The Science Behind Attention & Creativity in ADHDers – 2023

ADHD is actually not about an attention deficit, it’s about an attention abundance. The true challenges of the disorder are related to challenges in regulating attention. What if in learning how your attentional system works, you discovered that you could now harness and master your creativity?! Our attention system is like a filter. Ideally, it allows in the relevant information, and kicks out the irrelevant. Neurotypicals’ filter tends to work as a fine grained filter with tiny holes, whereas ADHDers’ filters work more like a colander…the holes are bigger,  which can present greater challenges for regulating attention. However, the advantage of these “larger holes” is they also obtain more information, which lends itself to an incredible ability to identify novel ideas and connections.

About Eliza Barach, Ph.D.

Dr. Barach is a cognitive psychologist and ADHD coach and consultant. She received her PhD in cognitive psychology from the State University of New York at Albany in 2021, where she studied the mental processes involved in attention, memory, language as well as decision-making. She is particularly interested in how these mental faculties differ for people with ADHD and what benefits are associated with such differences. Dr. Barach is the founder of Neural Revolution, an ADHD consulting & coaching practice, where she helps high performing individuals with ADHD understand and maximize their unique brain chemistry to get sh!t done. Having ADHD herself, as well as her expertise in cognitive psychology has afforded her a unique opportunity to bridge science and the experiential to help other ADHDers succeed.