Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Girls and ADHD or ADD

This article  on www.lifescript.com reiterates what I have read in other places about ADHD.  Girls are often not diagnosed with ADHD because their behaviors are different from boys with ADHD.

Last summer I wrote Maybe I Have A.D.D. and have gotten more hits on that post than any other on my blog.  I'm clearly not alone!  Parenting Advice for Girls with ADHD focuses on school children, but we can certainly apply these ideas in the grown-up world.  The point that spoke most directly to me was that girls with ADHD are often chatty rather than unruly and bouncing around.  Guilty!  All I wanted to do in school was talk to my friends.  My mind was like a ball in pinball machine, bouncing all over during class.  My thoughts jumped from bumper to bumper, then the ball would fall in a hole if the teacher called my name.

Somehow I was able to earn solid grades throughout my education in spite of not paying close attention during many lectures.  God had a plan for me--my maiden name began with "B" and I was younger and shorter than most of my peers.  In classes with assigned seating by name or height, I often sat close to the front of the room.  I vividly remember the classes where I sat in the back, not for their academic content but for the conversations with my peers.  In college, I instinctively recognized that I must sit in the front of the room, and my focus improved tremendously.

As I continue to homeschool my three youngest children, knowing that two of them will likely be heading to school next fall, I take from this article some excellent advice and suggestions to prepare them now for the educational challenges that will face them in a room full of new people and distractions in September.  Likewise, I recognize that mild cases of ADHD can be kept in check with environmental changes and awareness.




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