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The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 1): Introduction to the ADHD Circuit

The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 2): A Breakdown of the ADHD Circuit^®

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This week, I thought I would share an inspiring article from ADDitude Magazine.  I am a big fan of ADDitude and was very touched by an article about a mother and daughter who overcame substance abuse and threats of suicide through a double ADHD diagnosis.  They learned about ADHD together, and grew significantly from their experiences.

I am sharing this particular article for a few reasons:

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A few weeks ago, I received an email from Joe, an ADHD Circuit subscriber.  Joe’s son has ADHD and he want to know if I had any thoughts about managing social skills.  This was my response…

Dear Joe,

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I must admit that I’ve become a little obsessed with researching the brain lately.  I always considered myself a semi-expert in understanding how the brain works for learning, but I have never dug this deep into the biology before.

At the same time, I am trying hard not to learn too much.  I think that the fact that I don’t have the patience to follow and comprehend some of the super-medical/technical reports I am finding is an advantage.  It keeps my questions and understanding grounded towards my purpose, which is to understand what I need to understand to help myself, my son, and many others who simply want to improve their everyday life.

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When I was in middle school, I began to notice a problem with my reading.  Specifically, I was having trouble seeing the text in my textbooks. When I looked at a page, I would see a glare of white light slithering between the text and reflecting back at me. It was very distracting and painful…in the same way that seeing a camera flash in the dark would hurt your eyes. What I was seeing, however, was constant and debilitating.

Mom took me to an eye doctor. “Everything’s fine,” he said.

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Have you ever seen a dog chase its tail?  The dog keeps going round and round, presumably thinking that, any moment now, he will actually catch that tail behind him.  He expends a lot of energy, but has nothing to show for it.

People with ADHD often describe a similar sensation of spinning around in circles.  This how students feel with nearly every task related to school: organizing and managing papers, assignments, time and due dates, reading textbooks, taking notes, studying for tests and even, taking tests.

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A few years ago, a friend of mine was working as a grad-assistant to Bonnie Cramond, a professor at the University of Georgia. They surveyed hundreds of teachers, asking half of the teachers to list words that described “creative” students. The other half were asked to list words that described students with ADHD.

The two lists of characteristics overlapped by 95%!

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We’ve done a few “special article” series before, but nothing has lit up the blog comments like the topic of ADHD.  I’ve enjoyed the questions and feedback.  There are excellent questions coming through and I hope to expand on most of them in future articles.  Keep them coming!

One of the comments came from Rita, who wrote the following:

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Welcome to everyone who joined The ADHD Circuit^® in the last week!  If you are just joining this series, you will probably want to start with the first article, available here.

I would also like to send a special call-out to my cousins!  I am the youngest of 32 “first” cousins; Minta, a cousin by marriage, says that we all have the same eyes.  Apparently, the genetics do not stop there because many of us -and our children- have ADHD.  There was a lot of buzz about ADHD (and my party lights) over Thanksgiving weekend.  My mom encouraged them to join The ADHD Circuit^®.  Having my cousins subscribe will certainly keep me honest.  They’ll likely keep me humble, too!

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I have always been fascinated by strings of lights. It amazes me how a simple strand of light bulbs can illuminate any space and transform it into a warm and festive atmosphere.

While shopping for party decorations this summer, I came across an inexpensive set of lights that would fit perfectly in our kitchen. I put them up for a surprise party, but we enjoyed them so much, they never came down. Little did I know, that $10 pack of lights would not only add a nice touch of ambiance to my kitchen…it would help me discover a clear model for understanding ADHD.

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