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What worries me is how AI impacts neurodivergent programmers. I have ADHD and it simply doesn't work for me to constantly be switching context between the code I'm writing and the AI chat. I am terrified that I will be forced out of the industry if I can't keep up with people who are able to use AI.

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Fellow diagnosed ADHD here. And I know every ADHD is different and people are different.

What helps me is:

- Prefer faster models like VSCode's Copilot Raptor Mini which, despite the name, is like 80% capable of what Sonnet 4.5 is. And is much faster. It is a fine tunned GPT 5 mini.

- Start writting the next prompt while LLMs work or keep pondering about the current problem at hand. This helps our chaotic brain to keep focused.

I find that any additional overhead caused by the separate AI chat is saved 20x over by basically never having to use a browser to look at documentation and S/O while coding.

That makes sense. I do use AI for questions like "what's the best way to flatten a list of lists in Python" or "what is the interface for this library function". I just don't use it the way I see some people do where they have it write the rough draft of their code or identify where a bug is.

And studies find that that 20x is actually a 0.8x

0.1x

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