“This reframing A.D.H.D. as a gift, personally I don’t think it’s helpful,” said Natalie Knochenhauer, founder of A.D.H.D. Aware, an advocacy group in Doylestown, Pa. “You can’t have a disability that needs to be accommodated in the classroom, and also have this special gift. There are a lot of people out there — not only do their kids not have gifts, but their kids are really struggling.”
Reminds me of Wrinkle in Time, in which L'Engle utilizes "IT", an allegory for extreme, coerced conformity. How far of a step is it to say that ADHD needs to be cured, as people say autism needs to be cured, or any number of other differences. I KNOW it's hard, didn't I just mention I have FOUR kids with differences? But what happened on Camazotz to those who couldn't conform, those too old or too different? Instead of literally killing them, we're killing their souls...their self-esteems.
Ick. Just because someone needs to be accommodated, does not mean that they cannot be gifted. See, this is exactly why Breanna is no longer in public school. They could not see past the idea that just because she cannot talk, that she could not learn. And this is the prevalent idea IN SCHOOLS. As unschoolers, we've seen that each of our children has gifts, even as we add a new diagnosis. Yes, Sam has ADHD, and now we're looking at Dyslexia. But you know what? Outside of the school, it makes. No. Difference. At home as an unschooler, he is just a guy who is learning on his own schedule. He's not reading now, and that drives my mom crazy that a seven yo isn't reading. so what? He'll read. Not tomorrow. Maybe next year. But what he has mastered over the past two or three years, is how to sit long enough to eat. How to put the metaphorical brakes on his brain, as Dr Hallowell stated (Dr. Edward M. Hallowell, a psychiatrist and author whose books include “Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping With Attention Deficit Disorder From Childhood Through Adulthood” ) And he is doing awesome. Even better, he has a totally intact self-esteem, unlike Breanna and Josh, who spent five years in school hearing that something was wrong with them because of all of accommodations that they required. We all need accommodations. I need some gum and something to write on if I'm listening to someone talk. Go to any conference and see dozens of adults sipping on coffee or tea to make it through the afternoon session. People take up hobbies like running or knitting or whatever soothes THEIR brains and fingers...all without diagnosis. But because we're kids and in 'the system', it's a problem. THEY are a problem.
Ick again.
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