TL;DR - Key Takeaways
- •ADHD characteristics were the only positive predictor of divergent thinking in a study of 60 engineering undergraduates - SAT scores predicted GPA, ADHD predicted creativity.
- •Neurodiverse workers are 25% more satisfied with AI assistants (UK DBT) and 30% more productive in innovation-focused roles (Deloitte).
- •AI assistance led to a 17% decrease in mastery on concept quizzes, with heavy reliance correlating with less independent thinking (Anthropic 2025).
- •ADHD brains and LLMs share 10 structural parallels: associative generation, limited working memory, confabulation, pattern over sequence preference, and dependence on input structure.
Key Data Points and Quotable Findings
The Top 10 Most Powerful Data Points
1. The METR Slowdown (2025)
Experienced developers using AI tools were 19% slower on familiar codebases. They believed they were 20% faster — a 40-percentage-point perception gap.
- Source: METR RCT, n=16 developers, 246 tasks, arXiv:2507.09089
2. The Neurodivergent Satisfaction Gap
Neurodiverse workers were 25% more satisfied with AI assistants than neurotypical respondents.
- Source: UK Department for Business and Trade
3. ADHD as Only Creativity Predictor
In a study of 60 engineering undergraduates, ADHD characteristics were the only positive predictor of divergent thinking ability. SAT scores predicted GPA; ADHD predicted creativity.
- Source: Taylor (2020), Journal of Engineering Education
4. The Junior-Senior Productivity Inversion
Junior developers see 21-40% productivity gains from AI, while senior developers experience 7-16% improvement.
- Source: Multiple industry reports
5. The Trust Gap
Only 3% of developers trust AI-generated code without review. Experienced developers show the highest distrust (20% report “no trust at all”).
- Source: Stack Overflow 2025 Developer Survey
6. The Competence Penalty
Engineers using AI received ratings 9% lower for identical work compared to those who did not use AI.
- Source: Developer resistance research (Avelino)
7. Neurodivergent Team Productivity
Teams with neurodivergent members are 30% more productive in innovation-focused roles.
- Source: Deloitte
8. The AI Mastery Paradox
Using AI assistance led to a 17% decrease in mastery on concept quizzes, with heavy AI reliance correlating with less independent thinking.
- Source: Anthropic Research (2025)
9. ADHD False Memory Rate
Adults with ADHD produce significantly more false memories than controls, recalling fewer studied words but generating more confabulations.
- Source: Soliman & Elfar (2017), Journal of Attention Disorders, effect size d=0.69+
10. The Community Scale
There are 65,000+ members in r/ADHD_Programmers alone.
- Source: Reddit
Most Quotable Statements
From Research
“Divergent thinking may be the key to the next leap in AI performance.” — Deloitte Insights
“Neurodivergent professionals don’t just benefit from AI tools; they’re often the ones who find the most creative and effective ways to use them.” — Microsoft Research
“ADHD brains need external structure to balance internal chaos. AI delivers this structure on demand.” — Community consensus
From Developers
“Als ADHD-Dev: KI ist Segen und Fluch.” (As an ADHD dev: AI is blessing and curse.)
“Claude is a programmable prosthetic for planning, prioritization, and compassionate pushback.” — Zack Proser
“Context switching kills me: jumping between tools breaks my flow state.” — Mohamed Amgad Khater
“In the course of five minutes, my inner dialogue may context shift at least a hundred times.” — Jeff Putz
The Core Thesis in One Line
When syntax is commoditized by AI, creativity becomes the only remaining human advantage — and ADHD brains are creativity machines.
The Parallel in One Table
| Feature | ADHD Brain | LLM |
|---|---|---|
| Generates ideas associatively | Yes | Yes |
| Confabulates plausible-sounding falsehoods | Yes | Yes |
| Limited working memory / context window | Yes | Yes |
| Better at patterns than sequences | Yes | Yes |
| Needs external structure to perform | Yes | Yes |
| Produces best work through sustained focused engagement | Yes (hyperfocus) | Yes (iterative prompting) |
| Easily loses earlier context | Yes | Yes |
| ”Hallucinates” with confidence | Yes | Yes |
| Existence in eternal present (no time sense) | Yes | Yes |
| Output quality depends heavily on input structure | Yes | Yes |
The Inversion in Numbers
| Before AI | After AI |
|---|---|
| Syntax knowledge = power | Syntax knowledge = commoditized |
| Memorization = advantage | Creativity = advantage |
| Convergent thinking = productive | Divergent thinking = productive |
| Expert = fastest | Expert = 19% slower |
| ADHD = disadvantage | ADHD = natural fit |
| ”Know the answer” culture | ”Ask the right question” culture |
| Internal mastery valued | External tool fluency valued |
| Problem solving rewarded | Problem finding rewarded |
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