Understanding ADHD

By: Jacq Ziegler, LCPC

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is part of what we call “neurodiversity”. ADHD isn’t something that one acquires; it is a difference in the brain that is present from birth. About 8% of adults in the US and about 11% of kids have a diagnosis of ADHD.  

There are three different types of ADHD:

• Inattentive (difficulty with focus and executive function, no external hyperactivity),

• Hyperactive, and

• Combined (both inattention and hyperactivity).

Regardless of the type, attention deficit, is misleading. Folks with ADHD pay attention to MORE than folks who don’t have ADHD.

When a neurotypical person walks into a room, they look around. Their brain quickly sorts through what they see and picks out what’s most important to them. There are many things in the room that don’t register because they weren’t relevant.  

When a person with ADHD walks into the room, they look around, see all of the many, many, things, and they all seem like they might be relevant. It can be hard for them to figure out which of these things are most important.  

Because of this “over” attention, folks with ADHD have busy brains. A busy brain can result in feeling overwhelmed, having a hard time regulating emotions, difficulty knowing which thing to focus on, or having a hard time being focused at all. That doesn’t sound fun – but WAIT! Like most things in life, ADHD isn’t all bad. Or all good. It’s both/and.  

An ADHD brain has extremely powerful, positive characteristics that neurotypical people don’t have. Characteristics like:

• Hyperfocus – this is when someone with ADHD locks in on a project or problem and cannot be distracted. They are going to work on this until it’s done. And their idea of “done” is likely to involve a bunch of side quests that make the entire project way better and more insightful than it would otherwise be.

• Reading the room – folks with ADHD are really good at noticing people’s energy, body language, and micro expressions and interpreting what people around them are feeling. They take in a ton of data quickly, process it, and react.

• Making connections – people with ADHD are likely to see connections that neurotypical people may not. For example – someone’s brain goes from butterflies to peanuts to peanut allergies to the very low rate of peanut allergies in Israel to the recent suggestions that early exposure to peanuts reduces incidence of peanut allergies to allergy shots to wondering if kids spending more time outdoors in infancy and early childhood reduces the occurrence of seasonal allergies. Maybe this person then decides to enroll their child in a preschool that emphasizes time outside, or they do a study, or market a product to encourage kids to be outside.

• Awesome in a crisis – folks with ADHD tend to be great in a crisis. They are able to use their hyperfocus, their ability to read the room, and their comfort with processing a lot at once to be calm and completely on when they need to be on.

• Drive – people with ADHD tend to have a significant amount of drive. When they put their mind to something, get out of the way. They may choose a bunch of things they’re interested in that they drop because something else attracts their attention, but when it’s the right thing? Stand back – they’ve got this.

• Empathy – folks with ADHD are often empathetic. This is due to both their ability to notice people’s emotions, but also to their creativity and ability to imagine what it might be like to be that person. In addition, people with ADHD have often experienced failures and challenges throughout their lives because of the things their brains aren’t great at; they often know what it’s like to be thought of as “less than”.

• Creativity – the ability to see connections frequently results in someone who is very creative. This may not be creativity in the arts; it could be seeing a different way of doing something or seeing a piece of a process that needs to shift.

ADHD isn’t all rosy. People with ADHD run into challenges in a number of areas – doing laundry, mailing things, being on time, paying attention in class or a meeting, finishing a project. And yet, each of these challenges is the shadow side of something that is a strength. Remembering to acknowledge the strengths can make it easier to cope with the challenges.

If you have ADHD, or love someone with ADHD, make sure that you focus on these strengths as well as figuring out ways to deal with the challenges!

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