Skip to main content

ADHD: It Didn't Start with You

Uncovering Personal Experiences with ADHD

PUBLISHED IN JULY 2023

I have never been officially diagnosed with ADHD. However, when I look at the symptoms of ADHD, I tick ALL the boxes.

Just as an example

  • It took me twice as long, maybe even three or four times, to finish a book because my brain would tune out halfway through a page.
  • I had to highlight every sentence as I read, re-wrote them, and drew a colourful diagram to comprehend a paragraph.

This image is an example from my early days of learning human anatomy, physiology, and diseases. As much as I love doing it, I don't learn this way anymore as I developed more time-efficient ways of learning.

Sansan Djuandhi

WRITER

Share this article

ADHD: A Different Perspective

Today, I work with High Functioning ADD and ADHD adults like myself, as well as teens, and children. When parents bring their child with ADHD to me, it is crucial that we first look at the family system and the home dynamic.

Before we start finding ways to help them sit and focus, my clients and I will explore where this "disorder" came from.

My first-hand experience and recent studies have taught me that ADHD didn't begin with the child. They represent a dynamic of an entire family. The child just happened to be the one manifesting the problem. For the most part, this is because they are the most sensitive ones.

𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵-𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺.

My approach is, rather than "fixing" the child, we look at dealing with the stress that the child is living with and shifting our focus from fixing to understanding and supporting.

Once we've understood this, we'll appreciate that this "disorder" is truly an ability. It is a gift not just for the individual with the diagnosis, but also for the family and others around them. What comes after that is liberation.

Share this article
back to blog