Three Great Assets That Individuals With ADHD Possess
Many children with mild to modest symptoms of ADHD are not easily identified as having ADHD until they reach middle school. As younger children, their parents and teachers may have attributed their energy and occasional inattentiveness to “being a kid” or being creative. This is because, in early elementary school, many children with mild ADHD are able to perform adequately in their academics and, if they have an endearing demeanor, are generally well-liked by their peers, teachers and other school faculty. However, by the time they get to middle school the increasing academic demands, as well as their inability to utilize their executive functioning skills effectively, begin to cause significant problems for these students.
For kids with more severe symptoms of ADHD, particularly those who are hyperactive, ADHD is often both highly problematic, and highly noticeable. This is particularly true in the traditional classroom, where they are expected to be capable of sitting in one seat for an extended period of time, while also being expected to complete worksheets focused on drill and skill repetition. Though the classroom can be a challenging environment for students with ADHD, there are also a number of great lessons that can be learned and skills that can be used to the child’s advantage that stem from their ADHD.
Here are three reasons why ADHD may in fact be leveraged into a strength for your child rather than as a weakness, as well as a few articles to read that can support you in helping your child transform their ADHD into their greatest asset rather than their greatest deficit.
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Need for Speed: While many medications and other treatments for ADHD aim to slow these individuals down, society is becoming increasingly more fast-paced. Hyperactive is not just a word used to describe individuals with ADHD, it is also a word to describe the pace of our current society. With society speeding up, why are we trying to slow these individuals down? This speed could be an incredible asset to these individuals as society progresses. As long as we can help them to control their fast-paced mind, it can be channeled to produce great results.
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Perseverance: One of the articles below, posted on additudemag.com, shares that “Most children and adults with ADHD work twice as hard as their neurotypical peers to achieve the impossible.” Though this need to work harder may become frustrating, the struggle should not be seen as only bad. This need to work harder builds a level of determination and perseverance in these individuals that can help them in many other content areas of their lives.
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Highly Creative mind: Students with ADHD can oftentimes be very creative, and think outside of the box compared to many of their peers. This creativity can truly help these students excel in school, and far beyond school into the real world. In schools, this “superpower” can help them think outside the box to solve problems, as well as allow these students to go about presentations/projects in a unique way. In this way, teachers should never inhibit creativity, but rather they should foster individual creativity.
Articles:
This opinion piece, published by the New York Times, will give you a better understanding of the speed advantage that ADHD can provide for individuals.
This article, on the Kennedy Krieger Institute website, shares the struggles and super powers that students with ADHD likely experience on a day to day basis, as well as how to play to these super powers to help them succeed.
This short article, published by ADDitude, shares twelve great skills and abilities that individuals with ADHD possess. One of the skills mentioned in this piece is that of perseverance.
This article, published on the Totally ADD website, acknowledges the true struggles that students with ADHD face on a daily basis, and into their adult lives. However, they touch on 5 “superpowers” that these individuals do possess, as shown in a number of studies that have been conducted on the ADHD brain.
You can learn more about ADHD by exploring our website further, as well as by contacting Dr. Randy Kulman at South County Child and Family Consultants in Wakefield, RI.