How To Write Adhd Characters? Top 99 Best Answers

What is ADHD?

ADHD, also known as Attention Deficit Disorder, is a behavioral disorder, usually first diagnosed in childhood, characterized by inattention, impulsivity, and in some cases hyperactivity. These symptoms usually appear together; However, one can occur without the other(s).

Symptoms of hyperactivity, if present, are almost always apparent by age 7 and may be present in very young preschoolers. Inattention or attention deficit may not be apparent until a child faces elementary school expectations.

What types of ADHD are there?

Three main types of ADHD include the following:

ADHD, combined type. This most common type of ADHD is characterized by impulsive and hyperactive behavior, as well as inattention and distractibility.

ADHD, impulsive/hyperactive type. This least common type of ADHD is characterized by impulsive and hyperactive behaviors without inattention and distractibility.

ADHD, inattentive and distractible type. This type of ADHD is predominantly characterized by inattention and distractibility without hyperactivity.

What Causes Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder?

ADHD is one of the most well-researched areas of child and adolescent mental health. However, the exact cause of the disruption is still unknown. Available evidence suggests that ADHD is genetic. It’s a brain-based biological disorder. Low levels of dopamine (a brain chemical), a neurotransmitter (a type of brain chemical), are found in children with ADHD. Brain imaging studies using PET (positron emission tomography; a form of brain imaging that allows you to see the human brain at work) scanners show that brain metabolism in children with ADHD is lower in areas of the brain is that control attention, social judgment, and movement.

Who is Affected by Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder?

It is estimated that around 4% to 12% of children have ADHD. Boys are 2 to 3 times more likely to have hyperactive or mixed-type ADHD than girls.

Many parents of children with ADHD experienced ADHD symptoms when they were younger. ADHD often occurs in brothers and sisters within the same family. Most families seek help when their child’s symptoms begin to interfere with learning and adjusting to expectations of school and age-appropriate activities.

What are the symptoms of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder?

Below are the most common symptoms of ADHD. However, each child can have different symptoms. The 3 categories of symptoms of ADHD include the following:

Inattention: Short attention span for old age (difficulty maintaining attention) Difficulty listening to others Difficulty paying attention to details Easily distracted Forgetfulness Poor organizational skills for old age Poor study skills for old age

Impulsiveness: Often interrupts others Has difficulty waiting his or her turn at school and/or board games Tends to blurt out answers rather than waiting to be called out Often takes risks and often doesn’t think after before he acts

Hyperactivity: Appears to be in constant motion; runs or climbs, sometimes motionless with no apparent destination Has difficulty staying in seat even when expected Wriggles hands or squirms when sitting in seat; excessive fidgeting excessive talking difficulty engaging in quiet activities repeatedly and often loses or forgets things inability to stay on task; moves from one task to another without completing one

The symptoms of ADHD can resemble other disorders or behavioral problems. Keep in mind that many of these symptoms can occur in children and teens who don’t have ADHD. A key element in diagnosis is that the symptoms must significantly interfere with adaptive functioning in both the home and school settings. Always consult your child’s doctor for a diagnosis.

How is Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Diagnosed?

ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed childhood behavioral disorder. A pediatrician, child psychiatrist, or qualified psychiatrist will usually diagnose ADHD in children. A detailed history of the child’s behavior from parents and teachers, observations of the child’s behavior, and psychoeducational testing contribute to the diagnosis of ADHD. Because ADHD is a group of symptoms, diagnosis depends on evaluating results from a variety of sources, including physical, neurological, and psychological tests. Certain tests can be used to rule out other conditions, and some can be used to test intelligence and specific skills. Contact your child’s doctor for more information.

Treatment of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

The specific treatment for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder will be determined by your child’s doctor based on:

Your child’s age, general health and medical history

extent of your child’s symptoms

Your child’s tolerance to certain medications or therapies

Expectations for the course of the disease

your opinion or preference

Key components of treating children with ADHD include parental support and education in behavioral training, appropriate school placement, and medication. Treatment with a psychostimulant is very effective for most children with ADHD.

Treatment may include:

Psychostimulant drugs. These drugs are used for their ability to balance chemicals in the brain that prevent the child from sustaining attention and controlling impulses. They help “stimulate” the brain, or help focus, and can be used to reduce the key hallmarks of ADHD.

Medications commonly used to treat ADHD include the following: Methylphenidate (Ritalin, Metadate, Concerta, Methylin) Dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine, Dextrostat) A mixture of amphetamine salts (Adderall) Atomoxetine (Strattera). A non-stimulant SNRI (selective serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor) drug with benefits for related mood symptoms. Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse) psychostimulants have been used to treat behavioral disorders in children since the 1930s and have been extensively studied. Traditional immediate-release stimulants act quickly in the body, working for 1 to 4 hours, and then are eliminated from the body. There are also many long-acting stimulants available that last 8 to 9 hours and require a daily dose. Doses of stimulants must be timed to match the child’s school schedule to help the child pay attention for a longer period of time and improve classroom performance. Common side effects of stimulants include: Insomnia Decreased appetite Stomach pain Headache Nervousness Rebound activation (when the stimulant wears off, hyperactive and impulsive behaviors may increase for a short time) Most side effects of stimulant use are mild, increasing with regular use Use and respond to dose changes. Always discuss possible side effects with your child’s doctor.

Antidepressants may also be given to children and adolescents with ADHD to improve alertness while reducing aggression, anxiety, and/or depression.

Psychosocial Treatments. Raising children with ADHD can be difficult and present challenges that create stress within the family. Courses in behavior management skills for parents can help reduce stress for all family members. Training in behavior management skills for parents usually takes place in a group environment that encourages parent-to-parent support. Behavior management skills can include: Scoring systems Conditional attention (responding to the child with positive attention when desired behavior occurs; withholding attention when undesirable behavior occurs) Teachers can also be taught behavior management skills to use in the classroom. Training for teachers usually involves the use of daily behavior reports that teach parents about behaviors at school. Behavior management techniques tend to improve targeted behaviors (eg, doing schoolwork or keeping the child’s hands to themselves) but are usually not helpful in reducing overall inattention, hyperactivity, or impulsivity.

Prevention of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Preventive measures to reduce the incidence of ADHD in children are currently unknown. However, early detection and intervention can reduce symptom severity, reduce behavioral symptom interference with school functioning, promote normal child growth and development, and improve the quality of life of children or adolescents with ADHD.

Calling all ADHD writers! It’s time to unlock the writing practice that works with your brain. The ADHD Writers Workshop is a never-before-seen free live event beginning Monday, September 28, 2020. Join the free event here.

Before I realized I had ADHD, I thought everyone worked that way.

I figured everyone misplaces their wallet multiple times a day only to find it hours later (!) in the fridge. I thought everyone forgot what they were saying while they were saying it – not just every now and then, but all the time. I thought my struggle to get out of bed in the morning was just personal laziness, lack of motivation, and a complete moral failure on my part.

Since starting treatment earlier this year, I’ve realized something that now seems obvious: No, not everyone is struggling like us.

But, you know what?

Not everyone has our superpowers.

While it’s true that ADHD creates many obstacles that other writers may not face with the same severity, I know from personal experience (and ongoing research) that ADHD also offers certain advantages when it comes to writing and creativity.

As a professor and writing consultant, I’ve worked with a lot of ADHD writers, and let me tell you, we’re a pretty awesome bunch.

Here are my top ten reasons people with ADHD are great writers!

1. We can hyperfocus

“Attention deficit” is a real misnomer.

People with ADHD don’t necessarily have a lack of attention but have trouble controlling where their attention goes.

And yes, that can seem like being easily distracted – squirrels! – but many ADHDers have the ability to be “hyper-focused,” or to focus on one thing or task for really long periods of time, especially things that are important to us.

In this way, writers with ADHD have a bit of the upper hand. Once we start writing, we can go on and on and on…

2. We are super creative

Research has shown that people with ADHD may perform better than their neurotypical peers on certain creative tasks. In one study, subjects with ADHD performed better than their non-ADHD peers on 11 different creativity tests.

According to another study, our creative abilities may be related to our high energy, impulsiveness, and tendency to seek new things.

It almost goes without saying, but enhanced creativity means great things for our writing, especially in terms of developing stories, characters, and worlds that are truly unique.

3. We are idea generators

One of the great aspects of ADHD creativity is the ability to generate lots (and lots!) of ideas.

As a writer, this can include ideas for stories and characters, as well as possible solutions to problems we encounter along the way.

I see this all the time with the ADHD writers I work with – there’s never a shortage of ideas or opportunities. While some of us may still have to work to take these ideas and pursue them to the end, we won’t be running out of new ideas any time soon.

4. We are naturally curious

ADHDers are curious creatures. Because we seek new things, we love to learn new things and explore the opportunities around us.

And thanks to Hyperfocus, that curiosity is relentless.

When we want to find something, we don’t stop until we find it. We’re persistent researchers, which is a useful skill for many types of writing—whether it’s determining accuracy in nonfiction or historical fiction, creating a scientifically valid sci-fi world, or finding just the right word for a line of poetry.

Our curiosity motivates us to ask more questions, seek answers, and search for the best solutions, opportunities, and ideas.

5. We notice things that others miss

People with ADHD don’t filter sensory input as well as our neurotypical counterparts. But that can actually prove to be an advantage: we tend to notice things that others don’t.

We can find patterns in chaos. We can make connections between things that at first seem completely unrelated. We can notice the smallest details slipping through the cracks to the rest of the world.

Being very observant is a great quality for a writer working to capture some truth about the world and distill it into language.

6. We work well under pressure

Yes, ADHD can often mean we put things off until the last minute, but many ADHDers thrive under the pressure of an approaching deadline.

And when you think about it, it makes sense: Being under pressure can release the same neurotransmitters (like dopamine) that are delivered by stimulants like Adderall and Vyvanse, which are often prescribed for ADHD.

That way, the pressure of deadlines—and the other pressures that can come with writing—can actually stimulate our focus.

7. We think outside the box

Combine our ability to generate new ideas with our ability to spot what others don’t notice, and you get ADHD’s ability to think outside the box!

We’re not afraid to go against the grain. While in the classroom this is referred to as ‘defiance’ or ‘Cathy is keen to join in but doesn’t always follow directions’, in the writing world this is referred to as innovation, artistry, inventiveness and imagination.

8. We become passionate

Have you ever spoken to a co-worker with ADHD about their latest obsession?

Yes, if we’re into something, we’re really into it. Sometimes, to the annoyance of those around us, we couldn’t stop thinking about it (or talking about it) even if we wanted to!

Regardless, naysayers.

As writers, we become deeply invested in our work. Not only are we passionate about the stories, characters, and worlds we create, but we’re dedicated to improving our craft. The passion for our writing is a great advantage.

9. We are intuitive and empathetic

The ability to see what others filter out can also extend to emotions.

People with ADHD can be particularly sensitive to emotional cues — for example, we notice the tiniest sign of stress on our friends’ faces.

While this can also lead us to fixate on moments of perceived rejection in our personal lives, we can also use this empathic intuition in our writing.

When we channel our empathy, we can pour our heart into the emotional content of our stories and the lives of our characters, creating worlds that our readers feel as deeply as we do.

10. We don’t let anything stop us

Life with ADHD can be tough, but people with ADHD are incredibly resilient.

Once we set our minds to something, there is nothing that can hold us back. We can pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and find a variety of new ways (see Reason #3) to get ahead.

The writing life is filled with rejection, and while that can still hurt, we don’t let it stop us. When someone tells us we can’t do something, people with ADHD can become even more determined to prove them wrong!

ADHD and proud

As ADHDers, we’re used to people writing us off as lazy, unfocused, and unsuccessful.

But the fact of the matter is, there are so many things we can accomplish not just despite our ADHD, but because of it.

So if you’re reading this and struggling, if you’re tired of hearing all the reasons you can’t, when the critics, both inside your head and out in the world, are so loud you can’t help but doubt to yourself – I’m here to tell you what I wish someone had told me:

Her writing journey might not look like everyone else’s, but that doesn’t make her any less valid.

And it doesn’t make you any less of a writer — it can even give you superpowers you didn’t even know you had.

And most importantly, you are not alone.

Are you a writer with ADHD? I’m starting a brand new Facebook group for ADHD novelists and I’d love to continue this conversation there! This is a place to connect with like-minded writers, get feedback and support, and share the many unique quirks that come with writing while ADHD.

Over a decade ago, a group of autistic individuals coined the term neurodiversity to redefine their identity. With this term, autistic people asserted their right to be freed from the shackles of negative expectations.

Tired of being viewed as mentally retarded because they didn’t fit into the general public’s idea of ​​normality, they aspired to be recognized as people with “differently wired” brains and challenged the idea that they should correspond to the idea of ​​a “right”. Style of neurocognitive functioning.

Since then, the neurodiversity movement has grown to include other neurological disorders such as behavioral and emotional disorders, learning disabilities, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

To help your institution provide education that is accessible to all, here are some guidelines designers should consider when creating learning resources.

typography

Choosing the right font is a complex issue in neurodiversity design. There is evidence that more “humanistic” fonts may help dyslexics read. That means fonts with unique letterforms for b and d.

Serif fonts have proven less readable for neurodiverse audiences. Serif characters have tails and ticks at the ends of most strokes that obscure the shapes of the letters. Neurodiverse readers generally do better with sans serif fonts like Arial.

Most neurodivergent people also have an affinity for fonts that resemble handwriting—like Comic Sans. However, these fonts can also cause confusion with certain letter combinations, including mm, rn, and oa. Single-line fonts like Consolas and Courier New are good for neurodiverse readers because they offer fewer opportunities for confusion between letters.

Since dyslexics often complain about letters floating across the pages, there are several dyslexia-friendly fonts, including Open Dyslexic and Dyslexia.

The size of the stems of letters like b and p (the ascenders and descenders) also plays an important role. This is because many students with dyslexia rely on remembering the visual forms of words due to decreased phonological awareness. The shape of the words becomes increasingly difficult to decipher when the descenders and ascenders are too short, resulting in less accurate and slower reading.

Font size is also important. Neurodivergent students should always have the option to adjust the text size to suit their needs. At least 1.2 line spacing is appropriate for most people and makes reading easier for neurodivergent students. Increasing the character spacing can also help.

color range

It’s hard to say what percentage of dyslexics have Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome. However, anecdotal evidence shows that reducing color contrast across the board can, to some extent, alleviate any reading difficulties that dyslexic students experience.

Many schools provide color overlays for dyslexic students (blue overlays are particularly common). Dyslexia Research Trust recommends using colors that reduce visual glare. This effect may be easier to achieve in online resources than in printed materials. However, check out some guides for print materials in the image below.

The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) reports that dyslexics respond well to color differences between background and text. The WAI also tests various text and background color contrasts to decipher the most workable combinations.

While visual support is the foundation for facilitating learning in autistic individuals, obtaining the right visuals requires a combination of artistry and strategy. Color can add meaning, clarity and dimension to visual materials; it can bring order and truth to the visual learner.

When it comes to color, neurodivergent students tend to prefer muted pastels and neutral tones. Sensory Differences: Online Training Module by J Rogers and J Short claims that neurodivergent students prefer particularly calm greens and blues.

The paper-atypical color preference in children with autism spectrum disorder shows that yellow sensitivity is the most sensory burden. While TD children (typical development) can cope with yellow to some degree, autism spectrum students, whose sensitivity to sensory stimulation is already heightened, generally do not respond as well. Therefore, it is important for instructional designers designing for autism to keep color limitations and triggers in mind.

While color plays an important role in learning, don’t use color as the only way to present information because you could potentially exclude students who may not be able to see all colors. It’s important to understand the preferences and needs of the audience you’re designing for.

use of symbols

When designing curriculum material for a neurodivergent audience, it’s good to intersperse your documents with images, even if they aren’t the most accurate illustrations of the text. Visual support helps instill the structure, routine, and sequence most neurodivergent students need to go about their daily activities. Autistic students rely heavily on visual cues to understand what is expected of them.

Even for students with dyslexia, presenting information in the form of images makes it easier to decipher long blocks of text. The benefits of using icons and images include:

Symbols and images serve as anchors when students scan text

they break text into smaller, digestible chunks

Section headings are easier to remember when combined with icons. While it’s not always possible to find the right icon, any graphic element would make the navigation process easier for the students

they evoke memories and understanding of the text

Even if an image doesn’t fully explain the content, it can still help students form memories through association

slow readers can use the images to quickly jump to the right place in the text

There are several things to keep in mind when using symbols and images:

Too many images can confuse the reader

Overlaying text over graphics makes it difficult to process and decode

Colorful clipart can be confusing: choose simple icons with no more than one or two shades

Photographs serve better than drawings. However, photographs of people can quickly become outdated

Text-to-speech technologies cannot process and read images of text. If you need to include an image or text, be sure to include the same information

Ensure a visual hierarchy

Neurodivergent students need a clear visual hierarchy to aid understanding. Ideally, students should be able to identify the top three most important elements of content based solely on their color, shape, and position.

Many neurodivergent students will lack content that needs to be read in order for the content to be understood as a whole. With careful use of visual hierarchy, font, and language, your applications and websites stand a better chance of appealing to neurodivergent audiences.

Knowing these design guidelines will greatly assist designers in designing educational resources that are easy on the eyes of their neurodivergent audiences and make it easier for them to engage with visual resources.

Guest post by Evan Brown, Marketing Manager at DesignMantic.

Is ADHD a Disability?

Yes. Whether you think of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as a neurological condition — which affects how the brain concentrates or thinks — or think of ADHD as a disability that affects work, there’s no question that the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) covers people with ADHD. (Similarly, students with ADHD are protected by state and national laws that guarantee them a free and appropriate public education.)

Adults with ADHD have certain rights that protect them in the workplace. But what exactly are these rights? How do you make the most of them? Here we get legal answers from Robin Bond, a Philadelphia-based attorney with more than a decade of employment law experience and serving as an advisor to the National Attention Deficit Disorder Association.

Do people with ADHD have legal protections in the workplace?

For adults, the baseline protection is the ADA. This federal law, enacted in 1990 and amended in 2008, prohibits companies with more than 15 employees from discriminating against disabled workers and requires those companies to make accommodations for those workers.

The ADA is essentially a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against anyone with “any physical or mental impairment that materially limits one or more important life activities of that person.” The law goes on to say that “the most important activities in life include, but are not limited to, taking care of yourself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing , bend, speak, learn, read, concentrate and think , communicate and work.”

There is also a separate section of the ADA that further discusses what is included in the definition of disability under the Act by listing the body systems affected, including: “neurological [and] brain systems…”.

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However, the ADA does not apply to members of the armed forces. The VAG does not apply to employees of the federal executive, federal contractors and employees of programs that receive federal funds. Instead, employees are protected under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which is very similar to the ADA and was the law on which the ADA was originally based.

Do employees with ADHD have rights when they work for a company with fewer than 15 employees?

Many cities and states may have laws that mirror the ADA and cover smaller employers and even independent contractors.

Who decides if ADHD is a disability?

In most cases, this requirement is met by a medical certificate confirming an ADHD diagnosis and ideally noting the types of accommodations needed to create a “level playing field” at work.

Note that the employer is not authorized to request complete medical records, only what is necessary to verify an ADHD diagnosis and the need to accommodate it. Not all employers require this formal certificate of incapacity to work; Many simply discuss with an employee the nature of their disability and the resulting limitations. This informal discussion would include a discussion of reasonable and effective accommodation.

Does my employer have to provide every desired accommodation?

Not quite. The law requires reasonable accommodation. These are things that do not constitute undue hardship for the employer – things that are not outrageously expensive or onerous for the company.

[Self-Test: Do I Have ADHD?]

What is reasonable will vary from job to job, but some of the most common “reasonable” accommodations for ADHD include the following:

• Providing a quiet workspace

• Allow noise canceling headphones or white noise

• Work from home some or all of the time

• Take allocated breaks as needed

• Minimization of marginal functions in order to enable concentration on essential work tasks

• Allow assistive technologies (timers, apps, calendars, etc.)

• Adjusting or modifying exams, training materials or policies

• Transfer to a vacant post

• Job restructuring

What ADHD Adjustments Are Unacceptable at Work?

It depends on the situation and the size of the company. What can reasonably be expected of a multinational company may be undue hardship for a small company. Suppose you’re not a “morning person” and you say to your boss, “I have to come in at 10 a.m., but I work until 7 p.m.” If the office does all its business from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., your request probably won’t fly. Given the business needs, this may not be appropriate. Or let’s say the only way to stay organized is to have your own secretary. If the company has a fixed policy of one secretary for every three employees, this accommodation may also be considered inadequate.

Should I tell my employer, “I have ADHD. You have to give me shelter”?

It is up to each individual to disclose their ADHD. You often get what you need without even mentioning it. For example, you could say, “Noise really bothers me. I would be more effective and efficient if my office weren’t so close to the copier.”

However, an employee must disclose their ADHD to be covered by the ADA. Several courts have already held that in these situations, ignorance of the illness or the effects of the disability on the worker can be used as a legitimate defense of the employer.

In addition, an employer or potential employer must not ask questions about your medical or psychiatric history. The only exception is when an applicant requests reasonable accommodation for the recruitment process. If the need for these accommodations is not apparent, an employer may ask an applicant for adequate documentation of the covered disability.

What if my boss refuses to provide ADHD housing?

Consider hiring a coach to keep your work on track. And ask the boss again a few weeks later. If that is not practical or successful, speak to the company’s human resources department. If this does not help and you would like to take further steps to ensure you receive accommodation, you can file a claim with the relevant agency.

If the employee’s claim is against a private employer with 15 or more employees, contact the US Federal Equal Opportunity Commission (EEOC). If EEOC dismisses the complaint or takes no action within 180 days, EEOC will issue a “Right of Action” letter to the employee upon request, and you may then file a complaint within 90 days of the date of notice.

When an employee raises a claim against a public entity, such as For example, an arm of a state or local government, you can file the complaint with the EEOC or the US Department of Justice, which will handle enforcement in these situations.

An employee may have up to 300 days to make a complaint if there is a state or local law that provides relief for discrimination based on disability. However, in order to protect the rights of the worker, it is best to contact the EEOC immediately if there is any suspicion of discrimination.

To file a disability discrimination report, contact any EEOC city office in the United States. To contact the EEOC, call (800) 669-4000 for more information.

Note: Many states and cities have prohibitions on disability discrimination, and claims can be filed with either a city or state agency.

Should I document the whole story?

That’s a good idea. Bring a notebook and jot down notes when the going gets tough: “The boss said I better not be late for the next meeting” or “Jack made fun of me having trouble finding papers. One thing you don’t want to do is type your notes on a company computer — or leave them at your office.

Is the next step “See you in court”?

This is the last step. Negotiations are better than a court case and far less expensive. The first thing you need to do is sit down with your employer and try to work things out. To date, there have only been about a dozen cases in which an employee with ADHD has sued their employer — and none of those lawsuits have been successful for the employee. Of course, the mere threat of legal action can be enough to get an employer to take your situation seriously. No employer wants to be the touchstone that leads to the first major ADHD employee victory!

Is ADHD a Disability? Next Steps

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15-year-old Haley Riordan’s life has been completely changed thanks to the young son of a Greek god who loves nothing more than going on quests and battling fire-breathing monsters. Percy Jackson is the creation of Haley’s father, Rick, a former teacher from Texas. His Percy Jackson adventures (there are five in total) are huge bestsellers (the latest book, The Last Olympian, had an initial print run of 1.2 million) and draw hordes of fans who line up with togas at book signings. Now Percy’s notoriety will rise even further thanks to a new film starring Uma Thurman and Pierce Brosnan.

But Percy is an unlikely superhero: he’s never gotten above a C grade in his life, and he thinks he’s a loser until page 88 of The Lightning Thief (the first in the series). Because Percy has dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), just like Haley, who the character is based on. At the beginning of his adventures, Percy discovers that his difficulties are not a weakness, but a sure sign of greatness: if he sees jumbled words on the page, it’s because his mind is hardwired for ancient Greek, and if ADHD makes it difficult to sit still in the classroom, it’s just hyper-consciousness that keeps him alive on the battlefield.

“Percy changed my life,” says Haley. “You read a lot of books and none of them have a hero who is dyslexic or has ADHD – they are always perfect people in a perfect world doing perfect things. Percy is actually very flawed and he has to fight it while fighting monsters.”

The character began as a bedtime story for Haley, then nine. At the time, Haley refused to read and hated school so much that he sat under the desk and cried. But he was fascinated by Greek myths, so his father told his favorite myths. When he ran out of stories, Haley said, “Why can’t you just make one up?” And so Percy Jackson was born.

I meet Rick, 45, at his home in San Antonio, Texas, where he lives with his wife Becky, 45, and their two sons, Haley and Patrick, 11. Rick cuts a fine figure in a clean-cut blue shirt and gray pants. But this, like his simplified prose, is at odds with a deeper emotional drive. He gave up teaching five years ago, but still sees himself as an educator who wants to make a difference; a sideline champion.

“I get a tremendous amount of emails and letters from families who have children with ADHD or dyslexia. One of my favorites is a young girl who wrote to me and said she used to be ashamed that she had dyslexia, but now that she’s read In the Percy Jackson books, she wears that as a badge of honor. And that means the world to me. There are so many other kids out there like my son who are struggling with these issues and feel like something is wrong with them and it isn’t. It’s just a different way of processing information.”

He says he doesn’t try to preach to children, only to entice them to read with humor, terror and excitement to keep them engaged from page to page. “I have a lot of sympathy for dyslexic readers because I was one. I would do anything to avoid reading it. In my case, I didn’t learn to love reading until I was 13 and discovered The Lord of the Rings. ”

But his books, while devoid of morals, have a constant theme, which is the complexities of family life. Percy adores his mortal mother, Sally, who works in a candy store in Grand Central Station, hates his stepfather, Gabe, and is ambivalent about his father, Poseidon, aka Old Seaweed, who doesn’t reveal himself to Percy until he’s 12 and only then because he wants something.

“We tend to think of divorced or complicated families as a modern invention, and that’s not true at all,” he says. “One only has to read Greek myths to see broken families, widows, divorces, stepchildren and children trying to cope with new parents.”

His own family life is remarkably stable: the only child of two teachers, he grew up in San Antonio and at the age of 15 he met his wife nothing because she knows everything about me.” After studying English and history at the University of Austin , Texas, Rick trained to be a teacher specializing in 11 to 14 year olds.” Critical years when everything is in flux for the kids: emotionally, socially, academically, intellectually. I find her a very satisfying age group to work with because these are such formative years.”

He began writing at 13 and published his first novel at 29, Big Red Tequila, about a private investigator in San Antonio, and the first of what would later become an adult mystery series, Tres Navarre. Rick began teaching and writing a book for a year, but then quit teaching in 2005 after selling the Percy Jackson series.

The books may be consistent bestsellers, but there’s more than a passing resemblance to another young wizard, Harry Potter. Both attend boarding schools for special powers children (Hogwarts; Camp Half-Blood); both use landmarks as magical gateways to secret worlds (King’s Cross Station; the Empire State Building); and both have loyal sidekicks (Ron and Hermione; Grover and Annabeth).

Is Percy Jackson similar to Harry Potter? “Yes, absolutely,” he concedes, “but I don’t think it’s because Percy is modeled after Harry Potter. It’s because they’re both models of the same archetype. A lot of what JK Rowling does so well comes from Greek mythology: the idea that magic is in the world; of great forces unseen; a young protagonist who is outcast but then finds out that he actually has a great destiny; he has great skills but has to go to a trainer to get them recognized; he must fulfill his destiny by taking on a quest and completing a great task – well, I’ve just described Harry Potter. I also just described Hercules, Percy Jackson, Perseus and Theseus.

However, he is the first to admit that JK Rowling was an influence. “As a teacher, I’ve never seen anything quite like Harry Potter. So I’m smart when people talk about the ‘next’ Harry Potter. There is no ‘next’ Harry Potter. There was never a Harry Potter before Harry Potter was totally unprecedented in children’s literature. I’ve had students read these books 13, 14 times and I would say, ‘Great book, but don’t you want to try something else?’ And they’d say, ‘There’s nothing else that’s as good.'”

So he says he “took some lessons” in its mix of humor, mystery, adventure, action, and character. But mostly, he says, Harry Potter opened doors. “It made publishers aware that there was a market for children’s literature, and it convinced me, like many authors, that writing for children is a viable thing.”

He’s now a full-time writer but says, “I’m afraid I have a lot of ADHD, much like Percy. There are days when I write for 15 minutes and I have to give up and move, and I write another paragraph and give up again. Other days, I focus intensely on the process, sitting down at 8am and not getting up until 8pm.”

The other difference is that Haley is more confident and even writes his own novels – an achievement he describes as an “in-yer-face moment” for all the teachers who have ignored him. “Basically, I spell stuff wrong, but that’s about as far as dyslexia gets in the way. It’s coming right out of your head!”

He points out that these are full-length novels – even longer than anything his father ever wrote. “As soon as I got around him, I was like, wow, it’s longer than you!” He smiles at his dad and Rick smiles back. Of course he’s seen it all before. “Every Greek hero must make his father proud and yet surpass him,” he says.

“It’s a very strong motivator, especially for young men.”

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is out on February 12th at percyjackson.co.uk

9 out of 9

Juno, the title character of this 2007 coming-of-age story, often acts or speaks without thinking – often with unpleasant or even life-altering consequences. She is very confident – a challenge for many ADHD sufferers – but struggles to control her impulsive actions before they get her into trouble. With more mature themes like sex, teenage motherhood, and the ups and downs of relationships, Juno might not be appropriate for younger viewers, but high school kids will enjoy the sarcastic humor and indie soundtrack — plus any teen with ADHD who tunes in Feeling a little “weird” will find solace in Juno’s strength, independence, and whip-smart comebacks.

Buy Juno (#Commissions Earned)

[10 Engaging Books for Young Readers with ADHD]

#Commissions Earned As an Amazon Associate, ADDitude earns a commission from qualifying purchases made by ADDitude readers through the affiliate links we share. However, all products linked in the ADDitude Store have been independently selected by our editors and/or recommended by our readers. Prices correct at time of publication and items in stock.

2nd episode of the eleventh season of The Simpsons

“Brother’s Little Helper” is the second episode of the eleventh season of the American animated series The Simpsons. It first aired on October 3, 1999 on the Fox network in the United States. As a result, Bart floods the school’s gymnasium and playground, prompting principal Seymour Skinner to diagnose Bart with ADHD. Bart is prescribed a psychostimulant drug called Focusyn (a parody of Focalin (Ritalin)) and initially begins to pay more attention to his studies. After a while, however, Bart becomes psychotic and becomes convinced that Major League Baseball is watching over the people of Springfield.

The episode was directed by director Mark Kirkland and was the first episode to receive sole writing credit from staff writer George Meyer since the season five episode “Bart’s Inner Child”. Meyer, who struggled with mental health issues while writing the episode, was so dissatisfied with the episode’s first draft that he submitted it under a pseudonym. The episode satirizes the perceived misdiagnosis of behavioral disorders in children, which was a controversial topic at the time of the episode’s writing.

The episode stars former major league baseball player Mark McGwire as himself. After airing, the episode received positive reviews from critics.

edit plot ]

Bart is acting wild: teasing and angering Principal Skinner and flooding the gym. Skinner has Homer and Marge come to school and tells them that Bart has Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). He will be expelled unless he takes “a radical, untested, potentially dangerous” new drug called Focusyn.

By taking the drug, Bart becomes an eager and diligent student. His parents think they can safely have an intimate evening together, but when they get home, Bart is in his room, wrapped in aluminum foil, with a trash can on his head and numerous hangers dangling from the ceiling. He claims that Major League Baseball is spying on the city with a satellite. Doctors recommend weaning Bart from Focusyn, but he refuses, swallowing handfuls of the pills and running away.

Bart enters a US Army base and manages to steal a tank. He cuts a path of destruction through the city, eventually stopping at the school. Persuaded not to destroy the school or any other building there, he points the tank’s cannon into the sky and shoots down a Major League Baseball satellite. Inside are detailed documents about everyone’s behavior. Mark McGwire appears, distracting the townsfolk with a long home run and hiding all the evidence under his cap. Marge finally takes Bart Focusyn off and puts him back on Ritalin. However, Major League Baseball still spies on the Simpson family: the autographed bat McGwire gave Bart has a hidden camera.

production [edit]

Former major league baseball player Mark McGwire guest starred in the episode himself.

Originally titled Bart a Go Go, Brother’s Little Helper[1] was written by staff writer George Meyer and directed by Mark Kirkland. It first aired on October 3, 1999 on the Fox network in the United States. After the Season 5 episode “Bart’s Inner Child,” Meyer was “a little burnt out writing scripts,” so he wrote “Brother’s Little Helper.” to “try his hand again”.[2] While writing the episode, Meyer had “some psychological issues” and found the episode very difficult to write.[2] He was initially so dissatisfied with the first draft that he submitted it under a pseudonym; Vance Jericho.[2] Co-producer Tim Long jokingly commented that the script was “literally wet with contempt” but went on to say that it was actually “an amazing draft”.[1] The writers debated what kind of killing spree Bart would undertake in Act II, and writer Matt Selman suggested Bart get himself a tank. In the DVD audio commentary for the episode, Selman explained that he got the idea while watching a news report about “a guy” who died while “going nuts with a tank.”[3]

To show the side effects Focusyn had on Bart, the animators made slight changes to his face as the episode progressed. It is first seen in the scene where Bart reads “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens”: A cheek line is added just below his eyes to indicate that he is beginning to change. In another scene, Bart is seen reading fast and later the animators drew him with “mini students”. Staff debated whether Bart’s pupils would be larger or smaller than normal while on the drug. The authors settled on smaller pupils, and according to Kirkland, “several sample sheets went back and forth over the fax machines” until staff were satisfied with the size of Bart’s pupils while he was being affected by the drug.[4] In fact, psychostimulants used to treat ADHD are more likely to cause the pupils to become larger (dilated).[5]

In the scene where he escapes from the lab, Bart can be seen swallowing a handful of pills on the way out. Bart was originally supposed to “turn an entire jar of Focusyn upside down,” but according to Meyer, censorship wouldn’t allow it.[2] The scientists prescribing Bart Focusyn are based on a Simpsons associate and his wife.[4] They were voiced by Hank Azaria and Tress MacNeille respectively.[6] Azaria also voiced Sir Widebottom, one of the clowns in Krusty’s car, as well as one of the marines. Former major league baseball player Mark McGwire guest starred in the episode himself. Mike Scully, an executive producer and showrunner on the episode, commented that McGwire was “probably the tallest man he’d ever seen” and that he “did an amazing job for [her].”[6]

Themes and cultural references[ edit ]

(pictured) features prominently throughout the episode. Focusyn, a fictional drug that is a parody of Ritalin, is featured prominently throughout the episode.

According to Genevieve Koski, Josh Modell, Noel Murray, Sean O’Neal, Kyle Ryan and Scott Tobias of The A.V. Club, the 1990s saw a “dramatic rise” in diagnoses of behavioral disorders such as ADHD in children, and debates arose over whether or not children with concentration difficulties should be treated.[8][9] Meyer, inspired by the debates, decided to write the episode on the subject.[2] The episode criticizes how children with school problems are misdiagnosed as ADHD and the prescription of psychostimulants to children in general.[2] This is shown in particular in a scene in the Springfield Elementary schoolyard. In the scene, it is revealed that the general population of the school is being treated for various misdiagnosed behavior disorders.[8] However, Meyer himself was not entirely sure of his stance on the subject. He stated that “as far as I know, the drugs are helping [the kids] and helping the world”. However, he went on to say, “I just have a feeling they’re going to be a disaster. Down the line.”[2]

Focusyn, the fictional psychoactive drug featured prominently throughout the episode, is based on the real-life drug Ritalin, which is used to treat disorders such as ADHD.[10] Hosey the Bear, seen at the beginning of the episode, refers to the United States Forest Service mascot, Smokey Bear.[11] After Bart floods the school gymnasium, Skinner is seen wiping mud from his eyes in a tribute to American actor Oliver Hardy.[4] The sequence in which Bart steals an army tank and destroys half of Springfield under the influence of mind-altering substances is likely a reference to Shawn Nelson, a man notorious for a similar, albeit serious, incident. A scene in the episode shows Marge standing in front of the tank that Bart stole. The scene references Tank Man, the anonymous man who blocked a column of tanks the morning after the Chinese military forcibly removed pro-democracy protesters from Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.[4]

Other things referenced are the film Showgirls (1995) which Homer and Marge watch.[12] Homer says that since taking Focusyn, Bart has “gone from Goofus to Gallant,” a reference to the characters Goofus and Gallant from Children’s Magazine Highlights.[12] When Lou sketches Bart based on Homer and Marge’s description, he ends up drawing Dennis from the comic book Dennis the Menace.[12] A T-shirt at Fort Fragg Air Base reads “I Went to the Persian Gulf and All I Got Was This Lousy Syndrome,” a reference to Gulf War Syndrome.[12] Bart sings the chorus of Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop” as he rampages through town in a tank.

Reception [edit]

In its original American broadcast on October 3, 1999, “Brother’s Little Helper” finished at No. 51 in the ratings, according to Nielsen Media Research, making it the most-watched television show on Fox that night. Despite being the network’s most-watched program, ratings were considered disappointing by Deseret News.[13] The episode was released on October 7, 2008 as part of The Simpsons The Complete Eleven Season DVD box set. Mike Scully, George Meyer, Mark Kirkland, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Matt Selman, and Tim Long contributed to the episode’s DVD audio commentary.[14]

After its airing, “Brother’s Little Helper” received favorable reviews from critics.

About nine years after it first aired, IGN’s Robert Canning released a “flashback” to Brother’s Little Helper. Canning, who called the episode “funny” and “a standout episode this later season”, particularly liked the episode’s opening. However, he was less than impressed with the episode’s third act, calling it “lackluster”. He felt the Mark McGwire part was “a dumb cop” and that it wasn’t as funny as what led up to it. He also explained that he was put off by the writers wanting to stumble upon a message. “It’s not that I necessarily disagreed with that sentiment,” Canning wrote, “but at the time I didn’t think I needed a lesson while watching The Simpsons. I still don’t.” However, he “loved” the “attachments” to the volunteer fire department seen at the beginning of the episode and “the fact that they can’t find how to fight a satellite fire in their manual “.[11]

In his review of The Simpsons: The Complete Eleven Season, Brian Tallerico of The Deadbolt called “Brother’s Little Helper” one of the best episodes of the season.[15]

DVD Movie Guide’s Colin Jacobsson was also positive, calling the episode “pretty good” and that it “offers some good laughs”. He especially liked seeing Bart well behaved. He also appreciated the episode’s message, writing that “the show offers a clever spotlight on [the] problem”. However, he disliked the characterization of Bart. He wrote that Bart is typically “not particularly hyperactive or distractible” and that the authors “try to make [Bart] seem more hyperactive than normal”. He concluded by saying, “Beard is a behavioral problem, not ADHD.”[16]

Five months after the episode aired, Bill Clinton, then President of the United States, held the first-ever White House conference on mental health. Scripps Howard News Service columnist Deroy Murdock mentioned the timeliness of the conference in connection with the episode as an example of the Simpsons “psychically predicting the news”.

In 2007, the fictional word “Exorcism tongs” appeared in Cracked.com’s From Cromulent to Craptacular: The Top 12 Simpsons Created Words list at number 10. The word is used in a scene where Homer eats a mixture of Taffy and Focusyn, putting him in a “mildly hallucinogenic state”. Seeing this, Todd Flanders asks his father Ned, “Does Mr. Simpson have a demon, Daddy?” To which Ned replies, “Looks like it. Run and get Daddy’s exorcism tongs.” Of the word, Mark Peters and Daniel O’Brien of Cracked.com wrote: “We’d be lying if we said we didn’t go to every Christian-themed general store in the country hoping to find our very own exorcism kit to acquire pliers on the day this episode aired.”[10]

Answers:

Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD are linked in a number of ways. ADHD is not on the autism spectrum, but they share some of the same symptoms. And having one of these conditions increases the chances of having the other.

Experts have changed their minds about how autism and ADHD are related. The fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) states that a person cannot have autism and ADHD. But the latest version (DSM-5), released in 2013, allows one person to be diagnosed with both.

But let me backtrack and talk about how the symptoms of autism and ADHD can overlap. Here are two examples:

Trouble paying attention: Children with autism can struggle with this for a number of reasons. One is that language difficulties can make it seem like children are not paying attention to directions. But they may just not understand the instructions.

Social Issues: ADHD can affect social skills. This may include avoiding eye contact and invading other people’s privacy.

Sometimes these overlapping symptoms lead to a child being misdiagnosed. If you’re concerned about a possible misdiagnosis, talk to your child’s doctor. Doctors are used to these types of conversations and can even help you get a second opinion.

Also, the presence of one condition increases the likelihood of experiencing symptoms of the others. Many developmental problems are like this—they are likely to occur together. For example, children with language problems are more likely to have dyslexia.

Therefore, you must consider all aspects of the child’s developmental function. These include language, social skills, attention, behavior, mood, academic skills, social skills, play skills, and motor skills. A neuropsychological assessment and/or assessment by a healthcare provider will address all of these areas.

Autism and ADHD are also genetically related. A person with autism has a greater chance of having a close relative with ADHD or another developmental disability. However, we need more research to better understand the connection.

Because children with autism and ADHD can share similar signs, some of the ways you can help one may be helpful to the other. For example, children with both usually benefit from sticking to a routine and knowing what to expect.

However, there are major differences in the type of therapy recommended in each case. Therapies for autism, such as applied behavioral analysis, can help with communication skills. It can also help reduce repetitive behaviors, which is one of the hallmarks of autism.

ADHD therapy is designed to improve attention and organization. It is often combined with ADHD medication. But this drug may not help children who don’t have ADHD.

I know from working with many families that it would be helpful if each condition was neatly separated. But that’s not the reality. Learning more about them is a good first step in understanding the intricacies involved.

overview

Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a mental disorder that includes a combination of persistent problems such as attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior. ADHD in adults can lead to unstable relationships, poor job or school performance, low self-esteem, and other problems.

Although it’s called adult ADHD, symptoms begin in early childhood and continue into adulthood. In some cases, ADHD is not recognized or diagnosed until the person is an adult. Adult ADHD symptoms may not be as noticeable as ADHD symptoms in children. In adults, hyperactivity may decrease, but struggles with impulsivity, restlessness, and difficulty paying attention may persist.

Treating ADHD in adults is similar to treating ADHD in children. Treatment for ADHD in adults includes medication, psychological counseling (psychotherapy), and treatment of any mental illness that occurs with ADHD.

symptoms

Some people with ADHD have fewer symptoms as they age, but some adults continue to have severe symptoms that interfere with day-to-day functioning. In adults, the main features of ADHD can include attention deficit disorder, impulsivity, and restlessness. Symptoms can range from mild to severe.

Many adults with ADHD don’t know they have it – they just know that everyday tasks can be challenging. Adults with ADHD may find it difficult to focus and prioritize, leading to missed deadlines and forgotten meetings or social plans. The inability to control impulses can range from impatience when waiting in line or driving in traffic to mood swings and outbursts of anger.

Adult ADHD symptoms can include:

impulsiveness

Disorganization and problems with prioritization

Poor time management skills

Trouble concentrating on a task

Problems with multitasking

Excessive activity or restlessness

Bad planning

Low frustration tolerance

Frequent mood swings

Difficulty working through and completing tasks

Hot temper

problems coping with stress

What is typical behavior and what is ADHD?

Almost everyone experiences symptoms similar to ADHD at some point in their lives. If your difficulties are recent or have been intermittent in the past, chances are you don’t have ADHD. ADHD is only diagnosed when symptoms are severe enough to cause ongoing problems in more than one area of ​​your life. These persistent and troublesome symptoms can be traced back to early childhood.

Diagnosing ADHD in adults can be difficult because certain ADHD symptoms resemble those caused by other conditions, such as anxiety or mood disorders. And many adults with ADHD also have at least one other mental illness, such as depression or anxiety.

When to the doctor

If any of the symptoms listed above are constantly interfering with your life, talk to your doctor about whether you may have ADHD.

Different types of healthcare professionals can diagnose and oversee the treatment of ADHD. Find a provider who has training and experience caring for adults with ADHD.

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causes

While the exact cause of ADHD is not clear, research efforts continue. Factors that may be involved in the development of ADHD include:

Genetics. ADHD can run in families, and studies suggest genes may play a role.

can run in families, and studies suggest genes may play a role. Surroundings. Certain environmental factors can also increase the risk, such as B. Child exposure to lead.

Certain environmental factors can also increase the risk, such as B. Child exposure to lead. problems during development. Central nervous system problems at key moments in development may play a role.

risk factors

ADHD risk may increase if:

You have blood relatives such as parents or siblings with ADHD or another mental disorder

or another mental disorder Your mother smoked, drank alcohol or used drugs during pregnancy

As a child you were exposed to environmental toxins such as lead, which is mainly found in paint and pipes in older buildings

you were born premature

complications

ADHD can make life difficult for you. ADHD has been linked to:

Poor school or job performance

unemployment

Financial problems

trouble with the law

Abuse of alcohol or other substances

Frequent car accidents or other accidents

unstable relationships

Poor physical and mental health

Bad self image

suicide attempts

coexistence conditions

Although ADHD does not cause other mental or developmental problems, other disorders often co-exist with ADHD and make treatment more difficult. These include:

Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) The symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can be categorized into 2 types of behavioral problems: Inattention (difficulty concentrating and focusing)

Hyperactivity and Impulsivity Many people with ADHD have problems that fall into these two categories, but this isn’t always the case. For example, about 2 to 3 in 10 people with this condition have trouble concentrating and focusing, but not hyperactivity or impulsivity. This form of ADHD is also known as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). ADD can sometimes go unnoticed because the symptoms are less obvious. ADHD is diagnosed more often in boys than girls. Girls are more likely to have only symptoms of inattention and are less likely to engage in disruptive behaviors that make ADHD symptoms more obvious. This means girls with ADHD may not always be diagnosed.

Symptoms in Children and Adolescents The symptoms of ADHD in children and adolescents are well defined and usually become apparent before the age of 6 years. They appear in more than one situation, e.g. B. at home and at school. Children can have symptoms of both inattention and hyperactivity and impulsivity, or they can have symptoms of just one of these behaviors. Inattention (difficulty concentrating and focusing) The main signs of inattention are: a short attention span and easy distraction

Make careless mistakes – for example in schoolwork

appear forgetful or lose things

not being able to stick to tasks that are tedious or time consuming

seem unable to listen to or carry out instructions

constantly changing activity or task

Difficulty organizing tasks Hyperactivity and impulsivity The main signs of hyperactivity and impulsivity are: Inability to sit still, especially in a calm or quiet environment

constantly fidgeting

unable to focus on tasks

excessive physical exercise

excessive talking

unable to wait their turn

Act without thinking

interrupt conversations

little or no sense of danger These symptoms can cause significant problems in a child’s life, such as: B. Poor performance in school, poor social interaction with other children and adults, and problems with discipline.

Related Conditions in Children and Adolescents with ADHD Although this is not always the case, some children may show signs of other problems or conditions alongside ADHD, such as: it can also cause physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, sweating, and dizziness

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) – This is defined by negative and disruptive behavior, particularly towards authority figures such as parents and teachers

Conduct Disorder – this often involves a tendency towards highly antisocial behavior such as E.g. stealing, fighting, vandalism and harming people or animals

depression

Sleep problems – Difficulty falling asleep at night and irregular sleep patterns

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) – this affects social interaction, communication, interests and behavior

Dyspraxia – a condition that affects physical coordination

Epilepsy – a condition that affects the brain and causes repeated seizures or seizures

Tourette’s Syndrome – a disorder of the nervous system characterized by a combination of involuntary sounds and movements (tics)

Learning disabilities – such as dyslexia

Symptoms in Adults In adults, the symptoms of ADHD are more difficult to define. This is largely due to a lack of research on adults with ADHD. Because ADHD is a developmental disorder, it is believed that it cannot develop in adults without first showing up in childhood. But the symptoms of ADHD in children and adolescents often continue into adulthood. The way inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity affect adults can be very different from how they affect children. For example, hyperactivity tends to decrease in adults, while inattention tends to persist as the pressures of adult life increase. Adult symptoms of ADHD also tend to be much more subtle than childhood symptoms. Some specialists have suggested the following as a list of symptoms associated with ADHD in adults: carelessness and lack of attention to detail

Always start new tasks before you finish old ones

poor organizational skills

Inability to focus or prioritize

constantly losing or misplacing things

forgetfulness

restlessness and nervousness

Difficulty staying calm and speaking out of turn

blurt out answers and often interrupt others

Mood swings, irritability and a quick temper

inability to deal with stress

extreme impatience

Taking risks in activities, often with little or no regard for personal safety or the safety of others—for example, dangerous driving

Related Conditions in Adults with ADHD As with ADHD in children and adolescents, ADHD in adults can coexist with several related problems or conditions. One of the most common is depression. Other conditions that adults can have alongside ADHD include: Personality Disorders – conditions in which a person differs significantly from the average person when it comes to how they think, perceive, feel, or relate to others

Bipolar Disorder – a condition that affects your mood and can swing from one extreme to another

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) – a condition that causes obsessive thoughts and compulsive behavior The behavioral problems associated with ADHD can also cause problems such as difficulties with relationships and social interaction.

Studies suggest that more than half of children with attention deficit disorder (ADHD or ADD) have trouble writing. These students may have an abundance of creative ideas, but often have trouble putting those ideas down on paper.

Children with ADHD have a hard time starting—and following through—on assignments because they have trouble choosing essay topics, finding appropriate resources, memorizing and manipulating information, organizing the material, and putting it in an order and get it down on paper – all before they forget what they wanted to say.

But these hurdles don’t have to stop her from writing. Discuss the following ADHD writing strategies with your child’s teacher so you can work together to alleviate the difficulties that attention-deficit children have with writing.

Classroom Solutions: Guide the writing process

— Set up a note system. Ask the student to write their notes on a topic on individual sticky notes. She can then group the notes that contain similar ideas so she can easily identify the main concepts of the topic based on the groupings.

– Start small and develop skills. Ask students with ADHD to write a paragraph of just two or three sentences. As their skills improve, students can begin writing multiple paragraphs at once.

[Free Download: 18 Writing Tricks For Students With ADHD]

– Demonstrate essay writing. Using an overhead projector, write a paragraph or an entire essay in front of the class and explain what you are doing at each step. Students can support you by providing sentences. Students with ADHD are often visual learners and tend to get better at seeing the teacher working on an assignment.

– Provide inspiration for writing. Students with ADHD typically do not generate as many essay ideas as their peers. Help the children with ADHD increase their essay choices by collecting materials that encourage choice. Read a poem, tell a story, show pictures in magazines, newspapers or books.

If the student is still having trouble getting started, help them by sitting down and discussing the assignment with them. Look at their notes from the brainstorming session and ask, “How might you write the first sentence?” If they don’t have an answer, say, “Here’s an idea. How would you put that in your own words?”

– Encourage colorful descriptions. Students with ADHD often have trouble “spicing up” their written words. Help them add adjectives and use stronger, more active verbs in sentences.

[How Teens With Learning Differences Can Overcome Writing Challenges]

– Explain the editing process. Students with ADHD find it difficult to write too long and often produce short essays that lack detail. Explain how using adjectives and adverbs can improve their composition. Also show them how to use a thesaurus.

Classroom solutions: Use adjustments as needed

– Plan enough time. Students with ADHD, particularly those with the inattentive subtype, may take longer to process information and should be given more time to complete tasks.

– Do not grade early work. Sensitive students are discouraged by negative feedback while developing their writing skills. Wait for the work to finish before assigning a grade.

– Don’t deduct points for bad handwriting or bad grammar. Unless an assignment specifically measures handwriting and grammar skills, let some things slide if a child is working hard to remember and communicate.

– Use a graphic organizer. A graphic organizer organizes material visually to aid in recalling memories. Distribute preprinted blank essay forms for students with ADHD to fill out so they reserve their efforts for the most important task—writing the essay.

—Note-limited essay elements. To encourage writing mastery and not overwhelm students, mark only one or two items at a time. For example, “This week I’m grading subject-verb agreement in sentences.” A greater focus on grading draws students’ attention to one or two writing concepts at a time.

solutions at home

– Promote magazines. Have your child write down their thoughts on going to the movies, visiting relatives, or visiting museums. Add some fun to the activity by asking your child to email you their thoughts or text you from their phone.

– Assistance in choosing the topic of the essay. Children with ADHD have difficulty narrowing down choices and making decisions. Help your student by listening to all of their ideas and writing three or four of their strongest themes on cards. Next, run through the ideas with him and have him cross out each topic one at a time—until there’s only one winner left.

— Brainstorm. Once the topic is identified, ask him for any ideas he thinks might be related. Write the ideas on sticky notes so he can group them into groups that later become paragraphs. He can also cut out the ideas on the computer and paste them into a logical sequence.

— Stock up on books, movies, games. These materials introduce new vocabulary and stimulate thought. Explore them with your child and ask them questions to get their perspective.

– Be your child’s “writer”. Before your child loses their idea for that great American novel or their next English assignment, let them dictate their thoughts to you as you write them down by hand or type them into the computer. As his skills improve over time, he needs less of your involvement in this process.

– Go digital. Children with ADHD often write slower than their classmates. Encourage your child to start writing on the computer. This way she keeps her work organized and doesn’t misplace her essay before it’s finished. Also, working at the computer allows her to easily rearrange the order of sentences and paragraphs in a second draft.

– Remind your child to proofread. Let your child know they can spot mistakes by proofreading their rough draft before handing it in.

High-tech writing aid for children with ADHD

Portable word processor

These battery-powered devices look like a computer keyboard with a small calculator screen. Lightweight and durable, portable word processors can be used at school for note-taking and writing tasks. At home, files can be transferred to a PC or Mac. Basic models cost about $20.

speech recognition software

Also known as speech-to-text software, these programs allow students to read aloud into a microphone and see their words appear on a computer screen. Good programs are Dragon NaturallySpeaking for PCs and Dragon Nuance for Macs.

word prediction software

Software like Co:Writer Solo ($325) helps with spelling and vocabulary building and provides a drop-down list of words for a student to choose from. It also fills in words to speed up composition. Some programs read sentences aloud so the writer can hear what they wrote and spot errors as they occur.

Electronic spell checkers and dictionaries

Type a word phonetically and these handheld devices will define the word and provide the correct spelling. Talking devices read the words out loud. Franklin Electronics offers models starting at around $20.

[The Most Common Problems That Cause Writer’s Block]

Chris Zeigler Dendy, M.S., is a member of ADDitude’s ADHD Medical Review Panel.

People with ADHD often lack inner inhibitions. This means they have trouble holding back when they want to say or do something. And while that can cause problems, it can also make people less likely to have an inner critic silencing their flow of ideas.

Two decades ago, I flunked a writing job while learning all about my new ADHD diagnosis and why it was holding me back from work. Today I am an award-winning novelist.

How did this happen?

Although my diagnosis came after I was struggling with my career at the age of 36, I had already found a calling that suited my ADHD brain through intuition alone. As a journalist and then a content creator for nonprofit groups, I found that writing gave me creative control, something new and interesting to work on outside of my own world, exploring ever-changing topics and a finished product, on that I could point out The end of the day. I didn’t understand why at the time, but early in my career I had shied away from jobs that required prolonged concentration, working in a rigid or bureaucratic system, or memorizing details.

Those decisions collapsed when an employer made radical changes to my writing job and expected me to conform. Suddenly I was responsible for managing information and administrative details that came my way too quickly and rarely caught my interest. My colleagues made the transition with ease, but I hit a wall. I wondered what was going on in my head, and that led to my life-changing diagnosis: Inattentive-Type ADHD.

Since then, I’ve found new and better jobs (including freelancing for ADDitude). I also tried my hand at writing novels. Now that I’ve published my first novel and several other novels, I can look back and understand how my ADHD spirit shaped my novel writing.

[Click to read: Great work! A Career Happiness Formula for Adults with ADHD]

Writing gives me the freedom my ADHD brain craves

For me, the most important link between ADHD and novel writing is freedom. I didn’t need anyone’s permission to create it—no college degree, license, or interview. Most of my learning involved experience and self-taught. Writing fiction gives me even more autonomy than journalism. I create the characters – and everything they say or do in my stories happens because I choose to make it up.

In my novel To Follow Elephants (#CommissionsEarned), I used this latitude to create both human and animal characters. Along with human characters living a human storyline, To Follow Elephants puts the reader in the mind of giant pachyderms. It reveals their thoughts, their culture and religion and how they pass on their knowledge to new generations. I had the power to imagine what went through the elephants’ minds and no one could tell me I was wrong.

Writing uses my ADHD creativity and hyper focus

When I first started writing fiction, I had so many ideas that it was difficult to pin down a plot. But once I had a good idea, I couldn’t stop myself from writing it down. I now recognize my ADHD in this process: First came the wandering imagination, then the hyper focus that drove me to put my best thoughts on paper.

Like my mind, my writing process was often disorganized and interrupted by fresh ideas. I first wrote another manuscript, which I now call my “exercise novel,” before I came up with the concept for To Follow Elephants. And in the middle of writing the second novel, the idea for a play came to me. I couldn’t continue with the novel until I got the piece out of my head by putting it on paper. I also changed the focus and structure of To Follow Elephants several times and eliminated many parts that I had worked hard to write because they made the story lengthy.

[Related Reading: Writing My Way to a Happier Me]

Writing uses my non-linear ADHD thinking

The bottom line of To Follow Elephants also reflects my ADHD spirit. As you can imagine, my novel does not unfold in chronological order, nor does it follow a single character’s point of view. As the plot progresses in a straight line, some information is only revealed when it is most needed or when breaking the drama through flashbacks in time. The flashbacks explain how each character, including the elephants, got to their point in the story.

For example, what mysterious event is Colonel Mubego, the jailer, and his prisoner Karl Dorner hiding from Dorner’s son Owen? What family secret does Wanjeri, elephant researcher and Mubego’s niece, carry with her as she helps Owen discover the truth about his father? The reader learns the answers to these puzzles in flashbacks as Owen approaches them. And where does the inspirational myth of the baby elephant crossing the river come from? You will find out when the right time is.

It took a lot of effort to perfect this structure and move it along smoothly, but I managed to make it work. In one review, one reader said she devoured the book in one sitting, so I must have done something right.

Writing Rewards My ADHD Observation Skills

Most people with inattentive-type ADHD do not have attention deficit. We actually pay too much attention to everything around us and everything in our own heads. This can be a big problem when we need to focus on a teacher, boss, or spouse and can’t keep our eyes, ears, or mind from wandering. However, it is very useful for collecting and writing the details that bring a world and its characters to life in a novel.

In several parts of To Follow Elephants, the descriptions of characters’ observations in African landscapes and cities accurately reflect what I saw and heard during a vacation there three decades ago. I could remember the fascinating things I saw and my feelings about them long after I returned. I projected a plot onto my travels and turned my safari vacation into a book that is equal parts thriller, adventure and depiction of elephant civilization from the animal’s point of view.

Writing allows my ADHD brain to find motivation in inspiration

It’s good that my ability to pick up and remember details is lasting because it took me a while to write them down. I wrote the novel in fits and starts for many years. Life got in my way, as did new ideas, and I was busy learning how to write a novel as I wrote it. ADHD’s well-known nemesis, procrastination, was also taking its toll.

Some writers follow a disciplined process of writing a certain number of words or pages each day. I can not imagine that. I have to write insanely when inspiration or motivation strikes, followed by long periods of inactivity. In retrospect, I see the lack of short-term satisfaction as a major shortcoming, which caused me to postpone the manuscript for months and put it aside. I longed for a quicker reward than writing a book. Showing my work in progress to author groups helped get me back on track, and when I came up with new ideas to incorporate into the manuscript, it prompted me to get back to work.

Writing conditioned me to overcome rejection-sensitive dysphoria

As I finished writing and dipped my toe into the publishing phase, I confronted a common ADHD challenge I’ve recently learned the name of: Rejection Sensitive Dysphoric Disorder (RSD).

This ADDitude article describes RSD as “a feeling of falling short—of failing to live up to [your] own high standards or the expectations of others.” Imagine writing your personal masterpiece and eagerly sending it to a publisher or literary agent just to be able to shatter your dreams of a rejection letter—over and over again. Sounds like a great way to trigger RSD, right?

Luckily, my previous writing experience had conditioned me to rejection and how best to deal with it. I know that rejection is only part of the process of finding the right match between an author and their publisher and/or agent. It’s like looking for a job or dating. Eventually, every time there was a rejection (or no response), I discovered a new agent or publisher who was a better candidate, and my hopes rose again. And in the back of my mind, I knew self-publishing was always an option. Many entrepreneurial writers (probably some with ADHD) are having great success self-publishing these days.

As I approached more and more publishers and agents, and the rejections piled up, I refined my search until I found a small publisher that was particularly interested in my kind of novel, and I finally got a publishing deal. Holding the finished book – with my name on the cover – was reward enough, but a year later, To Follow Elephants won a prestigious Nautilus Book Award.

While ADHD still frustrates me, I’ve learned that some aspects of ADHD are beneficial if I can find a way to put them to good use. I did this to finish my novel.

I’m working on another (or maybe seven) right now.

[Read This Next: The Tricky Thing About ADHD Superpowers]

You can learn more about Rick and his novel at rickhodgesauthor.com.

#Commissions Earned As an Amazon Associate, ADDitude earns a commission from qualifying purchases made by ADDitude readers through the affiliate links we share. However, all products linked in the ADDitude Store have been independently selected by our editors and/or recommended by our readers. Prices correct at time of publication and items in stock

Too often, students with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) are labeled “problem students.” They are often placed in special education programs even if they show no signs of developmental disabilities. Although these students’ brains work differently, studies show that this doesn’t preclude them from being highly intelligent. This means that teachers should pay special attention to helping students with ADHD discover their potential and deal with the challenges they face in their learning process.

Since essay writing is both the most common and the most complicated task for students, teaching writing to students with ADHD requires extra effort. Each step of the writing process can present certain difficulties for these young people. Here are some practical solutions for teachers to encourage, motivate, and focus their students in the writing process.

1. Difficulty concentrating on a task

Research shows that ADHD doesn’t lead to reduced intelligence, but difficulties controlling emotions, staying motivated, and organizing thoughts. So, a teacher’s first job is to teach students to focus sufficiently on a writing task.

Solution: Provide clear, concise instructions.

When assigning an essay or other writing project, be specific and clear about what you expect. Don’t leave much room for interpretation. Instead of the “Write about a joyful moment” task, include instructions in your writing prompt, such as:

Think about the last time you felt happy and cheerful.

Describe the reasons for your happiness.

What exactly made you happy?

What can you compare this feeling to?

Make sure each student knows that he or she should contact you directly with questions. Allow extra time to go through the instructions one-to-one with the students, writing down brief instructions as you go.

2. Difficulty organizing thoughts on paper

Several studies have found that students with ADHD have trouble organizing their thoughts and mental memory. These students are often good at speaking and explaining their ideas orally, but not in writing.

Solution: Organize them from the start.

Start any project with a simple note-taking system. Give students the freedom to make their own notes and review them together whenever possible. Have students take special care to archive these notes in a large binder, binder, or other method for easy storage and retrieval.

To help students organize their written thoughts, teach them mind mapping. A semantic mind map for an essay can include main nouns, verbs and adjectives, as well as phrases to use in writing each paragraph. Some introductory and transitional phrases will also come in handy. Another step after mind mapping is the expanded outline. Begin and end the initial outline with the words “Intro” and “Conclusion” as placeholders. Then have the students expand on this outline themselves.

3. Difficulty in sustained work on a single task

ADHD can make it difficult for students to focus on long-term goals, resulting in poor attention and concentration when the task requires work over a long period of time.

Solution: Create small, manageable milestones.

Since it takes a long time to create a five-page essay, you can break it down into smaller, more manageable pieces that can be worked on in turns. Each piece can be inspected separately if time permits. By treating each topic and section as an independent assignment, students will not feel overwhelmed as they work toward a larger goal.

4. Difficulty meeting deadlines

Deadlines are the things that discourage students with ADHD, as they complete assignments more slowly than their classmates, are often distracted, and tend to procrastinate.

Solution: Allow postponement.

It may sound ridiculous, but builds the writing process by breaking up the work and allowing for additional research, brainstorming, and other activities that diversify the students’ work while still keeping their focus on the end result.

5. Spelling problems

Students with ADHD often have trouble writing, especially spelling. The most common problems are reversing or skipping letters, words, or sentences. Students can spell the same word differently within the same essay. Therefore, a lot of attention should be paid to spelling.

Solution: Promote spell checkers, dictionaries and thesaurus.

There are many writing apps and tools to check spelling and grammar. As a teacher, you can introduce multiple apps and let students choose which ones are better for writing essays. When reviewing submitted work and grading work, highlight spelling mistakes so students can pay special attention to misspelled words and remember the correct variant.

6. Final editing issues

Students with ADHD may have trouble finalizing their work as they have read and reviewed it multiple times at this point and may not pay attention to mistakes.

Solution: Teach them to review their writing step by step.

Take an essay template as an example and show students how to revise it. Slowly walk through the editing process and explain the “why” behind certain changes, especially when it comes to grammatical issues. Assign students the task of revising each other’s essays so they know what to look for and common mistakes to watch out for when revising their own final draft.

Addressing the challenges unique to students with ADHD will help those students find ways to manage their condition effectively and even use it to their advantage. Her unique perspective can be channeled into creative writing, finding new solutions to problems and most importantly finding, achieving and even exceeding her goals and realizing her full potential.

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1 out of 7

Traditionally, inattentive symptoms of attention deficit disorder, such as problems listening or time management, have been diagnosed as “ADD.” Hyperactive and impulsive symptoms have been linked to the term “ADHD”.

Today there is no ADD vs. ADHD; According to DSM-5, ADD and ADHD are regarded as subtypes of the same disease and the same diagnosis. Likewise, the stereotypical caricature of a person with ADHD—a boisterous, outspoken risk-taking—is outdated. Many people with attention deficit disorder – especially girls and women – live with a quiet, spacey form of the disorder that is often misunderstood and undiagnosed. Here we explain the differences between the 3 subtypes of ADHD.