The ADD Dilemma

Some eight million Americans have attention deficit disorder. One of them may work for you. Or be you.

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In many ways, Dan seems like a perfect employee. He's energetic, full of ideas, and loves to brainstorm. "You put a paper clip in front of me and I'll come up with a ton of ideas about how we can use it," he boasts. But Dan (who asked that his last name not be used) admits that he can be a real pain for his managers. He'll become so enthusiastic that he interrupts his colleagues or fails to let them talk at all. In a 20-year career in marketing, he's dazzled colleagues with proposals for new products. But he's always had problems following through. So a year ago, a therapist suggested Dan get screened for attention deficit disorder. The test came back positive.

An estimated eight million Americans have ADD, and one of them might work for you -- or, for that matter, be you (see "The ADD-Small Biz Connection," page 32). The condition is roughly where depression was in the early 1990s: Awareness is mounting and the condition is coming out of the closet. Indeed, when ADD emerged as a distinct condition in the late 1980s, it wasn't even considered a problem for adults; psychiatrists believed adolescents would outgrow it once their brains matured. But according to Edward N. Hallowell, author of Driven to Distraction, one of the first books to document ADD in adults, 60% of children with ADD carry the condition into adulthood -- and into the workplace.

It's not uncommon for corporate America, where large human resources departments are the norm, to contract with coaches and counselors to help workers with ADD. For the most part, smaller businesses have yet to respond. But ignoring the problem is getting to be less and less of an option. Attention deficit disorder is now covered by the Americans With Disabilities Act. That means that firms with 15 or more employees are required by federal guidelines to make "reasonable accommodations" for people with ADD, just as they would for any other disability.

That does not have to be bad for your business. Attention deficit disorder does not affect one's cognitive abilities. The brains of adults with ADD, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, simply use less energy in the regions that regulate attention and motor activity. As a result, those with ADD often find it difficult to focus on mundane subjects for an extended period of time. They also tend to be easily distracted, impulsive, and disorganized. On the other hand, people with ADD often become hyperfocused when working on matters of intense interest. "I've worked with many people who, once they discover the disorder and put a program in place, really discover their talents and soar," says Frank Coppola, a therapist and ADD coach in New York City.

Dan, who now works as a VP of business development for a Santa Barbara design firm, says his own awareness of the condition has changed everything. He now carries a digital tape recorder with him at all times to record his ideas, which keeps him from pestering others. "I listen back later," he says. "Some of the ideas are great and I present them." He also has set up his computer to send reminders to keep him from getting sidetracked. "It reminds me to get back on task if I am doodling or starting a new project," he says. Still, Dan remains in the closet. He works on his condition in private, with a therapist. "Telling my boss," he fears, "might change the way he looks at me."

In fact, penalizing or otherwise stigmatizing an employee for having ADD could land you in legal trouble. And accommodating ADD is neither difficult nor expensive. For Dick Bickford, national sales manager at Fischer Connectors, a manufacturer of electronic connectors for the medical and military industries, it was simply a matter of asking for a flexible schedule. Rather than working the standard day, Bickford, who was diagnosed with ADD 10 years ago, now works longer hours but takes frequent breaks. "If you perform, a good boss should be open to helping you," he says.

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