DISCLAIMER. THIS IS MY OPINION. Unless stated by a source, it is all opinion based. Do not use these, if stated otherwise by your doctor.
Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder comes in different forms. Hyperactive, inattentive and combined, are the three subdivisions of ADHD, according to the DSM-5. Though, like ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), ADHD affects each person differently. Someone can be diagnosed with ADHD Combined and compared to someone else with the same diagnosis, can be less ADHD than them.
ADHD isn’t a mental illness. It is a mental barrier made of clay. It does stop you from doing some things, but you can decorate it with lights, and drill holes in it, to make you feel more in control of it. The first step to overcoming some of the ADHD obstacles is to accept that “yeah. It’s a little difficult to live with, but it isn’t an illness. It’s my super serum.” ADHD is more a superpower (hyperfocus, endless energy, hyper personality) than a negative thing.
Like Hawkeye has his bow, or the Flash has his speed, ADHDers have their own key weapons. Resiliency and Hyperfocus. ADHDers are resilient because no matter how many curve balls they are thrown, they catch them with amazing speed.
What is hyperfocus? According to an article by Harry Kimball with the Child Mind Institute; “Some parents can’t believe their child has ADHD. That can be because they’ve seen their child focus for hours when something really interests them. But “hyperfocus,” which means paying intense attention to one interesting activity, can actually be a feature of ADHD.”
ADHD isn’t “lazy”, or “not trying hard enough”. It’s not knowing how to direct where focus goes. Everyone can get caught up in a fun activity, and it’s harder to focus on something boring. However, with kids with an ADHD diagnosis, it’s even more evident. Guiding focus is extremely difficult for individuals with an ADHD diagnosis. Sometimes someone can hyperfocus on something, so intensely, that time flies by so fast, that they look at the clock, and it’s three hours since they’ve started. It’s a dysregulation, as opposed to a deficit. Therefore kids who don’t know how to guide their focus, struggle so much academically. I mean, I was lucky that High School English fascinated me, to be honest. I probably wouldn’t have made it through had it have bored the tears out of me.
It honestly depends on your viewpoint of ADHD, whether you find it a superpower or a curse. However, the things that can come of being able to train your ADHD, are endless. “Hyperfocus can be a strength and drive kids to follow their passions.”
Kimball, Harry. “Hyperfocus: The Flip Side of ADHD?” Child Mind Institute, 19 Aug. 2021, childmind.org/article/hyperfocus-the-flip-side-of-adhd/.
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