mental health*
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t the beginning of Grade 2, we saw the light dim in our little boy’s eyes. He would get into the car after school and burst into tears, having held back his frustration all day long. After some hits and misses as bothering him, we ended up taking him to an educational psychologist. She came back to us with the conclusion that he was a brilliantly intelligent child, who also had Attention (ADHD). What did this mean? What should we do next? We had already been through so much trying to parent him the way he needed, and this felt like the For the next couple of years I took a deep dive into understanding everything I could about ADHD. The more I understood, the less terrifying ADHD was. Accurate explanations lead to accurate problem-solving. Understanding an ADHD diagnosis can not just be liberating, but save people’s relationships, careers and even their lives. Because one of the greatest side-effects of ADHD is shame. Shame is that little voice that tells us we are not worthy of love and connection. Shame is what we feel not when we make a mistake, but when we believe we are a mistake. So many kids with
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ADHD walk around under the weight of shame because ADHD is often treated as a behavioural problem instead of a neurological problem. The words “what is wrong with you?” hang over their young hearts like a cloud. This is what life is like for ADHD kids. They are trying so hard. They long to impress us, please us and to be liked – they want it so much. Sometimes they’re trying so hard to be OK that we don’t even know how much they’re hurting, as they
Understanding
ADHD
ACCURATE EXPLANATIONS LEAD TO ACCURATE PROBLEM-SOLVING, WRITES JESS BASSON – SHARING IDEAS THAT HAVE HELPED HER PARENT HER SON WITH MORE UNDERSTANDING AND PATIENCE
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