Reflection for Families and Teachers

Society fears, criticizes and even excludes everything it does not understand or comprehend. Neurodivergent brains have, for many, many years, been a silent target of this lack of understanding.

People with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are one of the targets. They are a silent target because neither the brain with ADHD, nor their family, nor coworkers understand why certain behaviors occur. People with brilliant careers in their field have had arduous beginnings, with many difficulties, and in some cases, throughout their personal and professional lives, they have made choices that did not go well because they were not suitable for the functioning of their brain with ADHD.

In the video [1] Robert Tudisco, lawyer, tells his story with ADHD. Despite being published in 2014, it continues to receive comments and responses from the author. To make it easier, the video opens at minute 15:45, at the moment it tells you what happens when you change careers.

This is especially critical for a student who has completed secondary education without difficulty but encounters a barrier when entering higher education. At this moment, problems arise: the family thinks that suddenly their son or daughter doesn’t feel like studying; they’ve made them lazy. The father stops talking to his son or daughter. At home, there is daily conflict: “In my time, I tried hard, and now you don’t make the slightest effort.” The positions are extreme, and none of those involved understands the reason.

This conflict, combined with academic failure that the student himself cannot explain, is frustrating.

All of us, families and teachers, must internalize that all of this inhabits the brains of those with ADHD. We must seek to understand how the brain works in cases of ADHD. In doing so, we will better understand some of our colleagues, family members and, of course, students. Here I would highlight:

[2]

“Neurology Explains a Lot: Understanding what ADHD brains want makes it clear that the struggle for self-regulation is neurological and has nothing to do with character deficiencies.”

(…)

“The ADHD brain and its owner are at odds with one another. It’s difficult to compel a disengaged brain to engage by force of will.”

(…)

“Appreciating the tug-of-war within that pits intellect against neurobiology increases compassion and acceptance for one’s hidden struggle. ADHD behaviors are frequently mislabeled and misjudged by society, and there is some comfort in knowing that there are neurological explanations for seemingly incomprehensible behaviors.”

[3]

Filme: The Disruptors | AVAILABLE NOW ON APPLE TV / ITUNES, GOOGLE PLAY / YOUTUBE, AMAZON, AND VUDU

“ADHD is one of the most commonly diagnosed – and widely misunderstood-neurological conditions in the world today, affecting nearly 10% of kids and a rising number of adults. But what if having an ADHD brain is actually an asset? A growing number of innovators, entrepreneurs, CEO’s, Olympic athletes, and award-winning artists have recently disclosed that their ADHD, managed effectively, has played a vital role in their success. The Disruptors takes an immersive look inside our country’s approach to ADHD, debunking the most harmful myths and reframing our perspective on this diagnosis.”

As teachers, this understanding will help us understand under what conditions our students can achieve the best performance. It will help us understand to what extent Universal Design for Learning [4] can guide our efforts as teachers, serving all students.

References

[1] “The Impact of ADHD on College Students Through Adulthood” url: https://youtu.be/m2KxYcGg49c?si=TFeQa6CJjqiAQpPs&t=942

[2] “Never Enough? Why ADHD Brains Crave Stimulation” url: https://www.additudemag.com/brain-stimulation-and-adhd-cravings-dependency-and-regulation/

[3] The Disruptors Official Trailer – a documentary film on ADHD, url: https://www.youtube.com/@thedisruptors2024/videos

[4] “Desenho Universal para a Aprendizagem (DUA) – Descobrir Formas de Eliminar Barreiras” url: https://fe.up.pt/neurodiversidade/o-desenho-universal-para-a-aprendizagem-na-eliminacao-de-barreiras/