ADHD: A Hidden Strength?—Part 2

As a part of my job, I frequently participate in educational planning meetings that deal in the realm of ADHD. ADHD has been defined as a disorder, due in large part to the literature that confines an ADHD child’s environment to a classroom.

In my last column, . In fact, I went as far as to say that ADHD should also be considered a skillset as opposed to exclusively being viewed as a skill deficit. As a reminder, I’m not diminishing the importance of an ADHD child developing skills that increase success in a classroom. When one considers that an elementary child spends anywhere between six-and-a-half to seven hours a day in a classroom, educational planning for success in this environment is essential.

Consider, however, the merits of ADHD relative to the skill set of creativity.

The Story of Gillian Lynne

I recently heard Ken Robinson give a talk about creativity. He has written a book called Epiphany. The book is a series of interviews that deals with how people discover their talent. The book was prompted by an interview he conducted with Gillian Lynne.

When Gillian was a child, she had a hard time sitting still in the classroom. Her attention span was short. Gillian’s mother brought her to the doctor. After interviewing her in the presence of her mother, the doctor told Gillian that he wanted to talk to her mother in private. Before he left the room, he turned on his radio. The doctor took Gillian’s mother into the hallway. After a short time, Gillian got up and started to dance and the doctor beckoned her mother to look through the window of the office door. He remarked to
Gillian’s mother, “Your daughter is not sick. She’s a dancer!”

Shortly afterward, Gillian’s mother enrolled her in a school of dance. Gillian recalled this day and related that it felt good to be in a room filled with other people who had to move to think! Gillian was born Feb. 20, 1926. Gillian is a British ballerina, dancer, actor, theatre director, television director and choreographer known for her popular theatre choreography associated with the musicals Cats and The Phantom of the Opera.

Wouldn’t it be hard to imagine someone accomplishing these things with the skillset of an accountant? The only other thing that I can imagine being as hard would be asking a creative-minded person to line up all of the decimals all day long!

Naturally Creative

As referenced in my last column, Lara Honos-Webb takes an insightful look at the creative side of ADHD.

An ADHD child is truly gifted to have been given the natural ability to engage in reverie or imaginative thought, to be bold and daring in wanting to bring his imagination into the world and to be sensitive to inspiration from his thoughts, emotions, or the outside world. In spite of these gifts, he may struggle in school where children are expected to focus
attentively, take in material presented in a rigid format and repeat it back to the teacher to prove they were listening attentively. This style of learning is contrary to the great gifts of an ADHD child.

Interestingly, it's almost impossible to teach or train people to be creative—a gift with which an ADHD child is naturally endowed. It is much easier to train someone who is creative to be disciplined than it is to teach someone who is focused and disciplined to be creative.

An ADHD child has the potential for excellence if he can learn to apply discipline to paying attention to details and following through in translating his imaginative flights into completed projects.

The Big Picture

When considering these two scenarios, clearly, the world needs children with ADHD. The real secret to helping ADHD children is helping them connect their strengths to the task at hand. Where this is not possible, the secret is putting ADHD children in lanes of traffic that allow them to exercise their strengths. This strategy alone, as was the case for Gillian Lynne, allows a child with ADHD to feel normal simply by being with children who connect with the world in the same way.

Any time we help a child see himself or herself as someone who contributes value to the world, the world becomes a better place.