Executive Age vs Actual Age

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I recently came across something that made me feel better about my development and where I am in life (or at least where I was prior to Long Covid). An ADHD specialist, Dr. Russell Barkley, has concluded that people with ADHD are 30% behind their peers in terms of executive functioning and drew up this chart:

I think it's also interesting as many of us on here talk about the embarrassment of being years behind our peers when we were younger in terms of bedwetting and staying dry during the day but looking at that chart, bedwetting at fifteen like I did is pretty normal if you look at the chart.

It's really been a load off my mind really as I've often felt way behind my peers and felt pretty useless as a result and now it explains everything and why I wasn't able to deal with various life events when they came along. I was actually pretty proud of myself that I did my first teaching qualification at 26 when that's around 17/18 in terms of executive functioning. It also makes sense that that's when things started to 'click' for me so rather than being behind, I was actually ahead!

I think that chart would be really useful for parents and teachers as I think we expect too much of people with ADHD and its associated conditions and certainly that was the cause of a lot of stress in the past.

Whilst Long Covid has really thrown me back ten years and meant that I can't teach anymore, I was pretty embarrassed at going back to university at 32 to do a Master's (I'll be 32 in a couple of weeks and hope to start a degree in September) but according to the chart I have the executive functioning of a 21 year old so really rather than being behind, I'm right on track! Hope this helps some other people! I think had people had expectations of me based on that chart over the years I'd have been much happier when I was younger and think that trying to keep up with the 'official' milestones as it were was why I had serious depression in my late teens/early '20s.

 

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Very good to know!!
Also premature babies. It is clear this goes on as they grow and yet somehow people expect a child to be magically as mature as their eers at some young age after survival of early birth

 

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@Sci_Fi_Fan Can you please post the rest of the chart if it exists? My ADHD has absolutely worsened over the past 15 years. Before then, I considered ADHD an asset. But the older I get the worse the symptoms mess with me and ruin my life. But I’ve had multiple Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) from snowboarding - even while wearing a tight helmet. I’ve even had a few seizures because of damage to my frontal lobe from countless concussions. I once cracked my forehead by 3” across from a particularly horrid snowboarding injury. It put me in a coma for three days and the headache afterward is in the top three worst pains I’ve ever felt. One of the long-term consequences of frontal lobe injury is symptoms of ADHD. I think that’s why it’s worse for me.

In contrast, my brother had ADHD as a child, and was remarkably hyperactive - the most active kid I’ve ever met, seemed like he ran in circles up on the middle of the walls, but now he has zero symptoms of hyperactivity and just has plain old ADD. So his symptoms have improved with age. Wish I could say the same!

 

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Wow Snow!

 

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@Maymay941 Well, water under the bridge, all of it.

 

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Snow
You could write a book entitled
I Want to Use It All Up and Go Out yelling Whoo Hoo What a Ride!
The pros and cons of a life lived to the limit.

 

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@Maymay941 Thank you for your vote of confidence Lol, I think I *did* use it all up

 

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@snow Sorry to hear about your issues. The age chart only goes up to 32 because we reach peak maturity in our early 30s which means I guess us ADHDers will always be in our early 20s in terms of executive functioning. Although, I think lots of people would love to be 21 forever haha!

Interesting about your brother - I still have the hyperactivity at 31 (32 in a couple of weeks) which is a real pain with the mobility issues. Indeed, I think that’s why I’ve gotten ‘worse’ since Long Covid as I can’t physically blow off steam like I used to. Interestingly, as a teenager I was most mellow when I got into running at school.

Here’s the link to the full article: clickable text

@Maymay941 I was born really prematurely so everything was put down to that when I was a kid - I guess it’s why I never got an autism or ADHD diagnosis until I was 24. I mean, I couldn’t sit still and was hyperactive so it is spurring no one ever thought to investigate any deeper.

 

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Thanks for sharing. I wasn’t diagnosed till I was 35 and things started crashing down. Meds and education changed my life.

I was good at my job but struggling with all the small tasks. One year after being medicated, I was awarded “Top Industry Salesperson” in my state.

 

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@Sci_Fi_Fan Sorry it took them so long to get you a diagnosis. No wonder you’re dying to get out, then! I mean, anybody would be, but especially somebody with ADHD!

 

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My doctors always said I was around 3 years behind the average kid - so that would make sense in terms of my childhood setbacks such as speech, bathroom issues, and learning disabilities.

But regardless of limitations; people with setbacks are also found to be very smart and intelligent - so never feel you are different than others because other aspects of who you are make up for it.

Kindly,
Honeecombs

 

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I’m lucky my IQ has, and does, make up for a lot of my ADHD. The part for me that’s getting worse with age is that I find it harder and harder to concentrate on things I don’t enjoy, particularly as the Internet becomes a greater part of our lives. I also find it much more obnoxious to do the redundant things in life, like showering, brushing my teeth, removing make-up. That doesn’t mean I don’t do them, it just means I’m incredibly annoyed every time I do them. It doesn’t matter if I’m listening to podcasts are music at the same time; I’m just so flipping bored. I have an increasingly hard time distracting myself from being bored or annoyed. Maybe everyone in society can say that, thanks to phones and all the interruptions of modern life. When I’m out in the world, I can always find something to look at or to listen for to entertain me. But not at home with mundane tasks, nor at work. I definitely need a different job again. Same career, just different company.

I always feel better in nature; plenty of stimuli out there. That’s why I have to live next to mountains tho have pow es for my eyes to wander with infinite detail.

My increase in boredom and trouble concentrating definitely got wayyyyy worse when I had that concussion that cracked my forehead and put me in a coma. I’ve also never not been depressed since then. I was inpatient for a week, but afterward, they never told me to go see a neurologist, nor a concussion specialist. I later found out that for the next month, I should’ve worn noise-canceling headphones, stayed in a pitch-black room, and worn an eye mask to avoid overstimulating my brain while it healed. I’ll never get that opportunity for properly healing back. I’ve also never been as good at anything athletic since then. That was on January 14, 2015 and I did start seeing a neurologist of my own volition about a year later. I’ve had multiple brain MRIs, and while they do show scarring on my frontal lobe, it’s not particularly bad scarring. It’s just that easy to mess up your brain.

At least I’m still mostly me. I’ve been in groups with other traumatic brain injury survivors who never resemble themselves again.

My OCD gets worse with age, too. By that I mean having recurring, racing thoughts that I can’t stop. I also have a much harder time making decisions these days because I’ve made so many bad ones, I don’t even trust myself to choose what I want for lunch anymore.

At least some medications help a little! And yes, it certainly could be worse.