Ever been treated like you’re stupid? Been made to feel like you can’t be successful? For ADHDers that seems to be ingrained into the whole concept of our condition. One of the biggest misconceptions around ADHD still seems to be that you can’t have it and have above average intelligence or be academic. It’s one of the biggest barriers to getting a diagnosis, because unfortunately if a child is doing well in school, then more often than not schools will not push for a diagnosis.
It’s not the school’s fault, we all know them and teachers are under huge pressures, especially when it comes to funding and achieving the national targets for assessments. So, if you’ve got a child who is hitting the mark and not being particularly disruptive then why would you create more paperwork?
Sadly, the majority of young girls with ADHD go undiagnosed until later life because of their ability to mask, while boys can also mask, the diagnosis figures for boys tends to be much higher due to disruptive behaviour in the classroom.
“Basically, the kids are being to made to feel like because they can perform academcially then there can’t be anything wrong with them.”
ADHD gIRL
So, here’s the thing, if you struggle to concentrate, find school difficult, but can perform academically and generally can mask your symptoms then you’re treated as if you’re absolutely fine. The thing is undiagnosed ADHD or any neurodivergent condition is not fine, not only are all the symptoms still there under the surface, you get more frequent burn out due to the efforts of masking and lower self-esteem because hey you can’t be yourself because you’re too difficult.
We need to move away from this two-dimensional way of thinking that difficulties with executive functioning means low level intelligence, because that’s exactly the self-fulfilling prophecy we’re selling people. We’re telling people that ADHDers can’t be clever, they can’t be successful and that just simply isn’t true. The danger of this is that ADHDers start to believe it because to some degree we become how we are treated particularly at compulsory school age.
There are lots of examples of hugely successful ADHDers across all industries, they just had the right environment and the right support. I have known schools to dismiss parents if their child is academic but they have SEN concerns, equally I know doctors who have looked at qualifications to determine whether a referral for a diagnosis should be put in.
“What hurts the most is that some qualified professionals such as teachers and doctors encourage this misconception.”
ADHD gIRL
I never used to be academic, in fact I grew up thinking I was thick and bombed out of my GCSEs (Important English exams at the end of high school), but fast forward to ten years after high school and I walked up on a graduation stage with a first-class degree. I am proof that someone with ADHD can still achieve with the right support, it just took me a lot longer to get it than it should have.
So how do we break this myth? Well, that’s the tricky part but the key thing is more awareness on all levels. We need to make sure that all professionals know that ADHD does not equal stupid, it means more support is needed to achieve. Because right now too many people are being missed, not because they aren’t struggling, but because they’re coping just well enough to be ignored.
Catch you in two weeks ADHDers and Allies where I’ll be talking about people who have waited their whole life for a diagnosis and what it could mean. For those of you who are celebrating I wish you a Happy and blessed Easter. Don’t eat too many eggs all at once, though the dopamine hit might feel worth it.
