What else do I have?
6 acronyms that fit alongside ADHD
ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
ASD – Autism Spectrum Disorder
AuDHD – Autism with ADHD
RSD – Rejection Sensitivity Disorder
2e – Twice exceptional (AKA)
DME – Double or dual and Multiple Exceptionality
ND – Neurodivergent
ADHD –
Many people who have this diagnosis will tell you that this is the biggest misnomer around. Some experts also diagnose ADD which means that there is no hyperactivity. Current research is showing that there is hyperactivity in the brain which, particularly in girls, doesn’t always show up in boisterous behaviour. Some children sit still in the classroom, apparently daydreaming. This idea is calm and beautiful, but perhaps the dreams are intense and overwhelming. Perhaps they don’t hear the question the teacher asks because in their head they are creating a musical masterpiece and are in major hyperactivity mode.
Rather than giving us a label of a ‘deficit of attention’, ADHDers suffer from an irregularity of attention. At times they seem unable to concentrate or focus for even long enough to remember your name, and at others they are in a state of attention that it is difficult to rouse someone out of. This is known as hyperfocus.
When I get interested in something, I have been known to research it all night. One day I decided I wanted a campervan, it was Thursday. I spent 12 hours researching the best size, type, make and model. Once I had found the exact fit, I then set about finding one for sale that was in my area, price range and in good working order. From idea to sale took 3 days, but 3 years on I am as happy with my campervan as on the day I bought it. Now if you add up the amount of focussed research I did, (during the night to ensure no one disturbed me), and compare that to someone who has been looking for a few months, but only researching now and again, perhaps I don’t suffer from attention deficit, but instead attention irregularity. When I am interested in something my brain goes into hyperactivity and hyperfocus. Forget meals, loo breaks or conversations, ‘I am busy’
This may look like attention deficit if someone asks you what you want for dinner, but I would argue that if you have the gift to give your attention to something so completely not only do you not have a deficit, indeed you probably have an overload and definitely have an irregularity. ADHD sufferers can’t always control their attention, but telling us we have a deficit is quite frankly insulting.
ASD –
When I went for my diagnosis for ADHD the psychiatrist mentioned that I was probably on the autism spectrum as well. I couldn’t believe it. I thought I knew all about autism and I was not a late speaker, I’ve always had plenty of friends, I was not obsessed with one thing, I was always happy to maintain eye contact and I don’t mind change. Astonished that I might have autism I took several online tests. Everyone of them came out with ‘your answers show that you may well be on the autistic spectrum.’ ASD is perhaps more widespread and less understood because of the spectrum. I now acknowledge perhaps I am a bit autistic. I do love tidying and folding clothes, but only if I’m in the mood. I don’t like chillies, they feel uncomfortable in my mouth, I can’t explain it, I hate them. When it rains is it normal for it to feel like pins and needles hitting you face? my husband says that it doesn’t feel like that to him. In fact I don’t like loud noises, crowded spaces or large gatherings. Time to look at my next acronym.
AuDHD –
This is a new ‘made-up, term, although they were all made up at some point. Those people who have been identified as having both ADHD and ASD have created this acronym. This is particularly confusing as in many ways I always thought that ADHD and ASD seem to show opposing issues. Extensive recent research has shown many crossovers as I have outlined above. It turns out that a large percentage of people with ASD also have ADHD, so let’s give it an acronym!
RSD –
When I first heard about Rejection Sensitivity Disorder it rang a lot of bells in my head. Not for me, but for my mother.
As a child growing up there was endless tension between my father’s family and my mother. At the time I thought this was normal. My mother had no living relatives and we never saw my father’s parents, my grandparents, my uncles or cousins. As I grew older, I realised that this wasn’t normal and that there must be a problem. Listening in on adult conversations confirmed that the according to my mother everyone was against her.
After my mother’s death I discovered many things when I found and read her diaries. I now understand, without blame on either side, that my mother very probably suffered from RSD. A condition that can take control of your feelings and literally grow out of proportion. Although I have worked hard to avoid this disorder, I now understand that I do suffer from RSD. I am aware of our family situation and I don’t let it completely rule my life. I recently went to a talk from Dr James Brown. He noted that nowhere does a diagnosis of ADHD include RSD other than emotional irregularities, a phrase I didn’t understand when I first heard it. Dr Brown also noted that he was yet to meet someone with ADHD that did not suffer from RSD. This set me thinking.
We all cry at different things, but surely being dry eyed at your Father’s funeral, but crying like a baby at the funeral of your Mum’s friend’s husband (who you hardly new), years later, is, well weird and highly embarrassing or maybe RSD.
2e and DME –
2e is an American term standing for Twice Exceptional. This refers to children who are gifted in one area, but struggle in another. DME is the English equivalent of this.
If your gift shows at an early stage, but later you seem to be struggling in different areas, then being diagnosed with 2e or DME is a good way to be recognised for your achievements and supported where you need it.
The adults in our lives are there to provide the scaffolding to help us succeed and thanks to my parents I did succeed in music. Research shows that children that go on to be exceptional usually tell you that in childhood, an adult who really cared about them, allowed them to follow their dreams. On reflection I wonder if every child has an exceptional talent. Perhaps if the behaviour issues begin at a young age our gifts do not get the opportunity to be developed as our problems overshadow our gifts.
I would identify myself as 2e or DME – I learnt to read in just two weeks aged 5. I completed my KS1 education in 2 years and my KS2 education in 3. I have always found learning easy to begin with and then I feel as if I have hit a brick wall and I just can’t get beyond it. I was good at acting, public speaking, music and general performing. Unfortunately as time went on I was also considered careless, lazy and I was once told that ‘my single greatest talent was my ability to waste time’. In retrospect I feel that was unfair. I may have been bright in some areas, possibly gifted, but there were plenty of things that I found challenging. Sadly I was made to feel that I didn’t care enough to make use of my gifts and no one stopped to consider that I might be struggling.
Recently I have been teaching a boy, let’s call him Johnny. Johnny couldn’t sit still, couldn’t focus in my lessons, never appeared to be listening, couldn’t remember the answers to questions or the rules of games we played and was exhausting for everyone learning with him.
As time went by I allowed Johnny to focus on what he could do. His endless tapping could be done silently at the back of the class. His external movements helped him to focus on rhythm. Suddenly he could feel the beat and answer the questions he had been listening to. Johnny was allowed to have individual percussion lessons by enlightened parents and his talent was found. Within weeks of learning to play the basics on the drum kit, he was performing in front of the class and explaining the name and use of each of his drums. He literally took over the teaching of the class on that day I saw a new and inspired, confident Johnny and I pretty much cried with pride that he had discovered his talent.
ND –
Neurodivergent is a fairly new word and the acronym is very much a new kid on the block. It is, becoming popular amongst people who identify as the opposite of neurotypical. This is important as it sounds better than using the words abnormal as oppose to normal. Effectively the acronym ND helps us to understand that neurodivergent brains have different strengths and challenges to those that are identified with neurotypical brains. Judy Singer was an Australian sociologist who invented the term neurodiversity in 1998 to recognise that everyone’s brain is unique. From this the terms neurotypical and neurodivergent came into existence to highlight that brain activity was found in research labs to be entirely different in a percentage of the population. Some studies suggest that 20% of people have a neurodivergant brain.
As I learn about my diagnosis of ADHD, my possible autism and my problems which identify with dyslexia and dyscalculia, I am coming to terms with the idea that my brain is ND. It comes with strengths and challenges and I am happy to accept that with strategies and support I can cope and indeed thrive as an ND.
FAQs
How do I harness my child’s neurodivergent issues?
- Once you have a diagnosis, your medical health professionals can guide you towards medication, effective therapy, coaching or an Individual Educational Plan. Try to look at the positives in your child.
- Where do their interests lie?
- Can they be harnessed with one to one help?
- Can you offer them that help?
- Can the school offer help?
Are there any effective strategies or interventions to support individuals with ND?
Many strategies work for all types of neurodivergence and many behavioural problems are not consistent with what has just happened to the child, making it difficult for adults to understand poor behaviour. This is due to an irregularity in the imagination.
Dr Annie Clements refers to neurodivergent fractured imagination. She suggests that when your child has an issue you use a visual map to go back and discover where the problem occurred and then work with your child to ensure that next time this can be confronted differently.
- NDs find it difficult to pinpoint the problem that is associated with the feeling that they are experiencing. D
- Drawing a cartoon with a child going back in time can help unravel where the current emotional experience has come from.
I cried at my mother’s friend’s husband’s funeral, because I had had years to process the shock I had received when my own father died. Returning to the same church, knowing that a man of the same age had also died, although he had had a long illness, suddenly and unexpectedly drew on all the emotions I had not been able to express earlier. Although this is example is an extreme one, sometimes it turns out that something that happened the day before is the trigger for the meltdown in the classroom that occurs unexpectedly and apparently out of nowhere. It’s no good asking the child what the problem is, chances are they don’t know, they only know how they feel.
What if, as a parent, I can’t see any areas of special interest in my child,
or things we tried didn’t work out?
I have seen a child showing great performance and musical talent in the classroom, with a diagnosis of ADHD, fail at learning an instrument. This made me very sad because the crux of the matter was simple, not every teacher understands every child. Don’t give up at the first hurdle. Neurodivergence is becoming much more mainstream and enquire if the individual tutor you have found is used to working with neurodivergent children. It is essential to find a match, we are all different and we do not all respond in the same way. It turned out that the child, let’s call her Sammy, was a natural musician and could play by ear remarkably well for a child of her age. The music teacher used a method that began by learning to read the music using a book. This just wasn’t the right method for Sammy. She was set up to fail and soon gave up.
Listen to your child, they may not be any relevant reasons that your child wants to be a diver, but perhaps he or she really does. If they are persistent in wanting to dance, let them have a go, think of Billy Elliot, it could be your child.
How can parents and teachers best support students with ND at home?
Every child is different, you may be in a position to support your child, or it may be that their interest is way out of your comfort zone.
- Talk to your child, ask how much help and support they would like?
- Always praise them for what they have achieved.
- Support them by sitting with them or doing it alongside them, depending on how they want to learn.
My son is not neurodivergent, however we worked together to learn the periodic table for his chemistry GCSE. Having given him no support in the mock, he achieved an E, as I know he is competitive, we made a game of learning for the real exam and he got an A. Before his exams I booked a holiday cottage in Cornwall. I told him that in the morning we would revise together and in the afternoon we would have earned some fun time. This worked well for us and he got straight As in his GCSEs, whilst he achieved a rather shocking list of Cs, Ds and Es in his mocks. I didn’t do it for him, I asked him ‘how I could help?’ and that is how we got through, with my support.
The simplest advice is:
- Take advice from your child
- How can I help?
- Would you like me to:
- Sit with you?
- Bring you snacks?
- Time you?
- Offer you a reward?
- Play revision games with you?
How can parents and teachers best support students with ND in the classroom?
The short answer to that is you can’t, it really depends on the style of the teacher. Communication is the best way forward and teaching is a vocation. Every teacher wants to do the best for every child in their care and at times they need information that only a parent can communicate.
Recently I heard of a case where a child missed her guitar lesson. She forgot to go and by the rules of the school, it is up to her to remember the lesson and get herself there on time, she is 13 years old.
Subsequently the parent refused to pay for the lesson on the grounds that the child has ADHD and needs help remembering and organising herself.
Now this is all very well, but the guitar teacher didn’t know she had ADHD, had he known I hope he would have taken more steps to ensure she knew when her lesson was. The situation was resolved, but if only the parent had communicated the child’s needs to the guitar teacher in advance the situation need never have occurred.
Communicate, communicate, communicate and on that note, don’t expect everyone to understand neurodivergent children. I was a teacher for over 30 years and thought I had some understanding, but it took a talk from an experienced educational leader to make me understand that I had the condition myself and that it was far more complicated than I had every realised, despite being an excellent teacher for many years.