Breaking Barriers: My Battle with ADHD
In a prize-winning essay about overcoming obstacles, a child with attention deficit disorder explains the effects of ADHD on his life. From enlisting the help of family members to keeping a journal, this is how Jack Prey manages his diagnosis.
Have you ever been working on something important, when a song pops into your head? Then that leads you to think of something in the song about flying, which leads you to play with your remote control glider? Next thing you know, it’s dinnertime, and you haven’t finished the homework you started two hours before.
That’s what it’s like to have Attention Deficit Disorder. I know because I’ve had ADHD for as long as I can remember. For me, ADHD means that I can’t focus whenever I really need to. It’s something I will live with for the rest of my life. And it’s no fun!
When I was younger, people told me I was really smart. But I never got good grades to show it. When I was at school, I would get bored really quickly. Then I would look for something more interesting to do. Sometimes I would try to help other kids with their work. The problem was, I didn’t finish my work, and that would lead to trouble. There were lots of days I even felt like quitting school.
My parents were confused. They knew I was smart, but I wasn’t showing it. My doctor suggested that I see a specialist. He gave me a bunch of tests. When it was all done, he told my parents that I had ADD. Now it’s called ADHD. The H stands for “hyper.” He said I didn’t really have the H, so I guess that was some good news.
To help me focus, the doctor gave me some tips to follow. One of them is to keep a special journal with me all the time to write down things, like what homework I have and when things are due. I try to keep the notebook with me wherever I go. It really helps.
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I came up with another tip myself. When I have a test or a quiz, I challenge myself to get it done by a certain time. That keeps me focused on the test and not on the pretty girl sitting in front of me or the lizard in the aquarium. Ah, lizards. I really like lizards. Where was I again?
Oh yeah, my focus techniques. With the help of my parents and my older brother, I started doing some other things that help, like going to bed a little earlier so I can get a good night’s sleep.
My brother and I share a bedroom, and he has agreed to go to bed earlier to help me out. Another thing our whole family has started doing is eating a healthy diet. I used to eat a lot of junk food, but now I only eat a little bit. Ah, junk food. Oops, I’ll try not to do that again.
I’ve been working hard, using these focus techniques for the last year and guess what? My grades have started to go up! In fact, on my last report card I got five As and one B. That’s the best I’ve ever done!
[Your Free Download: What Every Teacher Should Know About ADHD: A Poster for School]
My teacher, Miss Ryan, suggested I write this essay. I’m not sure if I knew who Jackie Robinson was before this, but I did some checking. Turns out, he was a great man who had to overcome one of the worst things there is: racism. He did it using the values of courage, determination, teamwork, persistence, integrity, citizenship, justice, commitment, and excellence.
I have used some of these same values to help me overcome ADHD. For instance, I am committed to using my focus techniques, and I am determined to do better in school. Plus, my family has helped me, and that is being a team. Go, team! Also, when I focus, I am a good citizen and don’t bother my classmates as much. Last but not least, using these values has helped me to get almost all As on my report card, which is an example of excellence. Thanks for being such a good example, Jackie!
