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Children with ADHD often Transform their Symptoms into “Superpowers,” Doctors Say

Children with ADHD often Transform their Symptoms into “Superpowers,” Doctors Say

By Yehudit Garmaise

Parents of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may feel frustrated with their kids’ hyperactivity and impulsivity, but as children grow up, they are often able to transform their previous setbacks into “superpowers,” said Yamalis Diaz, Ph.D., a clinical assistant professor of child and adolescent psychiatry specializing in ADHD at New York University Langone Health.

What manifests as distractibility for children may persist as adults with ADHD, but ADHD also includes positive differences, such as creativity, curiosity, energy, and the ability to hyper-focus, which are all qualities that help to propel many people with ADHD into successful careers, Dr. Diaz said.

“Children with ADHD can dive deep into hours-long projects with understanding and patience that other children cannot,” said one Jewish mother who is raising a child with ADHD. “If children with ADHD are interested in something, the ADHD allows them to pursue and master their interests in ways that most people cannot.”

Parents should also know that ADHD presents quite differently in boys and girls: leaving many girls undiagnosed.

While boys with ADHD are hyperactive, impulsive, easily distracted, and have poor memories, girls are not as disruptive and hyperactive, said Nancy Armstrong, a mother of three children with ADHD who produced “The Disruptors,” which is a documentary that aims to destigmatize ADHD.

“Girls with ADHD are daydreamers,” Armstrong said on CBS mornings. “Girls fidget, they are emotional, they feel misunderstood, and they have trouble with friends, but they get through because they are very smart.”

Armstrong pointed out that girls with ADHD “often get through elementary school intact, and then things can fall apart in middle school.”

“ADHD is just as real as any other medical diagnosis, and it is a neurological condition that is related to very specific differences in the brain that we have seen for years,” said Dr. Diaz, who added that she understands why people question whether ADHD is a “real disorder because it is easy to just call it bad behavior.”

Physicians can provide neuro-psychiatric evaluations and prescribe medication for children with ADHD.

Teachers can help by checking in with children with ADHD to ensure that they are “on task,” allowing them to sit in the front of the classroom, providing shorter-term assignments, and allowing extended time for testing.

“Children with ADHD often need things broken down: part by part,” explained one mother, who added that group projects are not good for children with ADHD, who often prefer to work on their own in quiet spaces.

Movements breaks, walks, and free time are also crucial for children with ADHD.

How can parents take care of themselves as they face the challenges raising children with ADHD?

“Take lots of breaks,” said one mother with a laugh.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock 


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