I have two kids with ADHD so I thought I would do a post on what ADHD looks like in our house. This is ADHD for us:
- When you need sensory breaks in between your online classes just so you can concentrate a little bit longer
- When you have to go back to in person school because online school is way to distracting, what with being able to switch between apps, or doing any number of other things in your house.
- When you can do your work upside down, but not sitting in a regular chair. Because sitting makes it too hard to concentrate.
- When you need to run back and forth across the bedroom a few times to "get your energy out".
- When you listen to a direction, but don't actually hear it. So, when someone asks you, "did you do X?" you say, "you never told me that."
- When you can be in AP classes because you are definitely smart enough, but don't have the executive functioning skills to complete them online because, "oh I can go on youtube, oh there's a book I want to read, Oh I can do my math later, Oh look, it's snowing!, Oh I should go outside. Nooooo I cant do this homework, it's too boring. I can't focus on it right now." Yes, all of these things are executive functioning deficits related to lack of focus and lack of self-control.
- When you hear other people talking, but can't help but interrupt because otherwise you will forget what you were going to say if you don't say it RIGHT NOW!
- When you run outside in the snow in the middle of your school day without telling anyone because it's just so exciting, but you lack the self-control or awareness of danger to remember to tell an adult what you are doing.
- When you are constantly on the move, whether it is moving around the house, school or just fidgeting with something.
- When you are in in person school, you have to sit up near the teacher and have reminders to remain on task.
- When you can focus on something you love for hours at a time, but something that is "boring" takes all you energy to complete.
- When you have multiple tasks that you are working on at the same time. Or multiple projects because you like to do many things at once. But that doesn't mean you always get them all done.
