Isa Riano, Advertisement Manager
October is ADHD Awareness Month, and some Saint Leo University faculty and students shared their perspectives on the disorder to help educate the community. Continue reading to learn more about this condition and how you can help those who have it!
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, also known as ADHD, is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those who have it may struggle with impulsivity and attention to detail, as this is the most common sign of ADHD.
However, there are many misconceptions about ADHD that must be debunked.
“One stigma that bothers me is the idea that when someone who does not have ADHD struggles to focus, they make jokes about it being their ‘ADHD,'” Michael Bailey, Director of Career Services and Accessibility, says.
Bailey has ADHD and works at the Office of Accessibility Services, where he assists students who have mental health disorders and are in the process of requesting class accommodations.
Although difficulty concentrating is a symptom of ADHD, Bailey explained that the disorder affects those who have it in a variety of ways. It is not the same for everyone.
Some other struggles that people with ADHD experience are organization and keeping tidy.
“I do not find it difficult to organize my personal space, but it is challenging for me to set priorities,” says Natalia Dixon, a sophomore majoring in psychology.
Dixon went on to say that her biggest challenge as a student with ADHD has been time management.
“I procrastinate on my assignments for as long as I can when there is no sense of urgency,” she explains.
However; despite their difficulties, people with ADHD are just as capable of success as everyone else.
“Learning to chunk out my work in smaller, meaningful, organized chunks of time is how I was able to juggle the workload of a second master’s and doctorate degree concurrently,” says Michael Bailey.
In fact, it is critical to recognize that people with ADHD are not less knowledgeable than their peers.
“Most people are unaware that having ADHD does not make us any less intelligent,” says Natalia Dixon. “We are not ‘lazy.’ We simply process information in a different way, and that must be understood.”
ADHD has many layers, and it is much more than a disorder that causes people to be inattentive or hyperactive. ADHD awareness month serves as a reminder to delve deeper into the meaning of this disorder to best support those who suffer from it.
