Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is not a condition limited to childhood. For many adults, it represents a daily challenge, a kind of constant background noise that complicates even the simplest tasks. You may feel like you are navigating through fog, struggling to stay on course with your goals, or feeling your internal engine running at full throttle without ever really moving forward. If these feelings resonate with you, know that you are not alone and that tools exist to help you better manage your attention. Among them, cognitive training proves to be a valuable ally.
This article aims to demystify ADHD in adults and explore in detail how brain training, particularly through applications like JOE, your brain coach, can help you strengthen your cognitive skills and live better with this disorder.
ADHD is often associated with the image of a restless young boy who cannot sit still. This view is not only reductive, but it also makes invisible the millions of adults, men and women, who live with this neurodevelopmental disorder. It is time to move beyond these stereotypes to understand the complex reality of ADHD in adulthood.
What is ADHD? A simple definition
ADHD is neither a lack of intelligence, nor a willpower problem, nor an excuse for laziness. It is a neurodevelopmental disorder, which means it is related to the structure and functioning of the brain. It primarily affects "executive functions," which are somewhat like the conductor of our brain. These functions allow us to organize ourselves, plan, regulate our emotions, maintain our attention, and control our impulses. In a person with ADHD, this conductor is often distracted, making the symphony of daily life more chaotic.
Key symptoms in adults
While physical hyperactivity tends to diminish with age, it often transforms into internal restlessness, a feeling of never being at rest. The symptoms of ADHD in adults primarily manifest around three axes, which can vary in intensity from person to person:
- Inattention: It's not that you aren't listening, but your attention is like a butterfly flitting from flower to flower. This translates into difficulty concentrating on long or unstimulating tasks, frequent forgetfulness (keys, appointments), a tendency to lose items, difficulty following detailed instructions, and a propensity for procrastination.
- Hyperactivity: In adults, this can be more subtle. It may involve constant inner restlessness, a need to move (tapping your foot, playing with a pen), difficulty sitting still, or a tendency to talk excessively.
- Impulsivity: This is the difficulty in curbing one's reactions. It can manifest as hasty decisions without considering the consequences (impulsive purchases, career changes on a whim), a tendency to interrupt others, or a low tolerance for frustration.
The impact on daily life
The consequences of these symptoms are far from trivial. Professionally, ADHD can lead to difficulties meeting deadlines, uneven performance, and strained relationships with colleagues. In personal life, it can complicate financial management, household task organization, and the stability of friendships or romantic relationships. Very often, this internal struggle leads to low self-esteem, anxiety, and a feeling of never measuring up, despite a very real potential.
The ADHD brain: an orchestra without a conductor
To understand the importance of cognitive training, it is essential to take a look under the hood, at how the ADHD brain functions. It is not a "failing" brain, but rather a brain that works differently.
What are executive functions?
Imagine you need to prepare a large meal. You first need to plan the menu (planning), make a shopping list (organization), stick to it in the supermarket without buying the entire cookie aisle (inhibition control), start the preparation (task initiation), manage multiple cooking tasks at the same time (cognitive flexibility), and not forget the sauce on the stove (working memory). All these actions are managed by your executive functions. For a person with ADHD, each step of this process is a challenge. The conductor is overwhelmed, and the musicians each play their own part without coordinating.
The role of neurotransmitters
This brain "conductor" relies on chemical messengers called neurotransmitters to communicate with the "musicians" (the different areas of the brain). Two of these messengers, dopamine and norepinephrine, are particularly important for attention, motivation, and mood regulation. In an ADHD brain, the regulation of these neurotransmitters is altered. There may not be necessarily "not enough," but their circulation and availability are not optimal. It's a bit like trying to send an important message over a phone network that has intermittent outages.
Why "simple willpower" is not enough
Understanding this neurological aspect is crucial. You cannot ask a nearsighted person to "see better" by concentrating. Similarly, you cannot ask a person with ADHD to "just make an effort" to concentrate. It is not a lack of willpower, but a difference in neurological wiring. This is where cognitive training comes into play: it aims not to force willpower, but to strengthen the underlying neural circuits.
Cognitive training: strengthening your brain to better manage ADHD
If ADHD is related to the structure of the brain, are we doomed to suffer its effects for our entire lives? The answer is no. Thanks to a fascinating phenomenon called neuroplasticity, our brains can change and reorganize throughout life.
The principle of neuroplasticity
Your brain is not a frozen piece of marble, but rather a dense forest. Every time you learn something or repeat an action, you are taking a neural path. At first, this path is barely visible, covered in underbrush. But the more you take it, the clearer it becomes, strengthens, and turns into a fast and efficient route. Cognitive training involves creating and specifically strengthening the neural paths related to executive functions that are often less developed in ADHD. It is a true workout for your brain.
How does cognitive training work?
Cognitive training relies on specific exercises, repeated and gradually increasing in difficulty. The idea is to challenge a specific cognitive function (like attention or working memory) to its limits, in order to "force" it to adapt and become more efficient. It's the same principle as in sports: you don't lift the same weight your whole life. To progress, you need to increase the load. Similarly, cognitive exercises adapt to your level to keep you in an optimal challenge zone, neither too easy (boring) nor too difficult (discouraging).
What skills are targeted?
Cognitive training does not aim to "cure" ADHD, but to strengthen the skills that are most impacted by this disorder. It is a pragmatic approach that seeks to provide you with concrete tools. The main skills targeted are:
- Sustained attention: The ability to stay focused on a task for an extended period, even if it is monotonous.
- Selective attention (or concentration): The ability to focus on relevant information while ignoring surrounding distractions (the famous "background noise").
- Working memory: This short-term memory allows you to retain and manipulate information for a few seconds (holding a phone number long enough to write it down, following a conversation).
- Cognitive flexibility: The ability to switch from one task to another or to change perspective.
- Inhibitory control: The ability to curb an impulsive thought or action.
- Planning and organization: The ability to break down a complex goal into sequential and logical steps.
JOE, your brain coach: a concrete tool for your daily life
Knowing that you need to "strengthen your brain" is one thing, but finding the right exercises and staying motivated is another. This is where applications like JOE, your brain coach, become particularly interesting. They transform the principles of cognitive training into an accessible, structured, and engaging experience.
A personalized and playful approach
JOE is not a one-size-fits-all program. The app first assesses your performance to identify your strengths and areas for improvement. Then, it offers you a tailored training program, with difficulty adjusting in real-time to your progress. Moreover, the exercises are presented in the form of games. This playful approach ("gamification") is essential, as it activates the reward circuit in the brain (via dopamine), which is particularly effective for maintaining motivation, a major challenge for people with ADHD.
Targeted exercises for ADHD challenges
Specifically, what does a training session on JOE look like and how does it help you? Here are some examples:
- To strengthen sustained attention: Imagine an exercise where you must carefully follow a target moving among many other identical targets moving in all directions. By training regularly, you strengthen your ability to stay focused during a long meeting or while reading an important document, without letting your mind wander at the slightest distraction.
- To improve working memory: Think of a game where you must memorize a sequence of objects that appear on the screen, then reproduce it. The sequence gets longer as you succeed. This is direct training to better retain the instructions given to you, remember what you came to find in a room, or not lose track of your thoughts when speaking.
- To develop planning: A challenge may ask you to solve a problem by moving objects in a certain order, in as few moves as possible. This trains you to anticipate, sequence your actions, and think strategically. This skill then transfers into your life to better break down a large project into manageable tasks.
The importance of consistency and tracking
Like physical exercise, the benefits of cognitive training only manifest with consistency. A session now and then is not enough. JOE is designed to encourage you to integrate training into your routine, with short sessions (15-20 minutes a day) and reminders. The app also allows you to visually track your progress, which is extremely rewarding and reinforces your motivation to continue. Seeing your scores improve is tangible proof that your efforts are paying off.
Integrating cognitive training into a holistic approach
It is important to maintain a realistic perspective. Cognitive training is a powerful tool, but it is not a magic solution. For optimal management of ADHD, it must be part of a broader strategy tailored to your specific needs.
A complement, not a substitute
Brain training with an app like JOE is an excellent complement to traditional approaches, but it does not replace them. For many people, effective management of adult ADHD includes:
- Medical follow-up: A diagnosis made by a healthcare professional is essential. In some cases, medication may be proposed to help regulate neurotransmitters.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): It helps understand the thought and behavior patterns related to ADHD and develop concrete strategies to modify them.
- Specialized ADHD coaching: A coach can help you set up organizational and productivity systems tailored to your functioning.
Cognitive training strengthens the "hardware" (your neural circuits), while therapy and coaching help you install the right "software" (strategies and habits).
Developing compensatory strategies
The ultimate goal of cognitive training is not to become a champion of the app's games, but to transfer these enhanced skills into your everyday life. For example, better working memory will help you use a planner or to-do list more effectively. Improved planning ability will allow you to better apply methods like the Pomodoro technique (working in 25-minute intervals). The app strengthens your brain, and it is up to you to use this new strength to more skillfully handle the tools and strategies of your daily life.
Patience and self-compassion: your best allies
The path to better managing your ADHD is a marathon, not a sprint. There will be days when you feel on top of the world, and others when the mental fog seems thicker. This is normal. The important thing is to be patient with yourself. Celebrate every small victory, whether it's completing a training session on JOE or managing not to interrupt a colleague. Learn to see your ADHD not as a flaw, but as a peculiarity of your functioning. With the right tools, the right strategy, and a good dose of self-compassion, you can learn to work with your brain, rather than against it. Cognitive training is one of the keys that can help you unlock your full potential.
The article "ADHD in Adults: The Contribution of Cognitive Training" explores the potential benefits of cognitive training for adults with ADHD. A related article that may also interest you is Other Products, which presents various tools and programs designed to improve cognitive functions and support individuals with attention or memory disorders. These resources can be particularly helpful for those seeking to better understand and manage the challenges associated with ADHD in adulthood.
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