Talks & Slides for React Advanced London 2022 - Dealing with ADHD as a Developer

“Hi, my name is Lenz and two years ago I was diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).” Well, this is not going to be a self-help-group, but I think it is important to talk about this wildly underrepresented topic.

Since my diagnosis, I have spent a lot of time talking to other developers about it - and many of them also have ADHD, often a late diagnosis. It seems that we are quite the vulnerable population - or rather, it seems like a lot of ADHD people are drawn towards a developer job.

In this talk, I want to tell you about myself, how ADHD affected me and how the late diagnosis changed my life. But it didn’t only change my life - it also affected everyone around me. As colleagues, we have found a new level of understanding with each other that helped us more than any team-building event. And in the end, made us more productive since we now know how to better use our individual strengths, instead of trying to meet social expectations.

I will also talk about general ADHD symptoms and try to give you a rough overview on the topic - what kinds of treatments exist, what kind of coping strategies there are and where the line between “everybody is a bit forgetful” and “ADHD is an illness” lies.

You might recognize yourself in this. Or just a close friend or colleague. Either way, this talk will give you awareness & insights how the mind of a neurodivergent person can work differently - or it may even be an important wake-up-call.

Disclaimer: while I have an interest in the topic and am personally affected, I am not a trained professional on the topic and everything you hear here can only be an inspiration, but never medical advice.