Before my son was diagnosed with a couple of medical issues, I have to admit, that I was probably unaware of the careless words, phrases, jokes, and cartoons that were out there (or that I may have even been guilty of for that matter). After a discussion with a friend several months back, she enlightened me to how some of the words that are used can be disheartening or hurtful to people with disabilities of many kinds. And now that I have son that struggles with ADD, I too have become more aware of the hurtful jokes that are out there. My son struggles with ADD. The inability to focus and concentrate. It affects his memory, causes forgetfulness. It creates disorganization, losing things. He does not have the "hyper-activity" aspect of it, which is why he went undiagnosed for so long. He is quiet, laid back, well behaved...and when I inquired to teachers or doctors, they were like, "No way. There's no way he has ADD." So I had to really push for testing. Come to find out, he has one of the most severe cases our psychologist had ever tested. Our psychologist couldn't believe he had found so many "coping mechanisms" to get by and make the honor roll, no less! But back to my point...as we have struggled over the last three years, finding ways to help him remember things, organize things, regulate medication...there have been some...less than kind cartoons and jokes that have been circulating the internet...Facebook, Pinterest, t-shirts, and more. It's really amazing that more people don't speak out about how hurtful this is to someone who struggles with this. These are a couple of the cartoons, jokes, and sayings that seem to really be making the rounds on Facebook and Pinterest...
Funny?
Well, maybe you might chuckle...IF...you have never dealt with the heartbreak of watching your child struggle with this disability. Imagine you are sitting in your high school classroom. The teacher is trying to explain complex problems in Algebra 2. You are trying so hard to focus...concentrate...understand. But a bird flies by out the window...BLIP...gone is your focus. Someone drops their pencil...BLIP...gone is your focus. You see someone's watch making a reflection on the ceiling...BLIP...gone is your focus. All day long. This is what it's like for someone with ADD. I have to admit, before my son's diagnosis, I thought ADD/ADHD was just a behavioral issue. I didn't know it was a real MEDICAL problem in the brain. It's not that ADD kids don't WANT to focus...they CAN'T...they are INCAPABLE...their brains WON'T allow them to! Does it mean these kids aren't smart? NO! So many kids with ADD are brilliant! My son generally makes the honor roll! I bet you didn't know there were a lot of famous people with ADD/ADHD...the following is a list of people who have or believed to have had ADD/ADHD:
Pablo Picasso
Vincent Van Gogh
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Malcolm Forbes
Henry Ford
Samuel Clemens
Emily Dickenson
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Christopher Columbus
Lewis and Clark
Alexander Graham Bell
Thomas Edison
Benjamin Franklin
Albert Einstein
John F. Kennedy
Abraham Lincoln
How about some more modern day ones:
Michael Phelps
Jim Carrey
Jack Nicholson
Ty Pennington
Elvis Presley
Justin Timberlake
Robin Williams
People with ADD/ADHD are very intelligent, creative, and talented!
However...the cruel cartoons, jokes, and saying about their lack of concentration and focus have got to stop. Most people have NO IDEA how much ADD/ADHD affects the daily life of the people who struggle with it. I am sure "most" people who post such jokes and sayings, don't mean to be hurtful...which is why I did this post...to educate. ADD/ADHD is a very real, very challenging, very difficult, very troublesome thing to work through on a daily basis. The quote in this bottom picture is DEFINITELY a more accutate description of an ADD/ADHD person. They are smart, creative, hard-working, and talented. Let's learn to watch our tongues, our postings, and what we share on the internet...because the jokes and cartoons are NOT COOL.
If you or someone you know has struggled with ADD/ADHD and would like to leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you!
God bless and have a great day!
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