ADHDaptive

28/04/2026

This is how I ended up debugging an accessibility tool at 4:55am.

Ran a check on my site.

It told me I had no headings. I built it. I know it has headings.

Told me the page was force reloading. It isn’t.

Then I noticed the preview it was analysing…

Half the page missing.

So it’s scanning something that doesn’t exist, and still giving me a score and a list of fixes.

And now I’m sat there wondering if I’ve broken something, going back over work that was already fine.

That’s the bit people don’t see.

You don’t just lose time. You start doubting what you’re looking at.

If it can’t load the page properly, just say that. Stop there.

Don’t guess.

I wrote it up properly here if you want it:

Accessibility tools should be accessible. When website accessibility checkers get things wrong, they create more friction.

24/04/2026

I talk a lot about “Powered by ADHD”.

People often think it’s just a nice phrase.
Something positive to make things sound better.

It isn’t.

It’s about working with how your brain actually functions, instead of forcing yourself into systems that keep breaking.

I’ve put together 5 simple strategies that I keep coming back to.
Nothing complicated. Just things that actually help in real life.

– Stop relying on memory
– Make things visible
– Work with your energy
– Lower the barrier to starting
– Create clarity where it doesn’t exist

If you’ve ever felt like you “should” be able to do things the way everyone else does… this is probably for you.

Full post here:

Five ADHD coping strategies based on the Powered by ADHD approach. Simple ways to work with memory, energy, starting tasks and clarity.

23/04/2026

Powered by ADHD?

What if ADHD isn’t the problem…

What if it’s actually the thing driving how we think, work, and build?

It's not neat or conventional but can be incredibly powerful when you stop fighting it.

I wrote something about it

Powered by ADHD is a different way of thinking and working to get the most from your brain. Here’s what it means in practice.

22/04/2026

Bit of a strange one this, I discovered something yesterday, just had to share it!

There is this thing I can do, making a rumbling noise in my ears on demand, it's not something everyone can do.

Apparently, it happens when you voluntarily contract a tiny muscle in your middle ear called the tensor tympani muscle.

Not everyone can control that muscle voluntarily. Only about 10-20% of the population. Who would have thought it.

If you are in the 80% who can't do it, you will wonder what on earth I am talking about, and think I am a little crazy. The 20% that can will know exactly what I mean!

It turns out that things like ear rumbling, tend to occur in a group of people who have higher internal awareness and finer motor control. Most people have the same systems, but there is no conscious control. Some brains keep those controls a bit more accessible.

Sounds like neurodiversity in action! Isn't the human body a wonderful and strange thing!

22/04/2026

Bit of a strange one this, I discovered something yesterday, just had to share it!

There is this thing I can do, making a rumbling noise in my ears on demand, it's not something everyone can do.

Apparently, it happens when you voluntarily contract a tiny muscle in your middle ear called the tensor tympani muscle.

Not everyone can control that muscle voluntarily. Only about 10-20% of the population. Who would have thought it.

If you are in the 80% who can't do it, you will wonder what on earth I am talking about, and think I am a little crazy. The 20% that can will know exactly what I mean!

It turns out that things like ear rumbling, tend to occur in a group of people who have higher internal awareness and finer motor control. Most people have the same systems, but there is no conscious control. Some brains keep those controls a bit more accessible.

Sounds like neurodiversity in action! Isn't the human body a wonderful and strange thing!

For more of my neurodivergent ramblings, check out my blog

Practical articles on ADHD, autism, neurodivergence, work, burnout, emotional wellbeing and everyday life.

21/04/2026

I’ve rebuilt ADHDaptive.org from scratch.
Not a refresh. A full rebuild.

It came from frustration as much as anything else. In true ADHD style, I got fed up of fighting with Wordpress, being restricted by what I could do and struggling with bloat. Too many layers. Too many plugins. Too much effort just to do something simple.

So I stripped it back and built something in pure HTML that actually works, every line of code is there for a reason!

So it's now....

✅ Faster - Check it out, it beats most other sites for speed now
✅ Cleaner
✅ Way easier to use
✅ Way cheaper!

Check it out if you are at all interested in what a bit of ADHD hyperfocus can achieve.

https://adhdaptive.org/

The blog has been revamped too:-

https://adhdaptive.org/adhd-blog-home/

Here are a couple of the latest posts:-
Jeremy Clarkson and ADHD traits
Why people see ADHD traits in Clarkson, impulsiveness, blunt thinking, and pushing against authority.
https://adhdaptive.org/jeremy-clarkson-adhd-traits/

ADHD overwhelm at work
Why everything stacks up, nothing gets finished, and what actually helps when work becomes too much.
https://adhdaptive.org/adhd-overwhelm-at-work-help/

ADHD, autism and gaslighting at work
How workplace conversations can quietly make you doubt yourself, and why neurodivergent people feel it more.
https://adhdaptive.org/adhd-autism-and-gaslighting-at-work/

I’d genuinely love to know what you think.
Drop a comment or just let me know if this feels familiar 👇

Read about how ADHD and Autistic people are often subtly gaslit in the workplace, and discover some practical tips to help in 2026.

27/03/2026

Are you being gaslit at work?

If you are neurodivergent and have ADHD or Autism, you may well be without realising it.

If you ask for reasonable adjustments and told things like

"That's too disruptive for others"
"Others seam to manage ok"
"That's not how we do it around here"
"You are overthinking things"

Or my personal favourite

"We [you] just need be be a bit flexible here"

Then chances are, you are being gaslit.

If you go into a conversation feeling sure of your experiences and needs, and leave questioning yourself, then that's a warning sign.

In the latest blog I go into more detail, and provide some handy hints and tips for spotting gaslighting in the workplace and what you can do to avoid it.

Read about how ADHD and Autistic people are often subtly gaslit in the workplace, and discover some practical tips to help in 2026.

28/01/2026

When I talk to people in Higher Education, I keep hearing the same thing...

Workload building up.
Decisions landing late.
People with responsibility, without control over the decisions that shape their work.

I’ve written a blog about it, talking about what’s happening in universities, and why so many capable neurodivergent people are starting to feel like they’re not coping.

If you work in HE you might recognise yourself in it.

https://adhdaptive.org/pressure-without-ownership-university-systems/

How misaligned decisions and unclear ownership create hidden pressure in university professional services teams, and why the cost is often carried quietly by staff.

23/01/2026

I’m noticing this a lot with people working in universities right now. Not academics, but professional services staff. The ones who keep everything running while structures change again and again.

Constant change. New systems. New priorities. Less clarity. Pressure treated as normal.

What I see is people coping on the outside while their capacity quietly drains. Tasks get harder to start. Thinking feels slower. Social energy disappears. Then comes the self blame.

This is not a resilience issue. It is a load issue.

If you work in HE and feel more tired than you think you should, you are probably not imagining it.

I wrote more about this here, for anyone who wants to read on
https://adhdaptive.org/pressure-burnout-he-professional-services/

And if you do not work in HE and this still sounds familiar, that tells you something too.

Why constant change in UK higher education places hidden pressure on professional services staff, and why neurodivergent employees pay a higher cognitive cost.

07/01/2026

07/01/2026

January sucks.

For a lot of neurodivergent people, motivation doesn’t magically appear just because the calendar changed.

Energy is low.
Everything feels harder.

That’s not failure. It’s recovery.

I’ve written a short piece about why January hits neurodivergent brains so hard, and what helps more than pushing.

https://adhdaptive.org/2026/01/07/motivation-january-neurodivergent/

If January sucks for you too, nothing is wrong with you.

Feeling burnt out after Christmas? Discover why motivation disappears for neurodivergent adults in January—and how to gently recover.