Oh! I Forgot About That and Repeating Familiar Behaviors
What My Parents Taught Me
Do you lack attention to detail? Or have an inability to focus? What about forgetfulness?
These are common symptoms of ADHD.
What some of you might not know about me is that I have a child living with ADHD. She’s just finishing eighth grade, and we’ve been on this journey together since she was diagnosed in second grade. I’ve spent hours through the years learning about the condition and making sure she has the best circumstances for succeeding in school, and tools for handling life as an ADHDer.
We have kept her in private schools with small class sizes and a forgiving nature when it comes to turning in assignments on time and developing skills that non-ADHD kids easily take to. Her other parents and I (she has four including her biological parents, her stepfather and stepmom) have also learned to see the benefits of ADHD - heightened empathy for others, a high level of creativity, and hyper-focused at times. She’s a smart cookie, and talented in so many ways.
As she’s transitioning to high school, we’re moving her into a public school that has the same schedule daily and classes that are “double-timed” so she finishes entire classes during each semester instead of a full year. Her executive function skills coach believes this structure will work better for her than the A/B schedule that most high schools now have.
Resources I Recommend
If you are struggling with ADHD, or you are a parent or significant other of someone with ADHD, you might find these resources helpful. I especially like the YouTube videos of Dr. Russel A. Barkley—so informative.
Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD): https://chadd.org/about-adhd/overview/
Centre for ADHD Awareness, Canada (CADDAC): https://www.youtube.com/@adhdvid/videos
Russell A. Barkley, Ph.D., Dedicated to Education and Research on ADHD:
https://www.russellbarkley.org/
And Now the Fun
Getting diagnosed with ADHD isn’t all bad. Some of our best comedians have ADHD. Check out this clip for just one example.