I Have ADHD
Lots of people in this world have ADHD. For one, I have it. I am 10 years old and I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 8. I am in 4th grade now. In 3rd grade, I started to take medication for ADHD. Kids with ADHD are everywhere!
When I was first diagnosed with ADHD I was nervous because I didn’t understand what it meant. Now I know it is just the way my brain works and I need a little extra help to be able to focus and make good decisions.
ADHD symptoms in kids: What I do
I tend to interrupt people, grab stuff from people, and poke them. My teachers would yell at me in school for not listening and for distracting my classmates by talking to them during class. This gets me in trouble all the time! On the weekend, I am always hitting my sisters and fooling around with them (but not in a good way). Sometimes I start fights with them. I can’t hold it back!
ADHD medication for children: I take it!
I take medication to stay focused in school and not talk a lot in math. I take medication in the morning and after lunch too. It’s ok to take medication for ADHD. It helps a lot of people to stay focused and not talk when we are not supposed to.
Medication for ADHD helps me to be able to think and concentrate. For me, ADHD made it hard to pay attention in math, reading, and to stay on task.
Kids with ADHD: I used to think I didn’t know how to read
I used to think I didn’t know how to read, but really, I was reading too fast. I wasn’t paying attention to the book because I was skipping too many words. When the teacher asked a question I didn’t know the answer because I couldn’t understand what I was reading. I just didn’t get it.
In 2nd grade, I had extra reading help to make me a stronger reader. I thought it was a little embarrassing for me to be the only one in my class that needed reading help. I went to a different classroom with a reading teacher. He was nice and funny and taught me to be a stronger reader! It was fun!
When I was getting help from the reading teacher, he had a special ruler that only let me see the words I was reading. This helped me focus on what I was reading and I would not skip lines.
Here is the ruler I used to help me. Maybe this ruler can help you read better too!
If I don’t have my ruler with me I still use my finger to keep on track when I am reading a chapter book.
I’m actually a good reader!
Now that I take medication it helps me focus better on the words in the book. I realized I am actually a good reader! I pay more attention to the book I am reading and can mostly remember what is going on in the book. My focus is a lot better even though I still mess up time to time on some of the words or add in extra words that aren’t there.
I even like reading now and before I hated it. I read at night before bed because it helps me to settle down. My favorite books are comic books. I love reading them! These are my favorite series:
If you are diagnosed with ADHD:
If you are diagnosed with ADHD DON’T WORRY!!! Getting treatment will help you like it did for me. Lots of people have ADHD. You are not the only one who has it!
ADHD myths can get in the way of people seeking treatment.
Check out these posts:
The Top 10 Books About ADHD by Dr. Melissa Welby
4 Myths About ADHD in Adults by Dr. Melissa Welby
