ADHD SUCKS, BUT NOT REALLY

Salif Mahamane from Utah State University discusses the advantages of an ADHD brain like the ability to powerfully brainstorm, bounce back from negativity, and the incredible advantage of truly pursuing one’s passion.  Along with the advantages Salif also discusses the disadvantages and what it is like to “be a fish out of water” in a normal world.  Pulling from his own experiences Salif shares a positive perspective with a strong dose of reality.  Whether you have ADHD, or you care about someone who does, this is a definite must see.

ADHD AS A DIFFERENCE IN COGNITION, NOT A DISORDER

Pulling from his own experiences, the experiences of others he knows with ADHD, and a great sense of humor, Stephen Tonti presents an alternative way to see ADHD, as “a difference in cognition not simply a disorder”.  He challenges the status quo by offering that instead of seeking to be fixed or conforming to our current society perhaps society needs to do a little adapting and conforming of its own as he powerfully suggests that “our society has to recognize cognitive diversity”.  Perhaps he is on to something here… maybe, just maybe ADHD is really “attention different, not attention deficit”.

THE TROUBLE WITH NORMAL: MY ADHD THE ZEBRA

Emily Anhalt shares the findings of her doctoral research, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity and Success Without the Use of Medication.  As someone with ADHD Emily describes it as her “zebra” because a zebra cannot change its stripes much like an ADHD brain cannot change the way it operates and that living in a world with such opposites as black and white is much like living with the opposites of hyper focus and inattentiveness that characterizes ADHD. Focusing on the strengths of the ADHD mind and the individuality that comes with everyone’s experience Emily shares a new perspective in which to view ADHD and the power of flexibility.

NOT WRONG, JUST DIFFERENT: ADHD AS INNOVATORS

With a husband and son with ADHD Rebecca Hession uses her unique perspective to dig deeper into the untapped potential of the ADHD mind, how our current school systems reject and devalue these abilities, and offers a positive and promising dream of what it could look like for a student with ADHD.  Acknowledging both the chaos of an ADHD brain and the gift of being able to “deep dive” into passions, Rebecca ends with a powerful conclusion and challenge: “We have to see them as not wrong, just different.”