October 14th - 20th is ADHD Awareness Week!

 

October 14th - 20th is ADHD Awareness Week!

 

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."

-Albert Einstein

I LOVE this quote! As some of you may know, in addition to helping to run our company, I also work part time at Hood River Middle School. The primary focus of my job is working with students in Special Education, some on Individual Educational Programs (IEPs) for academic issues and some for behavioral issues. Many of them, as well as innumerable students not in Special Ed., have been diagnosed with ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivitiy Disorder. This is the single most diagnosed psychiatric disorder in children today.

These are not "dumb" kids or bad kids. These are kids who's brains are wired differently than ours, who's brain chemistry makes it difficult for them to function in exactly the same way as others. These are incredible kids with so much to offer the world, if only they can work through their extra challenges... it's simply harder for them to focus and control impulses. Most have as high as, if not higher IQs than "typical" kids. In fact, a good number of kids diagnosed with ADHD are later labeled as "gifted". These kids often feel bombarded by stimuli or outside influences. Their brains receive more information than ours, while ours tend to naturally block out much of what we don't need. This same tendency accounts for why some children are gifted... they take in more of their world than others. This is not especially a bad thing. The secret is learning to handle all that information in an orderly fashion.

Did you know ADHD can affect adults, as well. It's not something most kids grow out of and there are even adults with ADHD who were never diagnosed as children. If you suspect that you or someone you love is affected by ADHD, there is so much help available today. Treatments have changed and evolved just in the last five years. Those treatments don't always include medication which has a lot of controversy associated with it. Of course I know some kids who can barely function without their medication and others who have never tried medication and deal with this disorder in other ways. The important thing is to address these issues head-on and determine options.

For more information, visit your doctor today who can make the referrals you'll need to start dealing with possible ADHD. Meanwhile, visit the ADHA Awareness Week Website.

 

 

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