Lagging skills are something you hear a lot about in the business world, but what does that mean for an ADHD individual?
Lagging skills are the areas where an ADHD person is behind in comparison to their same-age peers and is not meeting the expectations placed upon them that are traditionally recognized as age appropriate. For ADHD- the lagging skills impact can be viewed as social, emotional and in relation to executive functioning.
- Social lagging skills: These are the challenges in deciphering and accurately interpreting the social nuances of relationships. This is related to perspective taking, the ability to recognize time and place for conversations, being able to ‘read the room’ and understanding how and when something should be shared.
- Emotional lagging skills: These are the challenges related to deciphering and accurately interpreting the emotional interactions both within ourselves and how we respond to others, and how others react to our behaviors. This is related to having emotional awareness, the ability to accurately identify if a person is angry or just tired, and all things related to emotions and feelings.
- Executive Functioning lagging skills: These are the challenges related to daily living tasks. They are the expectations and demands in order to complete necessary tasks- getting ready in the morning, remembering things at school, and following through with requested actions.
One of the most important things as a parent you can do is begin to identify your child’s lagging skills and recognize how this may contribute to the challenges you have at home and school. Lagging skills can be improved but are also a direct reflection of the ADHD diagnosis. This is something that parent coaching can assist with! Learn more by connecting with us.