Resources
Time Mapping for Time Blindness
Do you or your child struggle with time blindness?
Our brains sense time from internal and external cues similar to how we perceive light, sound, and taste. The typical human brain can accurately predict the time of day and the passage of time. Neurodiverse brains, including those with ADHD or ASD, can often experience the phenomenon of time blindness.
When people have time blindness, they have difficulty sensing time, which can lead to many challenges.
Time blindness can look like this:
- Overestimating or underestimating how much time has passed
- Not knowing how long a task takes
- Difficulty creating and sticking to a schedule
- Hyper focusing
- Losing track of time
- Struggling to be on time
- Struggling to stay on task and transitioning between tasks
- Difficulty waiting
- Feeling rushed
- Disorganization
- Seeming ‘lazy’
People with time blindness often struggle in many aspects of their lives. Fortunately, many strategies can help reduce the effects of time blindness:
- Time mapping (see resource below!)
- Keeping a time journal
- Using planners and notifications
- Taking breaks
- Minimizing distractions
- Routines
- A place for everything and everything in its place
- Building in breaks
- Incorporating movement
- Buffer time
For young children, learning how to sense time and accurately predict how long a task will take significantly contributes to school success. Starting these strategies at a young age will allow your child to strengthen these skills and reduce the likelihood that they will experience time blindness.
– Becky Bishop, Case Manager and Lead Instructor
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