What is ADHD?
ADHD is a developmental or neurodevelopmental disorder (disclaimer: some reject any idea of ADHD as a disorder and consider ADHD to be a neurotype). Scientists are still learning a lot about it, but ADHD has a genetic component and is associated with neurochemical, anatomical, and functional changes of neuronal networks. No, not everyone is a little ADHD. Sorry, that's not what the science says!
You'll read on many websites that ADHD is commonly diagnosed in childhood, but that's not always true. It's rather common for it to be missed completely in girls. That said, while the diagnosis may not occur in childhood, the symptoms will have been there (they just may be more complicated than you think).
You'll read on many websites that ADHD is commonly diagnosed in childhood, but that's not always true. It's rather common for it to be missed completely in girls. That said, while the diagnosis may not occur in childhood, the symptoms will have been there (they just may be more complicated than you think).
Neuroscience of ADHD
Some studies have suggested that ADHD brains are structurally different than non-ADHD brains. Certain regions (accumbens, amygdala, caudate, hippocampus, and the putamen) develop more slowly and never reach the point non-ADHD brains reach (the pallidum and the thalamus). Our amygdala and hippocampus are smaller, and these regions of the brain are responsible for memory consolidation, emotional memories, decision-making, emotional responses and response inhibition, short and long-term memory, and spatial coding respectively. More recent studies have found no differences in brain structures in ADHD children, so the science is clearly developing and how measurements are made matters.
The circuitry within our brains is also different and distinct. The dopamine pathways we use for attention, executive functions, motivation and rewards don't work as expected (short communication on dopamine and ADHD and meta-analysis of functional MRI studies). Recent research in children with learning difficulties actually found that specific brain regions don't underlie learning difficulties but the connectedness of different regions is what actually correlates to trouble learning. The latest research seems to suggest that what makes ADHD brains different is our chemistry rather than structural differences, but the science of ADHD is still very much in development! This is a nice article on the ADHD brain and it includes references. |
Doesn't ADHD only affect children?
This is definitely not true. Between 40-60% of children with ADHD report problems as adults and recent research studying 558 people with ADHD, found that less than 10% sustained recovery from ADHD by the time the study concluded. While some say that ADHD fades in adulthood, I think we just become better at coping with it and hiding it. The symptoms remain for many of us, but the ways in which ADHD manifests itself change as we age, with our environment, with our support systems.
For example, I may not be the child who couldn't sit in her seat in class anymore. Instead, I'm the person in the meeting who fidgets with her pen, touches her hair too many times, taps her foot, gets up to refill a water bottle, and readjusts my position in my chair a lot. Rather than the kid with the messy desk who can't find anything, now I'm the person with a million notebooks, folders, sticky notes, and a whole suite of other things designed to keep myself organized.
Also, it's important to note that ADHD is often missed by doctors, teachers, parents and whoever else in certain populations. Women are diagnosed at a lower rate, as are marginalized groups. This doesn't mean the prevalence of ADHD is lower, it means we're missing it. Plenty of people aren't diagnosed as a child but they certainly had and still have ADHD.
For example, I may not be the child who couldn't sit in her seat in class anymore. Instead, I'm the person in the meeting who fidgets with her pen, touches her hair too many times, taps her foot, gets up to refill a water bottle, and readjusts my position in my chair a lot. Rather than the kid with the messy desk who can't find anything, now I'm the person with a million notebooks, folders, sticky notes, and a whole suite of other things designed to keep myself organized.
Also, it's important to note that ADHD is often missed by doctors, teachers, parents and whoever else in certain populations. Women are diagnosed at a lower rate, as are marginalized groups. This doesn't mean the prevalence of ADHD is lower, it means we're missing it. Plenty of people aren't diagnosed as a child but they certainly had and still have ADHD.
What is neurodiversity?
The meaning of neurodiversity can vary slightly depending on who's doing the defining, but generally the idea seeks to switch from referring to autistic, ADHD, dyslexic, and other neurological disorders as abnormal to simply different. The term was first coined by Judy Singer. It involves recognizing that scientifically speaking, our brains are wired differently. The brain of a neurotypical individual works according to normal standards whereas neurodivergent brains are abnormal or different. The term neurodivergent (and neurodivergence) was first used by Kassiane Asasumasu and they include mental illnesses such as depression.
A person may refer to themself as a neurodivergent person because they recognize their brain works differently than neurotypicals. A person can also refer to themself as a neurodivergent person because they believe referring to their brain as abnormal sends the wrong message and that society needs to be more inclusive and understanding of neurological disorders.
You can read about neurodiversity from a feminist perspective and you can also read about the term, neruoexpansive, designed specifically for Black folks. Lastly, if you really love learning about neurodiversity, there is an excellent intersectional neurodiversity reading group that is very ADHD friendly (don't have to talk, don't have to attend every meeting, cameras on or off, etc.) and Dyi shares all of the readings whether you attend or not, which is reason alone to join the mailing list.
A person may refer to themself as a neurodivergent person because they recognize their brain works differently than neurotypicals. A person can also refer to themself as a neurodivergent person because they believe referring to their brain as abnormal sends the wrong message and that society needs to be more inclusive and understanding of neurological disorders.
You can read about neurodiversity from a feminist perspective and you can also read about the term, neruoexpansive, designed specifically for Black folks. Lastly, if you really love learning about neurodiversity, there is an excellent intersectional neurodiversity reading group that is very ADHD friendly (don't have to talk, don't have to attend every meeting, cameras on or off, etc.) and Dyi shares all of the readings whether you attend or not, which is reason alone to join the mailing list.
What is a disability?/Am I disabled?
Under the American Disability Act (ADA), a disability is a mental or physical impairment that substantially impacts one or more major life activities. Yes, it is a broad definition. Major life activities can include eating, drinking, mobility, working, paying attention, processing information, and so forth. The impact on major life activities is based on when the person is not using medication, assistive technology, or other mitigating measures.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 26% of adults in the US have some disability, 10.8% of adults in the US have a disability that affects their cognition, and one in four women have a disability. Disabilities can be permanent or intermittent. They can be visible or "invisible" (although many so-called invisible disabilities are not truly without visible symptoms).
So, is ADHD a disability? According to the ADA, it certainly can fit the definition. Think about when you're not medicated, not using any fidget tools, not in therapy, and are completely your ADHD true self; are your major life activities significant impacted? If the answer is yes, then yes your ADHD is a disability.
Everyone's experience with ADHD is different, and some people may not consider themselves disabled. Others may have thought they fit this category as a child but no longer find ADHD to be disabling. There's nothing wrong with identifying either way.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 26% of adults in the US have some disability, 10.8% of adults in the US have a disability that affects their cognition, and one in four women have a disability. Disabilities can be permanent or intermittent. They can be visible or "invisible" (although many so-called invisible disabilities are not truly without visible symptoms).
So, is ADHD a disability? According to the ADA, it certainly can fit the definition. Think about when you're not medicated, not using any fidget tools, not in therapy, and are completely your ADHD true self; are your major life activities significant impacted? If the answer is yes, then yes your ADHD is a disability.
Everyone's experience with ADHD is different, and some people may not consider themselves disabled. Others may have thought they fit this category as a child but no longer find ADHD to be disabling. There's nothing wrong with identifying either way.
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