ADHD Intuition

I have a superpower, a spidey sense.

An innate ability to sense things that others cannot.

Where did I get this superpower? It's a side effect of my neurological disorder, ADHD.

ADHD causes impairment of executive function.

Executive function is the process which helps organize thoughts, prioritize activities, and filter out noise to focus on what is most important.

Imagine your brain has an assistant that collects all sensory input data. Then sorts it, organizes it, and sets a neat stack of the most important papers on the conscious brain's desk for use. This is how a neurotypical brain works.

With ADHD, the brain's assistant has left the building. Everything lands on the desk with no prioritization, no system. All that data and little hope of knowing where the most important bits lie.

What does this have to do with intuition?

Have you ever heard your phone buzz and you just knew that it was a text from your friend Sam? This isn't divine intervention. Your brain collects data, finds patterns, and determines the most likely texter. This is your intuition.

With the mess atop its metaphorical desk, the ADHD brain has much more data to work with—unique data that other brain assistants would toss. This gives the ADHD brain a window into unique insights that are impossible for others to see. A spidey sense.

So when your friend with ADHD tells you they've got a gut feeling about something they can't explain, pay attention.