Research
The perception of attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is an issue a lot of people with the disorder face, because many people do not believe the validity of this disorder. ADHD is considered to be a mental disorder and is usual accompanied by other learning disabilities and mental disorders like depression or anxiety. As a community mental disorders are not often talked about or discussed and are invisible to everyone but the person diagnosed with the disorder. This means that ADHD and ADD are taboo topics to most of the community and are often misunderstood by teachers, employers, friends and even family. ADHD was one of first mental disorders believed to be caused by a lack of a neurotransmitters in the brain called norepinephrine. This is why one of the main treatments for this disorder is adderall, which is a drug that acts likes norepinephrine for the brain and helps to improve the function of different parts of the brain such as the frontal cortex, helping the person with ADHD to focus, organize and process things better. Sometimes though the stigma surrounding ADHD keeps people from getting treatment or even getting diagnosed. This misconception of the disorder by the community leaves many thinking they are just scattered brain forgetful or have bad time management when in reality it may just be a symptom of ADHD. The more people are educated about ADHD the more people will be able to get help, support and understanding from others in the community. We need to change how people percive this disorder in order to help people feel comfort with getting help and to make sure children in school are not getting left behind.
Resources
Buchanan, T. , Charles, M. , Rigler, M. , & Hart, C. (2010). Why are older faculty members more accepting of students with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder? a life-course interpretation. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 57(4), 351-369.
Personal Insight
When I was young although I was intelligent I had trouble in school, completing my work at the same pace as other kids, completing my homework was alway a dragged out and long fight between my mother and I, I would get hyper focused on my writing and It took a lot of patience to make me a fluent reader. All these small things never seemed like hugh issues but were definitely not average, in fourth grade I tested into gate, but my teacher did not sign me off to enter the program because I did not complete my classwork and homework. My mother thought this was unfair, it was not like she was not sitting at the kitchen table for hours trying to make me complete homework. Eventually, in middle school my teachers realised I was not in the right academic level of classes, they decide to allow me into the gate program and the honors classes that accompanied. This however proved to be a challenge for me my sixth grade year because of the work load that followed. Eventually my mother decide it was not normal how long it took it me to complete assignments, so she took me to get tested by a psychologist to see if there was a reason for my slower pace. At this point I was told I had attention deficit disorder (ADD) and a few other other minor learning disabilities. This was the answer my mother was finally looking for and gave her peace of mind. However the perception of this mental disorder at the time was very misunderstood and left my education experience riddle with challenges and needs that were never met because teachers did not understand that I learned differently than others. The reality of how this mental disorder is perceived came full force when my brother who also diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) reached middle school. The middle school fought my mother on all of the accommodations she requested for him, because they believed he was smart enough to just do the work.
Unfortunately, there are still many people who are unaware and uneducated on the signs and symptoms of this mental disorder. This disorder has a huge impact on my daily life and so many people perceive me differently when they learn I have ADD. This usually comes from a place of misinformation on the topic and misunderstanding of the breath of this disorder. However, I feel this mental disorder is becoming more understood thanks to the recognition of the disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Overall, communities are becoming more educated on this topic, but I think we need to continue to educate our communities further so children with this disorder are not left behind and adults have the opportunity to find help if they are not diagnosed.
Matthew A.
Alan C.
Jeff J.
Claire J.
Zachary C.
Victoria P.
