ADHD glossary · Family perspectives
Delegation: hand over a defined task, not an unspoken bundle
Delegation involves passing a task or part of a responsibility to someone else. This page concerns a voluntary arrangement in an ordinary shared project. It does not define an employer's authority, legal delegation, professional duties, or who may make decisions for a child.
General education and practical perspectives. Editorial standards.
The practical issue is what the handoff includes. A person needs to know whether they are being asked to gather information, choose among options, carry out a decision, or maintain something over time. Those are different kinds of work.
A small handoff with clear limits
In this invented example, two partners are preparing an informal game afternoon. One asks the other to choose two games from the shared collection. Before accepting, the second partner asks whether they are choosing the games or merely suggesting options for the first partner to approve.
They agree to hand over the choice within stated limits: use games confirmed as available for this gathering, and choose for the number of players the organizer has provided. The second partner will name the two choices. Setting up the room and teaching the games are not included. They need not seek approval for each choice again if it fits the agreement.
The first partner later remembers a game they would prefer. They label that as a new suggestion, not a requirement the chooser somehow missed. If they now want to make the final selection themselves, they need to discuss the changed role. Calling the original offer delegation would not make constant unannounced reversals part of what the other person accepted.
Before handing over the work
Task being offered:
What the person has actually accepted:
Choices they may make within this task:
Information or materials someone else will provide:
What requires another conversation:
How and when the result will be shared:
What remains with the original organizer:
If no one accepts the work, record that openly. Do not treat silence or someone's presence in a conversation as agreement to become responsible.
Help is not always a full transfer
A child may suggest a favorite game without accepting the selection task. A grandparent may offer to bring one agreed box without accepting a teaching role. A teen may accept a choice within stated limits but ask for information about the gathering first. Name those different contributions instead of treating all help as a transfer of responsibility.
The person handing over work can explain constraints without prescribing every action. If they plan to redo the entire result regardless, it is worth discussing what role they actually want the other person to have. An honest request for suggestions is different from assigning ownership.
When the scope changes
Return to the agreement if new work appears, resources are unavailable, or the person can no longer do it. A changed request needs a changed agreement. This example does not claim that delegation is always suitable, that people must accept tasks, or that it resolves an ADHD-related difficulty.
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