Are you clumsy? I am. We have ADHD.
Did you know that clumsy is a part of ADHD, even if it’s not in the criteria for diagnosis? It’s not a criteria because the criteria are chosen to distinguish a diagnosis from other possible diagnoses, and clumsy does not do that, because it apparently can come from a number of other diagnoses. There are other symptoms that are similarly not in the criteria but that we ADHDers have more than our share of. Irritability is one for example.
My view is that if the wiring between our cerebellum and our basal ganglia is screwed up, both of which are involved with coordination of movement, then guess what. Dyscoordination, uncoordinated, klutzy, clumsy!
Our problems are more in fine motor movements than in large motor movements. So in football, I could play in the line but never be a back or a receiver. But we can have problems in large motor movements too; I was the second slowest guy on the team.
We also have problems with balance, related mostly to the cerebellum.
So my theory is that our cerebellums (cerebella?) and basal ganglia are screwed up themselves, and not just the connections between them.
Strategy:
With practice exercises we may be able to improve our coordination and our balance somewhat, and that might even improve our ADHD symptoms somewhat. Maybe.
doug
Links:
Quote O the Day:
“If I haven’t dropped it, spilled it, or knocked it over, it’s probably nailed down.”
Me
Personal Notes O the Day:
The more I learn about ADHD, the more it explains about me and my experiences.
I plan to discuss diagnosis, the DSM, and it’s criteria soon. (“I plan to” – right!)
Your Life Can Be better, using strategies for adult ADHD, second edition, is now on Amazon and Smashwords. The focus is on strategies to deal with ADHD problems, like procrastination, inertia, distraction, overwhelmed, disorganization, etc., with special sections on studying and learning, ADHD medications, and others.
Getting this done has been a booger. I’m still struggling with the cover which isn’t quite right but I may have to live with it. There’s been some sales but no reviews show yet. Reviews are always appreciated. Unfortunately, on Smashwords you have to buy the book to leave a review, but not on Amazon. Fortunately, the eBook versions are inexpensive.
The second edition is improved, and many typos and other errors are corrected (at least I think so.)
The novel, Alma Means Soul, is on the 15th and I hope final draft. I’m still fixing errors and a few editing issues. I really like it. The writing style is rather unique; some of the beta readers loved it and some didn’t. The current problem is getting a cover.
I like writing, editing not so much, marketing even less. Part of my ADHD problem is trying to do too much at the same time. Still, I am getting it done. I hope people will find the books useful and enjoyable.
#ADHD, @addstrategies, @adhdstrategies
ADDadultstrategies 
Doug, it goes even deeper than the subcortical areas. As you know I have been pursuing the chiropractic neurorehabilitation approach.
Ive talked about “sensory mismatch” on my blog.
Ive talked about my atlas subluxation.
Now I find that a group of neurosurgeons and chiropractors describe this as craniocervical instability (very similar to Heiner Biederemann’s Kinematic Instability with Suboccipital Strain).
The point here is the instability and the bimodal behaviour of the system.
Very recently I became aware that most of my pain issues were driven by a sort of flip flop between 2 spinal alignments – one of them upright and one of them slumped to the right with the atlas a little out of alignment (the transverse processes of C1 and 2 displaced posterolaterally). I can reference that if you like- but maybe later 🙂
I realised that failure of stimulation of the extrapyramidal system was causing the right sided droop, and that caused a crooked atlas with sensory mismatch and a feedback loop.
I had my doctor resume me on a very small dose of stimulant and the improvement in posture (and thoracic pain) as my facet joints were unloaded) was clear over 30 minutes or so.
Over the past 2 weeks my clumsiness has vastly decreased, and my driving is much better (and faster due to a better spatial judgment).
Now what I am proposing here is that it is the instability in the system that is the real killer.
My cerebellum is fine, despite my liking a drink- it just couldn’t work out whether it was meant to operate the upright body or the slumped body.
As my system stabilises all this is going away very fast.
In the first week i had some issues with ongoing instability and rapid switching from overly sympathetically active to just exhausted.
I saw my chiro again and with some testing we determined 2 problems
1) Underactivity in the Left Saaccule (otolith organ) leading to a tendency to pull my head backwards and to the right and destabilise the atlas- causing the feedback loop to reactivate at that point.
The other point was that i still have poor balance- and my capacity to balance to the back is in the bottom 9%. So- if I look up- i tend to get unstable and nauseous. That explains the issues I was having while shopping in very tall stores like hardware stores where I would become unstable and nauseous- and have no idea why.
However it is easily addressed with an app called optodrum which retrains me to be better at looking up.
Ive also been prescribed time on a troop test to enhance basal ganglia competence while I am in good position.
Anyhow- the problem ha sort of retreated from frontal lobe to the subcortical areas to the sensory inputs of the subcortical system, and the consequent feedback loops.
Interesting.
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mindbody
very interesting. glad you’re better.
thank you for commenting.
best wishes
doug
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This question is addressed in these 2 books:
ADHD as a Model of Brain-Behavior Relationships
Leonard F. Koziol Deborah Ely Budding Dana Chidekel Sep 2013
Subcortical Structures and Cognition: Implications for Neuropsychological Assessment
Leonard F. KoziolDeborah Ely BuddingApr 2009
Springer Science & Business Media
The frontal lobe issues do not reflect primary frontal lobe dysfunction, but they do reflect input dysfunction from the brainstem, cerebellum and basal ganglia.
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MindBody
Great comment, clarifying- it’s not the frontal lobe’s fault, it’s not getting the input, lacking connections.
thank you for contributing
doug
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Good one!😍
Sent from my iPad
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martha
thank you!
love,
doug
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