JimC: that was a *great* post you put up there. Since I still work in the IT field (because no one in any of the arts industries has seen fit to call on me yet), I related very well to all of it. Here are some additional thoughts on some of the points you brought up.
1. The Ability to Hyperfocus.
You mentioned spending all night and most of the early morning hours on the internet. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve gotten “lost” on the net at home because of this dynamic, for a similar amount of hours. The first time it happened, and I noticed the time, I laughed out loud – I had *no* awareness of how much time had gone by. (This was pre-diagnosis too)
2. Rapid Fire Mind.
Here, you mentioned about how fast our brains processes information, and the frustration when machines can’t keep up. I have to note this ability/quirk also causes problems when you’re conversing with someone, and you know *exactly* where they’re going, and you have to exercise patience and not interrupt him so that you can get to the next point. We don’t often see it as a problem, but an ability that helps us to move through problems quickly. Certainly *I* don’t see it as a problem – just something to be aware of. I like catching on quickly like this. Makes life more interesting.
3. Multitasking at Will.
You mentioned being able to do several projects at a time with ease. Unfortunately, the opposite of this coin is that our form of multitasking can mean nothing gets completed. And I wouldn’t call it multi-tasking, so much as multi-threading – when focused on one thing, we’re not even thinking about the other one. This side of the coin fits me perfectly, as I’ve never done a project to my satisfaction. In fact, I learned *very* early that projects were my kryptonite (back in grade school) and avoided them where I could, and faked it when I couldn’t avoid them. School projects *always* brought my grades down.
4. High Energy Level.
You talked about how we can keep going for long hours on stuff that truly interests us. Certainly true for me: I’ve been on the receiving end of accolades at work during times of crisis because of this ability too. Funny though how if it’s repetitive and boring, we often “check out” long before we’re done. The activity becomes a kind of hell. Admin stuff – not our forté.
5. Highly Creative.
Really liked what you had to say about our natural ability to enjoy a kalaedoscope of ideas and thoughts that completely break the bounds of linear thinking. It’s almost impossible to conform to the latter, isn’t it? I notice that my daughter (who exhibits the same characteristics as me, but hasn’t yet been diagnosed as having ADD) and I can have such amazing conversations, yet we appear to be chaotic and maybe a little mad to others who try to join in. (“What? How did you get to that topic? We never started there”) 
6. Quick Learner.
Yes! As you said: but only if it’s something that interests us. The downside: if something isn’t immediately applicable, it becomes almost impossible for us to learn, or stay with the class. Such a major obstacle on so many levels.
7. Stimulus Seeking Brain.
Oh absolutely. I recall, during my testing for ADHD, being distracted by a bird on a windowsill, and the contents of a computer screen – and commenting on both, at different times. The person doing the examination immediately realized what was going on, and so she shut the window blind, and turned the computer off. A wise decision.
8. Constantly Scanning your Environment.
I really liked what you had to say about this, Jim. The fact that our constant scanning allows us to see problems before they come up. There’s a corollary to this: I think that often, because we’re able to see all sides of a conflict easily, we’re able to see the common ground and actual issues a little more clearly – it seems so obvious to us. And so we can quickly come up with a resolution all can live with – even if it’s not the ideal for anyone.
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