The upside of having ADHD

By Dina Halaseh 
Educational Psychologist

We are used to thinking of all the disruptive and, in many cases, annoying attributes linked to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. But as we always see in life, there is always an upside to everything.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects a person’s ability to focus, maintain attention and may result in hyperactivity or impulsiveness. We have seen an increased awareness of ADHD in Jordan, yet most parents tend to focus only on the negatives and not realise how it can also have an upside. 

Types of ADHD

• Inattentive: Someone who struggles to maintain attention and gets distracted easily but there are no signs of hyperactivity or inattentiveness

• Hyperactive: Someone who moves a lot, is impulsive but doesn’t seem to struggle to maintain attention

• Combined ADHD: someone who is both hyperactive and impulsive and tends to struggle to maintain attention and gets distracted easily

Positive sides to having ADHD

• Hyperfocus: When someone with ADHD turns on their hyperfocus, they spend hours doing a task that they enjoy in a way that other people can’t

• Creativity: Being creative is one of the advantages of having a not so neurotypical brain. This gives them a huge advantage at work when given the opportunity. Many famous actors and singers are known to have ADHD like Will Smith, Jim Carrey, Adam Levine and Justin Timberlake

• Energy: The amount of energy someone with ADHD has, allows them to be great at any physical activity; actually, many well-known athletes have ADHD like Michael Jordan, Simone Biles, and Michael Phelps

• Social: Many with ADHD tend to be the star of any social encounter as many have great skills communicating with others and have a spontaneous personality that grabs everyone’s attention, especially those who are more hyperactive than inattentive

• Flexibility: Usually, we find people with ADHD who are flexible in thoughts, ideas, movements and even more adaptable to the many challenges of life

• Willingness to try new things: They are also willing to try different new things and look for many interesting ideas and concepts, thus adding to their creativity!

As hard as it is for people with ADHD, children need to hear that their different brains will help them excel in so many different ways. Sadly, they tend to get only negative feedback. So invest in your child’s strengths and make sure to praise it!

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine