Did you know that October is #adhdawarenessmonth ? Hi, It’s Me ! I have ADHD is a great book to explain to children and adults what Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is.
I had no idea #ADHDAwarenessMonth was a thing (or I just forgot about it--either way, thanks, @KydiaMusic for the notice! lol) so due to my choice in username, I feel obligated to share a little about my experience. 😁
So here's the heavy shit: It's estimated that kids with #ADHD receive over 20,000 more negative messages/corrections than neurotypical kids by the time they are 10 years old. That's not an insignificant number on paper, but living it is something else entirely.
I was diagnosed at 21 years old. When someone goes undiagnosed that long, it means that they've internalized more than a few stories they've been told about themselves. "I'm stupid," "I'm lazy," "I'm a failure," "I'm afraid of success," "I can't do anything right," and other fun fables. This is a quasi-universal experience for us because it's not just "hard" to avoid internalizing that. It's not the same as having a bully tell you you're a sack of crap every day at school; it's everyone in your life--friends, teachers, your parents. When the people that love you most in the world are fed up with you on a daily basis, it wreaks havoc on your self-esteem.
Now here's the truth about ADHD: Yes, it's a disadvantage in school, at work, and in our relationships. The fact is, however, that having an ADHD brain is not the problem. ADHD will only remain a disability while the world continues to be disabling to us.
The ADHD brain is wild. It's untamed. We're out-of-the-box thinkers. We're creative. We're perpetual students and teachers. We're passionate, excitable, bright, and lively people. ADHD brains are typically charismatic and have a veritable toolbox of skills and acquired knowledge. We're often great in a crisis and can think fast on our feet when put in a corner. Our brains actually take in more information than neurotypical brains, and while it can be intensely overwhelming at times, it also means we are surprisingly observant and skilled multi-taskers. In fact, studies have shown that, despite our "scattered" nature and difficulty directing our attention, we can be given a task in a room full of distractions and not only complete the task more efficiently than our neurotypical counterparts, but we can recall more details about the distractions and environment afterward.
All this is to say that there is a real need for #ADHDAwareness in our world, because #ADHDers have so much to offer but so many of us don't get anywhere near what we need to thrive. We need parents and teachers to be curious about us, not judgmental. We need leadership at school and at work that is knowledgeable about our condition. We need accommodations to be accessible to us, if not baked into more systems for everyone. We need timely diagnoses, especially for girls/women, people of color, and intersectional folks who are all systematically under-diagnosed, misdiagnosed, and ignored.
Anyway, thank you for reading. Sincerely. Go give an ADHDer a hug. Peace and love. 🤙
Dr Russell Barclay: ADHD & Lack of Play - Further Refutations of Jordan Peterson
"such a position has no scientific standing, is worse than wrong, and is morally offensive given the voluminous research on the neurodevelopment and genetic nature of ADHD"
"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." -- attributed to Albert Einstein