Austin Deal

I know with ADHD, I have developed problem solving skills that are natural to me. I have had to develop methods to make sure I understand others correctly, to use logical reasoning and critical thinking, with a large amount of cognitive flexibility to solve the problems I end up facing because of my ADHD. I know I end up putting a lot of pressure on myself, so I have had to be able to adapt to the situations I put myself in and find solutions. I have found that I am able to understand things in ways that other do not, and I constantly put myself in other people's shoes to understand their points of views. So I am use to out of the box thinking and I really enjoy learning different approaches and methodology. In the math that I do now, I am incredibly good at looking at other people's work and being able to follow their reasoning and arguments, and can grasp their solutions and reasons quickly and use the information I gain to solve current problems I am working on. I think it is referred to as cognitive flexibility. I find myself being able to use solutions I have seen in other places and remember them and understand how they work, and why they work, and when to apply them a lot quicker than others. It has definitely really helped me succeed in a variety of ways that I see that not a lot of other people have. And I also use this skill when communicating to others to find ways to help people understand things. When I am helping someone understand calculus, I always do my best to find explanations that make sense according to them, and use that to bridge them over to understanding the pure mathematics side of things. I think that is a unique advantage I have because of my life living with ADHD.