Listening to ADHD

BY ANGIE ARLINGTON

“I feel like my brain has a bunch of bees buzzing all the time.”

“I try so hard to put my keys in the same place, but if I am in a hurry I forget. Then I spend a lot of time trying to find them and am late all the time.”

“My mom yells at me that I am not trying hard enough in my classes. I am trying, but I don’t know how to ask my teacher to explain stuff.”

“I can’t remember if I took my afternoon medication. Do I take it now or assume I took it?”

“An hour goes by and I can’t remember what I did at all. “

“All around me, girls are talking in class and I can’t hear what the teacher is saying. The teacher does not understand how distracting they are because other people can focus better than me.”

“I start to leave to leave the house and I realize I forgot to put my laundry in the dryer. So I think I will do this really fast and leave. But then the phone rings and I have to answer it. Then I am talking on the phone and put my purse on the table. Then I realize I need to drink more water, so I fill up my water bottle. After getting off the phone, I have to go back and get my purse and I am now running 30 minutes late for an appointment.”

“I try reading my homework, but I am hungry. So I go make myself a snack and forget about my homework until my dad yells at me about doing it.”

“I am thinking about how I missed the bus this morning and that I slept through my alarm again. In math class I can’t make these thoughts go away, so I miss what the homework is for tonight.”

“I start cleaning up my room and then my sister wants me to play with her and I start doing something else.”

“I thought I did something. I can’t remember if I did do it or just thought about doing it.”

“I am trying to listen to the person talking to me, but a fly keeps going near their head I am watching the fly and stop talking.”

“I don’t understand how to do my homework and my teacher yells at me when I ask a question. So I just stop asking and doodle on my paper.”

“My mom says I am lazy. But I have a hard time deciding what to do first with my homework. I want to do all of it, but my mind starts

thinking about what my friends were talking about at lunch.”

“I did my homework, but I can’t find it. So I got an F.”

“My brain runs in a circle and repeats itself. It’s all I can think about.”

“My brain has several ideas in it and I can’t figure out which idea I like the best.”

“I have to write down a to do list. But then I loose it and have to write another one and forget what I wrote down on the first list.”

“My body moves and I don’t know how to control it.”

“I want to say so many things, but I don’t know when I can say anything without someone yelling at me.”

“Its like a bunch of ping pong balls bouncing in my head.”

“My brain is moving too much, so I have to let it out with my body by moving a lot. I can’t stay still very long.”

“I am trying to stop being so silly, but my body just wants to wiggle like a worm.”

“I can’t remember because my squishy guy fell off the table and I need to rescue him from the lava on the floor. He needs help now and I need paper to make a bed for him.

2 plus 2? 2 plus 2 is always 4, but I need to make a boat now.”