ADHD Does Not Mean I Am Stupid
August 12, 2008 
5 Comments
ADHD might mean a lot of things… I have heard all sorts of myths, misunderstandings, and outrageous claims about what it means to have attention deficit disorder. But what I cannot stand, and what I will NOT tolerate is name calling… I will NOT tolerate when people think that anyone, especially children, with ADHD are stupid.
It’s simply not true… It’s downright rude, offensive, and so many other things…
ADHD means a lot of things, to a lot of different people. And I don’t think you can expect otherwise with a (so-called) spectrum “disorder.” For some reason, people seem to think that ADHD only comes in a few varities.
But the truth is, ADHD is different in everyone. While there are some clear characteristics, ADHD varies greatly from person to person.
ADHD is a differnece in brain wiring and brain functioning.
That’s it! At least on a simple level, that’s what I want you to consider.
No, it’s not necessarily that simple. Yes there is more to know…but for our purposes, this is what you need to be aware of.
So I ask you, where do we get the idea that someone with ADHD is stupid?
You may have read or been told that people with ADHD struggle in certain key areas:
- Organization
- Focus and Attention
- Completing Tasks
But what is often overlooked, at least what is rarely given credit, is that children with attention deficit disorder are NOT broken. They are NOT stupid.
But beyond all that, children and adults with ADHD tend to have a general idea what is going on. Many of them know where they struggle or how they struggle. At least they know just as much as the next person…
Sure… We struggle. We have our moments. But, I ask you this, “Who doesn’t?”
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thank you
So I’m not stupid after all….thank you. BUT I fee like it sometimes. I have an issue with being impulsive and I sometimes say “stupid” things. My friends and co-workers laugh at me and I try to play it off although I am truly embarrased. I used to think this happened because I’m stupid, but it’s just one of my many adhd symptoms.
I agree completely. I am 16 and i have adhd and i hate when people make unintelligent careless remarks about it thinking im some sort of idiot. My iq is prodigy level. In the adhd brain the frontal lobe controlling concentration is about 3 to 4 years behind everyone elses, but the rest of the brain is fine, and often times developes to be extremely advanced. The adhd brain is extremely active, and a high percent of children with adhd are child genius’s that everyone praises. So yeah, if they wanna laugh now thats fine, but when we’re adults we mostly grow out of it because the frontal lobe catches up, so they will have close to if not normal or better than normal, levels of concentration and the rest of their brain will still work at a high speed, they will just be able to process it affectively.
I am 13 and my whole life i have been telling my parent not to parent me the way they do, i always knew that my brain worked a little differently, but until my mother recently took me to a therapist becouse i had trouble following rules and was fighting with her alot, my ADHD had been hiding behind my IQ. no one ever had any idea that i was easily distracted becouse i always got outstanding grades and am the top of my class. so, they never knew how to properly parent me becouse of my problem.
THE MAIN POINT:
i am just saying, that (and dont take this as bragging.) my IQ is so high (very very supperior, it was discribed) that it could mask my ADHD for 13 years. so there you have it, ADHD has absolutely nothing to do with how smart you are!!!!!!!
P.S. the only thing i hated in school was when we were ever timed, becouse ADHD makes it hard for me to focus on my work and i easily get side tracked.
and although people say that a part of your brain when you have adhd is behind everyone else’s your age, i have already skipped a grade, and teachers still say that my brain (or atleast the part not meant for “orginization”) is ahead of everyone else’s.