There’s sufficient of an overlap between folks with ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity dysfunction) and individuals who code for a residing that programmers with ADHD have their very own subreddit. Different subreddits abound with ADHD-related advice-givers and advice-seekers. We’ve additionally mentioned ADHD and the broader subject of neurodivergency on the Stack Overflow Podcast, with co-host Ceora Ford describing her expertise being recognized with ADHD and protracted misconceptions round neurodiversity within the tech neighborhood.
ADHD analysis charges are on the rise for each adults and youngsters, although as you would possibly count on it’s robust to know whether or not this rise is attributable to a better incidence of ADHD or just a rise within the variety of diagnoses made. Both manner, extra persons are understanding their experiences and skills by means of the lens of ADHD, and this consists of many individuals who code. However is there actually a connection between programming and ADHD? And will or not it’s that individuals with ADHD are significantly well-suited to programming careers?
An ideal match?
Many builders with ADHD really feel their job is an ideal match for the way they assume and method issues. “Coding can provide ADHD brains precisely the type of stimulation they crave,” explains full-stack developer Abbey Perini. “Not solely is coding a inventive endeavor that entails continuously studying new issues, but additionally as soon as one downside is solved, there’s at all times a model new one to attempt.”
Along with a revolving door of contemporary challenges that may maintain folks with ADHD engaged, coding can reward and encourage a state of hyperfocus: a ceaselessly cited symptom of ADHD that developer Neil Peterson calls “a state of laser-like focus wherein distractions and even a way of passing time appear to fade away.” It’s straightforward to attract parallels between hyperfocus and the move state, a distraction-free groove wherein programmers, writers, musicians, artists, and different creators produce their greatest work (sometimes whereas forgetting to eat). Our paid platform, Stack Overflow for Groups, is fashionable with builders largely as a result of it helps them keep away from distraction and shield the productive sanctity of their move state.
However for each high quality that makes coding excellent for folks with ADHD (or vice versa), there’s one other that might signify a selected hurdle. As an example, ADHD could make folks extra weak to inattentive errors, missed deadlines, or unfinished tasks. A perennial query on Reddit is some variation of “Programmers with ADHD, how do you keep on monitor?”
Combating stigma with candor
The truth is that whereas some types of neurodivergence would possibly lend themselves to sure careers (I’ve at all times thought that my obsessive-compulsive dysfunction makes me a greater copyeditor, for instance), particular person outcomes will proceed to differ.
Nevertheless it’s excellent news that many programmers with ADHD appear emboldened to share their experiences, supply recommendation, and ask for help and lodging once they want it. And as we mentioned on a current podcast episode, extra builders (and their managers) are having conversations about how you can help the success of neurodiverse crew members.
An open dialogue about ADHD and different types of neurodiversity is a vital step in dismantling the remaining stigma round neurodiversity in tech. These conversations occur greatest in psychologically secure environments—one thing for managers to take to coronary heart, particularly in a time when many people are already feeling elevated stress because of industry-wide layoffs.
Making work and hiring extra accessible to neurodiverse folks advantages everybody within the group. Neurodiverse folks can contribute distinctive problem-solving approaches, an affinity for exhausting expertise like knowledge evaluation, and a bent towards perfectionism that may elevate total high quality, says Mariann Lowery, Product/UX Analysis Lead at Stack Overflow. And making the office extra inclusive can improve worker engagement and provides us a higher sense of objective at work—whether or not we determine as neurodiverse or not.
Tags: adhd, neurodivergence
