Adhd Reflection

One out of every ten students in the United States has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or most commonly known as ADHD. I am one of these students and I was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of four. I am 18 years old now and have just began college and while I have learned to live with ADHD, it still proves as a hindrance to my social skills, learning ability and my ability to fall asleep.

ADHD is a chronic condition that affects millions of children and often persists into adulthood. As I have discovered ADHD is sometimes an underlying condition. Where as many kids go completely undiagnosed and are just seen as unruly children (Data & Stats.). I have multiple friends who have been diagnosed with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

They have always had trouble paying attention in classes and early on in their school years their grades suffered and they required a whole different classroom to take test so they could focus. Not only are they affected in a scholarly setting but ADHD also affects them in everyday conversation. My friend Suzy told me that “conversations are hard” and that she would just bounce around from topic to topic. She also stated that she wouldn’t even hear what the other person was saying half the time because she was so focused on what she was going to say next.
My days are almost the exact same as everyone else’s days except some mornings I take pills to help me focus in class. I wake up, eat, go to school and continue with most of my daily activities just as any other human being would. Sometimes I do require some extra tutoring when I may zone out in class or completely forget a lecture but my problems in school are nowhere near as prevalent as they were when I was in elementary school.
I currently do not have a job. I don’t have a job because it would be very difficult for me to balance work and school with ADHD. It isn’t impossible but it would only stress me out more, which is the last thing an ADHD kid needs. My bosses in the past have been very caring and understanding when I tell them that I have ADHD. If they asked me to do something and I wasn’t sure what to do I would ask questions to clarify what had been asked of me. However some bosses can be strict and if I were to forget a task I may get yelled at or worse, fired.
I face many challenges daily such as learning in school and having normal conversations.

In school I always try my hardest to pay attention but then my ADHD takes over and as the professor dismisses class I realize I have absolutely no idea what the professor went over. My ADHD doesn’t only affect me in the classroom but it affects me at night as well. Some nights I will try and go to sleep but my mind wonders, and the next thing I know it’s three in the morning and I have to get up early for class. So I go to class the next day tired as hell because of my ADHD affecting my ability to sleep the night before. I also have trouble with everyday conversation. I try to have mindfulness during every situation but sometimes I fail. For instance I will be in the middle of a conversation with someone and the next thing I know they’re staring at me waiting for a response because I zoned out and thought of something else. Usually I play it off and pretend I wasn’t listening on purpose but it becomes embarrassing at a point. I feel bad about myself because I have trouble listening to people (Attention…

(ADHD)).
I am often treated different because I have ADHD. For example some people I talk to who aren’t really my friends will tell me that “I never listen” or they may call me vulgar names just because I forgot what they told me earlier that day. However most of the time people treat me the same as they would treat any other person.
People who don’t know me ask me questions such as “Are you unintelligent?” or “Why can’t you focus?” Most of the time I try to ignore this stereotyping but sometimes I have to answer. However I feel obligated to explain to people my situation. My friends understand but people who don’t know me think I am a rude person.
Some of my favorite things to do are hang out with friends and play sports.

My ADHD doesn’t really affect any of my hobbies. Occasionally I will be playing backyard football and someone will tell me what route to run and of course I forget, so I have to ask again.

ADHD is a real and serious condition and if it goes untreated it can be detrimental to the ability of learning, sleeping, as well as conversing in everyday life. I have learned to live with ADHD and strive to be the best at everything I do and become a successful man.

What I have learned from this paper is that in order to communicate effectively with people from different cultures or people with certain disabilities, one must be considerate toward every individually. People come from all different backgrounds and everyone has their own story. When communicating with individuals take into account underlying issues that could potentially be a trigger to that person. Try and be considerate and don’t use offensive terms when speaking to someone. Also when meeting new people be friendly and engaging but respect that person’s boundaries. I have realized that sometimes I am too quick to judge people and may use offensive language when speaking to friends. Even though I am speaking to my friends, anyone could be

listening.