THE WELLNESS ISSUE
ADHD:
A Legislative Lawyer’s Superpower
BY DEBORAH I. GOTTSCHALK, ESQUIRE
It is estimated that lifetime prevalence of ADHD is 8 percent of the population, including a prevalence of current adult ADHD of 4.4 percent.2 ADHD can manifest as three different types: primarily hyperactive and impulsive, primarily inattentive, and combined.3 ADHD traits vary by each individual, and ADHD often presents very differently in the family members. Rather than a deficit of attention, ADHD is more the inability to focus attention. Thus, someone with ADHD is often described as a day-dreamer, or absentminded, and frequently told that these are character flaws they need to fix. However, recent brain imaging research has demonstrated that there are structural differences in ADHD brains which impair the ability to perform tasks as expected and required by schools and workplaces.4 24
DSBA Bar Journal | www.dsba.org
I describe ADHD as seeing
different colored lights
appearing,
but before I
can focus on
one, it starts to fade and
another gets brighter.
I describe ADHD as seeing different colored lights appearing, but before I can focus on one, it starts to fade and another gets brighter. For example: I decide to walk the dog so I put on her leash, but I notice that I should turn off the coffee pot, then I put a dish in the dishwasher and see a plant I should water. Eventually, I notice the dog sitting patiently with her leash, and we go for our walk, maybe with a house key. Another example is the scene in Everything Everywhere All at Once where the main character jumps quickly between locations, leaving each just as we start to understand where she is and the implications. That is what ADHD is like, all day, every day. Common ADHD traits that I have include:
▪ Executive function deficits: Dif-
ficulty planning, organizing, scheduling, and completing tasks. Includes working memory deficits: difficulty memorizing facts, including letters and numbers.
▪ Time blindness: Time is either now or not now; lose (or never had)
© istockphoto.com/ kmlmtz66
W
hile much has been written about the challenges that having ADHD presents to being successful in our society, there is also increasing recognition that people with non-neurotypical brains often have unique skills that can be strengths in right environments. To that end, ADHD is only a disability in education and work settings because of expectations and requirements established by the neurotypical majority. Instead, “the ADHD nervous system [is] a unique and special creation that regulates attention and emotions in different ways than the nervous system in those without the condition.”1
