Illustration by Lumi Liu
Posted on 03/10/2026 8:40:39 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Isaac’s energy level, enthusiasm, and talkativeness were too much—at least for a traditional classroom.
He had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); one psychologist explained that he had a high IQ but low maturity.
Illustration by Lumi Liu
It wasn’t until Heather Rodden began homeschooling him in fifth grade that she realized what years of frustrated teachers couldn’t put their fingers on—what looked like a liability in one setting can flourish in another.
Like Rodden, other parents, researchers, and professionals are moving away from treating ADHD purely as a disorder that 1 in 10 kids have.
The word “deficit” in ADHD, they argue, obscures strengths—such as creativity, hyperfocus, and cognitive flexibility—that often accompany the condition.
“‘Different wiring’ isn’t automatically bad,” Dr. Daniel G. Amen, a psychiatrist and founder of Amen Clinics, brain-body clinics that use imaging instead of checklists for mental health issues, told The Epoch Times in an email. “Sometimes it’s simply diversity in how people think and create. ADHD isn’t a character flaw—it’s a brain pattern.”
At the heart of the matter is finding where and how people with ADHD will thrive.
One frustration for people with ADHD is that it’s rarely lack of knowledge that holds them back. It is that their brains don’t consistently concentrate.
Focus requires a coordinated effort between the brain’s frontal control system, which helps you stay organized and resist distractions, the basal ganglia, which regulates motivation by using the reward chemical dopamine, and the cerebellum, which coordinates timing and attention. In ADHD brains, that coordination is inconsistent—not absent—but unreliable under demand.
“That helps explain inconsistent performance,” Amen said. “It’s called a disorder because it can disrupt performance at school, work, and home.”
While most research focuses on the deficits of ADHD, some studies suggest that many who have symptoms also have specific strengths.
Those with ADHD outperformed others in divergent thinking, particularly in fluency (generating many ideas quickly) and flexibility (combining concepts in unexpected ways), according to findings reported in Frontiers in Psychiatry.
A study published in Comprehensive Psychiatry found small to moderate positive correlations among ADHD traits of hyperfocus, sensory processing sensitivity, and cognitive flexibility (the ability to rapidly switch tasks, behaviors, or perspectives).
Hyperfocus is becoming absorbed in a task, sometimes to the point of losing track of time and surroundings—called flow in someone who doesn’t have ADHD, Claire Sira, a neuropsychologist who specializes in coaching adults with ADHD, told The Epoch Times.
Sensory processing sensitivity is typically thought of as a low sensory threshold—being overwhelmed by stimuli such as light, sound, and smell. However, in the study, sensory processing sensitivity was defined differently—a sensory appreciation for aesthetics, nature, or architecture, for example.
Another study of adults with ADHD published in Frontiers in Psychiatry noted that impulsivity and hyperactivity are seen as positive by some people with an ADHD diagnosis.
In an analysis published in BMJ Open, adults with ADHD reported dual benefits in weakness traits. A 30-year-old woman noted that being overly active allows her to do more than her peers in less time: “Then I get to experience more.” Another woman reported that her inattention has led to overhearing “amusing conversations.”
Traits such as impulsivity and hyperactivity can become strengths, rather than liabilities, by focusing on neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to form new neural connections—possibly even after injury and later in life, Amen noted. Meditation, breathing exercises, physical activity, and learning new skills are all associated with improved neuroplasticity.
“Focusing only on deficits misses the point,” he added. “The real goal is to help people build a better brain so they can access their strengths consistently—especially when life demands concentration and follow-through.”
Life’s demands, however, may partially explain the prevalence of ADHD, which some argue may be more of an environmental problem than a brain disorder.
An article published in BJPsych Advances noted that children of generations past were not expected to sit rigidly and concentrate on academics for several hours a day.
“My feeling has been for a long time that we make ADHD into a disease state or abnormality that really runs along a continuum in different directions,” retired pediatric neurologist Dr. Andrew Zimmerman told The Epoch Times.
“And we tend to see it as abnormal because we want to see children sit still in class and do their schoolwork.”
Adjusting schools and workplaces will not only lift the stigma and shame of ADHD but also benefit everyone by making space for the skills and talents those with ADHD bring, according to psychiatrist and researcher Annie Swanepoel. “We need to recognize that variations are the spice of life,” she wrote in an article published in Clinical Neuropsychiatry.
Everyone would likely benefit from school and workplace adjustments aimed at improving focus, Sira said. Yet there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, she added.
For some, working in an open, busy office environment can offer accountability and motivation. For others, the visual distractions and noise can make work too challenging. They may need to work from home or behind an office door, Sira said.
“It would be way better if we could match the environment to the person.”
Zimmerman noted that children suspected of ADHD deserve a thorough evaluation, because in some cases, inattention and hyperactivity have underlying causes such as fetal alcohol syndrome, fragile X syndrome, and premature birth that are not always identified in schools.
However, in most cases, he said, ADHD is overdiagnosed and overtreated, when the real solution could be a different style of schooling altogether.
“If I had a child in that situation nowadays, I would certainly look for [an alternative school] where they could express themselves,” he said. “So much of what is important is relationships—it’s social development, to have kids learn fairness, and how to get along—all maybe more important than calculus.”
In less than two decades, the prevalence of ADHD diagnoses among children increased from 6.1 to 10.2 percent. Today, it’s 11.4 percent of children aged 3 to 17. Adult ADHD diagnoses—though they represent about 1 percent of the population—nearly doubled from 2007 to 2016.
Zimmerman has reviewed studies recently that show overlap of symptoms between clearly defined ADHD patients and typical children. He added that even children with typical brain patterns have shown to have improved focus and less hyperactivity on medication.
Such overlap blurs the line of certainty when it comes to who has ADHD and who doesn’t, he said. “It’s a question of: Are we unfairly treating the kids? Are we penalizing them, in a sense, by making them take medication? It makes the kids look better, but it doesn’t necessarily make them perform better or certainly not feel better.”
One reason for the uptick in ADHD, Sira said, is simply the expansive demands on attention in the modern world, including screen usage, larger classrooms, and physical and emotional distractions that make it harder to stay focused.
The key is to teach the brain to shift into focus mode when needed, Amen said. “The problem comes when the focus-and-follow-through network—especially the prefrontal cortex and its partners—doesn’t reliably come online when it’s needed.”
The brain can be supported with a healthy diet, good sleep, and regular exercise, Sira said. “If you wanted to actively build your ability to regulate your own attention, meditation practices do this because that’s literally what meditation is—learning to recognize when your attention has wandered and bring it back—whatever is happening with sensory awareness and mindful movement.”
For children, martial arts and dance can teach discipline with mindful movement and improve attention. Adults can also grow those skills and should, she said, as neuroplasticity should be a lifelong goal.
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ADHD not a real thing.....????
But, but big pharma made billions off the meds...?!?!?!?!?
.
Do the school districts get this money or the parents? My son was diagnosed in 1988 at age 6 & we never saw a dime. We also were unaware of any such program in our local school districts in either California & AZ.
I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the farmers being sent to America in the 1700 & 1800s, lol. The gene pool in this country is full of hunters/gatherers & explorers so it’s no wonder so many Americans have ADHD. My 3 kids, hubby & myself as well as 2 out of 3 grandchildren were all diagnosed which isn’t surprising because it’s 70% genetic.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law ensuring children with disabilities receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment. It authorizes formula grants to states and local educational agencies (LEAs) to fund special education and related services for children from birth to age 21.
It’s not about defrauding the feds, ffs! I don’t know anyone who has received a check from the govt or SSI for themselves or their child after a ADHD diagnosis so put that story in the urban legends column. If a child with ADHD has an IEP or 504 plan, schools may get additional funding to educate that child via a special education classification, just like a child with dyslexia or minimal brain damage, and that’s to be expected.
It’s obvious you don’t have ADHD in your family. 🤣
That "SICK" child is a doctor today.
Two boys got in a tussle at school. School called in the parents. My friend (a marine) told the school to MYOB. They're boys...that's what they do.
Schools...teach the 3rs...things like cursive...times tables...
I would accomplish half of what I do in a day without my ADHD medication. I was self medicating with excessive & unhealthy amounts of caffeine for most of my life until I was officially diagnosed 10 yrs ago at age 62. Don’t presume to know what life is like for ppl with ADHD.
Nobody ages out of the meds, ffs! I was diagnosed 10 yrs ago at age 62 & prescribed medication that has significantly improved my quality of life. I still have problems with brain fog, punctuality & distraction but much less than before meds. Hubby was diagnosed at age 40, our son at age 6, and our 2 daughters as teenagers. There was no expensive testing, just several consultations covered by insurance, and public school or free charter schools for the kids. Please educate yourself on the subject instead of spreading misinformation.
My son was medicated with Ritalin at age 6 until he took himself off it at age 15. He was also identified as gifted with an IQ of 140 during his elementary school yrs. So much for your fallacy of ADHD kids being medicated into a stupor. 🤣
That’s why the old one room school houses were so good. The students advanced at their own speed.
My oldest son supposedly had ADHD and barely passed each year of grade school. He was super articulate and obviously very bright in many ways but - for example - he couldn’t complete a sheet of simple additions, subtractions, etc.. in the 5th grade.
He would do the first one or two correctly, and then become overwhelmed at the prospect of having to complete an entire page of similar problems. He wouldn’t do his homework assignments, and scored badly on pop quizzes. At the same time he would get interested in class discussions and demonstrated that he had a very good understanding of the concepts being taught.
Then, in 10th grade, a very perceptive math teacher discovered that what he needed was more challenge, not less - and he blossomed over night. He went on to win first place in the Pennsylvania math contest both years he entered it (Junior and Senior years). His SAT score was a perfect 1600.
Thankfully, he had one or two perceptive teachers and parents who doggedly resisted the constant urging to put him on Ritalin.
Sadly we will probably never know how many children were sent to certain death from addiction because of the narcotics they put them on,, I’m up for class action suit against my school district , no doubt, I survived and this is what I’ve been saying the whole time . I’ve a certain chip on my shoulder towards anyone in the medial field at this point , don’t try me you brain washed phuckers.
It can be too much sugar. I had sugar pops, apple jacks, fruit loops etc and soda pop, candy galore.
I was wired.
Can't speak about all cases but many if most I have seen have no difficulty concentrating on what they want to concentrate on.
“many if most I have seen have no difficulty concentrating on what they want to concentrate on.”
That’s been my observation, too. Seemed like a method to manipulate parents, teachers, co-workers, etc., into getting a pass on not doing what they didn’t want to do. When they were doing what they wanted to do, focus and interest was fine.
When we were kids, if we had pulled an “I have ADHD so I must be coddled”, we’d have been cured within five minutes.
What they are are BOYS. That means they have tons of energy and need to run around and play. Boys were not meant to sit still in a classroom all day. Girls can handle that with no problem. Boys not so much. The current feminized education system is not set up for boys to excel. Getting rid of PE which a lot of schools have done, harms boys vastly more than it does girls.
A private Christian school teacher recommended we drug one of our kids. Turns out he only needed a cup of coffee in the morning. He is now in his second year of college and doing fine.
Drugging young kids for this is child abuse. Let them decide when they are 18.
ADHD seems like more of a hang-up for parents and a rush-to-judgement identity label slapped on kids who don’t have a choice in the matter.
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