ND focus
Chris Limb
Web Developer | BTEC Professional Web Development | Accessibility consultant | Neurodiversity advocate
#1: The flow and communication paradigms
Some neurodivergents (NDs) – and this applies to both ADHD and autistic people – are capable of hyperfocus or “flow”, the ability to intensely concentrate on an activity or task, which in the right situation can often result in complex work being completed meticulously, accurately and often swiftly.
However, one disadvantage of this skill is that if the flow is interrupted it can be very difficult to re-engage. This does not necessarily mean that the individual in question cannot do anything else at all while flowing – efficient flow often involves obtaining information from others as well as more complex back and forth interactions.
Flow usually breaks when the communication paradigm is abruptly changed without warning.
“I thought I’d call as it’s easier.”
For an ND person, suddenly having to switch paradigms from written (chat, email etc) to spoken is incredibly disruptive and almost guaranteed to break the flow. On the other hand the neurotypical (NT) person wouldn’t have called if they weren’t having problems with the written paradigm.
If you’re an NT person who needs to change the communication paradigm from written to spoken to get a point across I’d suggest sending a short message first, something like:
“Ok to call?”
If you’re an ND person who receives one of these requests for a call, I’d suggest replying with a yes – even if you have to specify a time:
“Sure, just give me 5 minutes to finish what I’m on."
A lot of the time it’s the unexpectedness of the paradigm shift that's the problem, not the shift itself.