Add in the Workplace: Choices, Changes, and Challenges

Add In The Workplace: CHOICES, CHANGES, AND CHALLENGES This book will really help ADD-affected adults to understand how ADD can affect work adversely. It is a valuable guide to using information about this disorder to choose and/or revise one's work to take advantage of one's strengths, and mitigate the effects of associated weaknesses, in the work arena. As with every good book I've read on ADD, I only wish I could have read it much earlier in my life. Maybe I wouldn't have had to learn EVERYTHING the hard way. People diagnosed with ADD can definitely spare themselves lost time and bad vocational experiences by reading this book.

This is a succinct book with a very logical structure/layout, making it super-easy to find your way around. Kathleen Nadeau emphasizes the individuality of people with ADD and how ADD affects people differently, (e.g. when combined with various different personality types. She uses the Myers Briggs type indicator throughout the book - an interesting touch). A necessary accommodation for one ADD-er could be unneccessary or a hinderance for another. Within broad topics, she focuses on specific characteristics/ difficulties of people with ADD. For example, in chapter 3, on job performance, there are clearly deliniated subsections on specific difficulties, such as: -Distractibility: external distractions -Distractibility: internal distractions -hyperfocusing -impulsivity -hyperactivity -memory problems -need for stimulation (intolerance of routine) -difficulty coordinating simultaneous tasks -etc. She gives some ideas on how to work with each of these (and other) common ADD difficulties. Nadeau encourages readers to investigate their personality types and interests, when trying to improve their workplace issues, rather than focussing solely on their ADD symptoms - as these other aspects have an effect on how effective different techniques will be. This is still a useful book, even though it's almost 10 years old.

In the Annotated Bibliography of "Learning A Living" A Guide to Planning Your Career and Finding a Job for People with Learning Disabilities, Attention Deficit Disorder, and Dyslexia, I wrote:A comprehensive book, explaining the positives and negatives of ADD in the workplace. The book is written for people who are already working and does not include job hunting informaiton. Personal coping skills and accommodations for employers are described. The book covers possibilities for self-employment, telecommuting, an other ways of "customizing" your own job. Two combinations are covered in separate chapters: women with ADD and people with ADD who also have learning disabilities."I would like to add a few other points:1. The book is beautifully laid out in an "ADD-friendly" manner that makes it easy to read.2. The author speaks in a respectful tone to the reader.3. She is very positive about ADD.If you have ADD, this book will add to your repertoire of skills in handling work issues.

Kathleen Nadeau's book ADD IN THE WORKPLACE addresses those issues and problems which arise at work. It gives reliable information, and good suggestions. It not only helps the ADD adult understand and improve his or her work experiences but also gives them a better understanding of ADD and its effects on their lives. It is an easy to read, 'user friendly' book which I recommend to all my adult and college aged clients who are either in the workplace or wanting to get there.Thanks Kathleen for writing a great book!

As a career counselor, I applaud Dr. Nadeau for giving us a clear, easy to read handbook for understanding how workplace issues are affected by ADD. Dr. Nadeau uses a conversational voice to put into perspective those important details that comprise a good match between a job and the job seeker. She first gives us a complete overview of the relevant issues, and then supplies us with such specifics as "taking charge of your ADD: social skills; an ADD-friendly work environment, and the current legalities of ADD and the Americans with Disabilities Act. This is a complete handbook, and one I advise my clients to use!