ADHD Super Powers: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

There are two significant problems with how our culture views ADHD. The first is that it is seen as a curse. People often equate encountering a person with ADHD with an exhausting experience of distractions and repeated statements of "please don't do that", "please don't climb on that" and "for heaven's sake please stop poking holes in that". What many don't realize (even those who have ADHD) is that an individual diagnosed with this condition has in fact been identified as an individual with super powers.

A part of their brain is not functioning as well as it should, the part of the brain which acts as a filter, deciding what items vying for the person's attention should be given highest priority so they can focus on one or two at a time. Because this filter is not fully active it allows all items asking for attention to pour in to the brain, all demanding equal attention at the same time. The person speaking to them, the fly buzzing in to the window, the view through the window of cars driving by in the background, the clinking of cutlery and the fork in their own hand all want the same amount of immediate attention. This can be overwhelming and confusing and frustrating at times, but no more so than Peter Parker learning how to use his web-swinging powers or Clark Kent learning how to fly and not accidentally fry holes in things with his heat vision. Do you have ADHD? Great! You are capable of taking in more information and accomplishing more tasks at the same time than boring regular mortals. It will take some time to adjust to using your powers, but you can get there.

Do you have multiple tasks that need to be accomplished in a short period of time? Ask someone with ADHD to take on the challenge. When they have learned to control their powers, they have the ability to keep track of multiple complex projects that would overwhelm others. Have you ever noticed that those with ADHD are often excellent at finding things? If you set something down and have no idea where you left it, but were traveling in the company of someone with ADHD, go ask them. Chances are they remember exactly where you put it if you set it down in their range of vision. Their brain deemed that high priority information (along with everything else that was happening at the time) and noted where the item was put.

Individuals with ADHD need mentors, individuals who will not try to teach them how to focus on one thing (their brain does not work that way), but will teach them how to take in all the information their brain accepts in a calm manner with the knowledge that they are not helpless and have a choice about how they respond to the input, they do not have to be overwhelmed or overpowered by it. They need mentors who can help them make constructive choices regarding what to do with their ability to multitask. An open line of communication should always be maintained with a family physician, but other role models and cheerleaders are needed to walk alongside the individual throughout life.

Rather than trying to teach an individual to sit still during class (which only results in them tapping their pen and kicking the chair in front of them while poking holes in their text book), maybe it's time to identify a subject they are passionate about and arrange for them to have a book on this subject in their desk which they can pull out at will, giving them the opportunity to learn from the teacher while also learning about something that has direct interest to them. Rather than trying to get an adult to sit through long meetings without being 'rude and fidgety' it's time to say they are welcome to work on another project that is not distracting to other people whether it is reading another report or even working on a craft. Many individuals with ADHD take to knitting and crocheting and have the ability to work on a scarf or blanket while at the same time taking in the quarterly report. Many hospitals accept donations of handmade blankets for premature infants which means not only is someone with ADHD able to make something creative, but they can use their gift to then care for a struggling newborn. Regular mortals would have to save the world in their spare time!

The fact that ADHD is often equated with being rude and fidgety is sad, and this is the second cultural perspective that needs to be addressed. ADHD does not make someone rude. The fidgeting is the result of an overwhelming desire to multitask which disappears when the person is given the opportunity to constructively do so and any rudeness or violation of social norms is the result of lack of boundaries and mentoring. Everyone has the propensity to be rude if they are not taught otherwise. Those with ADHD simply stand out more because they have more energy to dedicate to whatever it is they are doing and the propensity to pursue multiple violations in a short period of time.

Children are often misdiagnosed with ADHD because they are misbehaving with high energy at home or in a classroom. The problem is that when you look at the parenting technique or classroom management skills of the teacher, the source of the rudeness and social difficulty becomes much more clear. A child raised without boundaries, not taught to respect authority, and not instructed in how to constructively communicate with others including listening skills and eye contact will of course end up taking liberties in how they behave and come across as selfish, rude, or unpleasant to be around whether they have ADHD or not.

In order to be officially diagnosed with ADHD the symptoms of distraction and hyperactivity (not rudeness) have to be present in three different environments (ex. home, school, work, sports team, extended family, etc). If the distracted and hyperactive behavior is limited to one or two environments while the person is focused and calm elsewhere, it is the environment that needs reviewing to figure out why the person is responding the way they are or feeling they have the liberty to behave in the way they are. Children need guidance in how to navigate the world, and adults who struggle with social norms and life skills such as attentiveness and patience may be children who simply never had a mentor intervene to help them before they grew up. Even adults benefit from a caring individual offering guidance in how to navigate life with greater success.

Whether you have ADHD yourself or are connected to such an individual, please remember that ADHD is a gift when we remember to treat it as such, not a curse. Peter Parker could have seen himself as cursed, and Clark Kent could have thought the same, but they had people in their lives who helped them to see their potential and fulfill it. With great power comes great responsibility, and incredible things happen when we all step up to play our part.