 

Autism Spectrum Quotient - The Autism Spectrum Quotient test (AQ) is another test that you might come across if you’re seeking a formal diagnosis. It is the test that is most commonly used in the self-diagnosis of autism, partially thanks to its accuracy and its availability online for more than 20 years. The authors never intended for it to be a diagnostic tool, but the world had other plans. It is intended for adults, but there are also now versions of it for younger people as well. Professionals do agree that there are some problems with the test, however, it is still extremely accurate and produces reliable results. The test basically works off the checklist for autism diagnosis, which is why it is so accurate. You can find it here: https://psychology-tools.com/test/autism-spectrum-quotient 

Pooh Pathology Test - The Pooh Pathology test is…a little bit different. The test is based on a study done on the characters of Winnie the Pooh that found each of the characters could be linked with a psychiatric diagnosis. Yes, actual medical doctors, professors even, studied Winnie the Pooh, isn’t science amazing? It went viral on Tiktok a couple of years ago, in part because of how accurate it seems to be. While I maybe wouldn’t bring the results of this test to your formal autism diagnosis, it is an interesting test that explores autism, ADHD, Schizophrenia, OCD, Anxiety, Depression, and a few others. For people like me who score close to autism but not actually autistic on the first two tests it can offer alternative paths for you to look at. I’ve posted my results on Facebook and in April I plan on taking the test again to see how the results change. Anyway, it’s a fun little test that is surprisingly accurate. If you’re on the fence about what the other tests have said you might want to give this one a try. You can find the Pooh Pathology Test here: https://www.idrlabs.com/pooh-pathology/test.php

A Helpful Video I Enjoyed

I didn’t put a video out last week but I did just watch one that I felt was really helpful from an amazing ADHD content creator.

The FTC Wants to Hear From YOU About ADHD Medication Shortages (and other stimulant medication too)

If you live in the United States and you’ve been impacted by recent medication shortages (or you know someone who has) then the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) want to hear from you. These two government agencies want to hear from the public about how the shortage of stimulant medication recently has impacted the lives of people living in the USA.

So, what do you need to do?

Head over to this link: https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FTC-2024-0018 and leave a comment detailing your experiences with trying to get your ADHD medication or other stimulants. Explain to them WHY you need those medications and how your life is impacted by not having access to your medications. Go into as deep of detail as you’re comfortable with. But, do keep in mind that these comments ARE publicly available. If you don’t take these medications but you know someone who does then write about what their lives have been like from your point of view.

This is a rare opportunity to get your voice heard by the federal government. After you’ve commented be sure to pass it on to your friends and family and ask them to comment as well. We only have until April 15th to get our voices heard.

This was first brought to my attention by Matthew Cortland, a healthcare lawyer who is working hard to keep the public informed about politics in healthcare.

WHERE YOU LEAVE A COMMENT: https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FTC-2024-0018
Matt Cortland: https://www.patreon.com/posts/99957436?pr=true 
Press Release: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/02/ftc-hhs-seek-public-comment-generic-drug-shortages-competition-amongst-powerful-middlemen 

Study Shows Non-Verbal Autists Are More Literate Than Previously Thought

A study from the University of Virginia has been published in the journal Autism that shows non-verbal autists are more likely to be literate than previously believed. In fact, they are 5 times more likely to be able to read! This could open up opportunities for the millions of non-verbal autists who have been left behind by society.

It is believed that one third of all autistic people are non-verbal and until recently the focus has been on speech therapies to try to get them to speak. Unfortunately, since the beginning of time speech and communication have been conflated with one another, leading people to believe that deaf and mute people cannot communicate, along with people who are non-verbal for a variety of reasons. As time has gone on we have gained a better understanding of those who cannot or do not speak, but a lot of the focus has been on forcing them to learn to speak rather than finding alternatives that work for them.

This study used a game similar to whack-a-mole to show that not only can non-verbal autistic people spell they can also convert things that they have previously heard into written word. Over half of those taking part responded the same way that a literate person would. What makes it most interesting is that most of the study’s participants had no formal education in literacy. Basically, no one had ever tried to teach them to read and write.

The study only had 31 participants, but the results of it could potentially be life changing for the millions of non-verbal autistic people around the world. It is the first steps into a world where non-verbal autists are given more opportunities for education and work, making the world more accessible for not only themselves, but so many others.

If you’d like to read about the study you can find it here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13623613241230709

There’s also some really interesting research about Autism support dogs that you might enjoy reading: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1355970/full

I hope you have a great week, don’t forget to comment on the ADHD medication shortage if you live in the United States, and be sure to stay hydrated.
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