HOW THIS WAS BUILT, AND WHERE IT STOPS
Why this is dramatized.
A Day with ADHD is a story told through a game. It borrows real findings about ADHD to decide what to dramatize, then invents everything else: the scenes, the numbers, the meters. This page says which is which.
Built from research and lived experience
This simulation was built from published research and from the lived experience of a medical student who has ADHD. The research decides what is dramatized; the lived experience decides how it feels. It has not been clinically validated, and it is not a substitute for assessment or care.
In one sentence. The ideas come from research and from lived experience; the numbers are made up to make the ideas playable, and none of it is a measurement of any real person.
What each mechanic draws on
| IN THE GAME | THE IDEA BEHIND IT | HOW IT'S SIMPLIFIED |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity that every choice spends | Executive functions (starting, sequencing, switching, holding a plan) are effortful and are often harder to recruit with ADHD. In children, imaging shows prefrontal cortical regions reaching maturity a few years later than usual (Shaw et al., 2007). See also Barkley (2012); Faraone et al. (2015); Faraone et al. (2021). | A single battery is a metaphor. Real effort is not one number, and the costs here are invented. |
| Dopamine meter that boring steps drain | Reward and motivation systems differ in ADHD. One PET study found lower dopamine-related markers in the brain's reward pathway in unmedicated adults with ADHD, associated with inattention symptoms. Volkow et al. (2009). | "Dopamine" is used as shorthand for motivational fuel. The study was a correlational comparison of two groups, not a model of moment-to-moment levels. |
| Threads lost, scrambled order | Working memory difficulties are among the more consistently reported findings in children with ADHD in a meta-analysis of 26 studies. Martinussen et al. (2005). | Real working memory differences vary by person and by task. The game shows only the lived consequence. |
| Felt vs. real time | Timing differences are reported in ADHD, and one influential account links them to impulsiveness and difficulty waiting. Rubia et al. (2009). | The factors used (a stretch you were pulled into "feels" about 30% as long, a focused one about 85%) are invented for illustration. People differ widely. |
| Sensory static and ambient noise | In a small comparison, parent-reported sensory processing differed between children with ADHD and a comparison group. Shimizu, Bueno & Miranda (2014). | A sample of 37 children per group, parent-reported, is suggestive rather than definitive. Many people with ADHD do not report sensory overload. |
| Emotional flooding (The Argument) | Emotion dysregulation is common across the lifespan in ADHD and adds substantially to impairment. Shaw et al. (2014). | Compresses a complex pattern into five scenes. Not everyone with ADHD has this. |
| Rejection sensitivity (The One-Word Reply) | Widely described in clinical practice and lived-experience writing. It is not a formal diagnostic criterion, and it has less direct trial research than the items above. The scenario draws mainly on lived experience. | Treat it as a recognisable pattern, not an established symptom. |
| Hyperfocus (The Good Day) | Commonly reported by people with ADHD, and less formally studied. Included so the picture isn't only difficulty. | Presented as one possible afternoon, not a trait everyone has. |
| Supports (headphones, writing it down, body double, visible timer) | Practical strategies commonly recommended to reduce what has to be held in mind. Environmental adjustments and skills-based organisation training appear in clinical guidance; body doubling is popular but has limited formal research. | The "points of fatigue saved" are model outputs from design choices, not effect sizes from any study. |
What is invented
- Every number. Costs, meter sizes, thresholds, the fatigue tiers and the "estimated" comparisons were set by hand for pacing and balance.
- Every scene. The days are fictional composites. They are not case studies.
- The estimates on the results screen. "Try the same day with help" and "Same choices, two brains" replay your own choices through a small model. They illustrate an idea, they don't predict a real outcome.
What it leaves out
- The range of presentations (predominantly inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive, combined) and how they differ in children, women and adults.
- Co-occurring conditions such as anxiety, depression, autism, dyslexia and sleep problems.
- Strengths beyond hyperfocus: creativity, energy, empathy, crisis-calm. They matter and are only gestured at.
- Medication, therapy and coaching, and the fact that responses differ widely.
- Masking, shame, years of being told "try harder", and the way those add up. A game can only gesture at that weight.
- Culture, language and access. Experiences and the support available differ enormously around the world.
Who made it, and how
Made by Not Broken ADHD, a free plain-language ADHD guide, from published research and the lived experience of a medical student with ADHD. The scenarios were designed to feel recognisable rather than to teach a checklist.
Strategies are not treatment. Everything the game shows as a support is a practical idea. Clinical guidelines such as NICE NG87 and the American Academy of Pediatrics guideline describe treatment plans that can combine education, psychological and behavioural approaches, adjustments at home, school or work and, where appropriate, medication, decided with a qualified clinician.
The Arabic, Hebrew and Hungarian versions, and the more recent scenarios and extras in all four languages, were produced with AI assistance and may contain errors or unnatural phrasing. If you notice one, please report it through notbrokenadhd.com so it can be fixed.
Data and privacy
- The simulation runs in your browser. Your choices are not sent anywhere.
- An anonymous counter records which outbound partner links are clicked (campaign name, page language and path only), with no cookies, IP address or personal data stored by us.
- Optional community statistics: on the results screen you can choose to add an anonymous summary of your run (scenario, mode, fatigue, counts). It is off by default and only happens if you tick the box.
- Your role choice and an "opt-in" tick are remembered only for the current browser session.
Sources
- Barkley, R. A. (2012). Executive Functions: What They Are, How They Work, and Why They Evolved. Guilford Press.
- Faraone, S. V., Asherson, P., Banaschewski, T., et al. (2015). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 1, 15020. (A 2024 update of this review has since been published in the same journal.)
- Volkow, N. D., Wang, G.-J., Kollins, S. H., et al. (2009). Evaluating dopamine reward pathway in ADHD: clinical implications. JAMA, 302(10), 1084–1091. PubMed Central.
- Martinussen, R., Hayden, J., Hogg-Johnson, S., & Tannock, R. (2005). A meta-analysis of working memory impairments in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 44(4), 377–384. PubMed.
- Rubia, K., Halari, R., Christakou, A., & Taylor, E. (2009). Impulsiveness as a timing disturbance: neurocognitive abnormalities in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder during temporal processes and normalization with methylphenidate. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 364(1525), 1919–1931. PubMed Central.
- Shimizu, V. T., Bueno, O. F. A., & Miranda, M. C. (2014). Sensory processing abilities of children with ADHD. Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy, 18(4), 343–352. PubMed Central.
- Shaw, P., Eckstrand, K., Sharp, W., et al. (2007). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is characterized by a delay in cortical maturation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104(49), 19649–19654. PubMed Central.
- Shaw, P., Stringaris, A., Nigg, J., & Leibenluft, E. (2014). Emotion dysregulation in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 171(3), 276–293. PubMed.
- Faraone, S. V., Banaschewski, T., Coghill, D., et al. (2021). The World Federation of ADHD International Consensus Statement: 208 evidence-based conclusions about the disorder. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 128, 789–818. DOI.
Where to read more
Clinical bodies and research groups behind the ideas in this simulation:
- NIMH: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: overview of symptoms, causes and treatments (US National Institute of Mental Health).
- CDC: ADHD: facts for the public and for clinicians (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
- NICE guideline NG87: ADHD: diagnosis and management, UK clinical guideline for children, young people and adults.
- AAP clinical practice guideline (2019): diagnosis, evaluation and treatment in children and adolescents (Wolraich et al.).
- World Federation of ADHD International Consensus Statement (2021): 208 evidence-based conclusions.
- Royal College of Psychiatrists: ADHD in adults, good practice guidance (CR235).
- CHADD: Children and Adults with ADHD, a patient and family organisation.
General information only, not medical advice. If ADHD is a concern for you or someone you know, a qualified clinician can help.