“OH LOOK, A CHICKEN!”
A friend gave me a t-shirt for my birthday one year that said, “People say I have ADD, but they just don’t understand…Oh…look, a chicken!” I was never without a comment whenever I wore that shirt. I remember standing in line for the Millennium Force ride at Cedar Point, watching the enjoyment of others as they endured comic relief in a two hour long line for a ride that lasted less than five minutes.
I don’t know what happened to my favorite t-shirt. The last time I remember wearing it was on a bike trip in the upper-peninsula of Michigan. I heard many of my bike team members tell me I better keep an eye on it, as they might snatch it from me when I was not looking. They loved my t-shirt as much as I did. It was in high demand. Why? I don’t know. Maybe their infatuation with my shirt had something to do with their ability to relate with it.
This begs me to ask the question, are there a large number of people with ADD/ADHD? Then I must ask myself another important question. Are there really that many people with ADD/ADHD or is there an over-diagnosis? Are people looking for a “quick medicated fix” for their children or do they really need some pharmaceutical assistance?
Over the next three weeks, I will attempt to address these questions. ADHD is a diagnosis in the DSM-IV, soon to be DSM-V. It describes the individual who has difficulty paying attention to details, sitting still and completing tasks, as well as many other challenges. Why is it a diagnosis? Maybe so counseling agencies can give a report on the progress a client with ADHD is making in therapy.
I am not so concerned with the diagnosis. I believe it is culturally biased. Am I saying there are no individuals who have ADHD? Not at all. People with ADHD should be seen as those who are gifted differently in a culture that loves systems, details, timeliness and anal-retentiveness. Truthfully, they are often the most compassionate people. I have worked with teenagers for over 20 years. I love them. They are energizing, interesting and unique. I often have more fun with teenagers than adults. They are some of the most misunderstood people in our western culture. I especially enjoy teenagers who have ADHD. I remember a time when I had broken a pair of sunglasses at a teenager event. One of the “extreme” ADHD boys in the group picked up my broken shades and said with great enthusiasm, “I can fix them. Really! Can I please?”
If I were to write a book about ADHD I would call it “Being ADHD in an Engineer’s World!” I live in Oakland County, Michigan, where many engineers reside. Engineers have transformed our society. Where would we be without the automobile, telecommunication and the opportunity to fly across the country for work, pleasure or to visit friends and family? Yet, if one ever spent time with an engineer, or tried to work with one, you have to be able to speak their language. Some are the epitome of anal-retentiveness. Some are addicted to structure and they have a mistress called “how do you get from point A to B to C?” Sometimes it seems like one can never have a normal conversation with them. There has to be a purpose. They do not have time for small talk.
People with ADHD have difficulty coping in a world that demands structure and does not allow “down time” or “free time” to let loose. I am often entertained by the conversations and conflicts between engineers and those with ADHD. They have to discipline themselves to even understand the other person. It is especially tough for those with ADHD because society and culture seem to value the engineer ahead of them. The engineer is not any more valuable than the individual with ADHD, nor is the ADHD person any more valuable than the engineer. Fortunately, for the engineer, society values their role in our culture. Not always does our culture value those with ADHD. How do I know this? Those with ADHD have been given a diagnosis, a label. They are treated as with a disorder when they should be treated as people who are gifted differently. Yet, they must cope with and learn to adjust to society rather than blame them.
Next week I will address ADHD in the classroom and the following week I will discuss ADHD medications.
