> Also, ADHD has a genetic component. Having a diagnose for myself would have been useful to have before I had my son, who turned to have hyperactive ADHD. I love him to bits and I would not change him, but he's a handful. When he's off-meds he's almost intolerable. I would have had him nevertheless, but I would have had the right expectations.
This seems like an underappreciated side-effect of awareness of these things. I can't imagine what some parents must feel - about themselves, and their kid - when raising a child with ADHD and not knowing much or anything about it.
This is my case. Undiagnosed, not knowing much about this condition (but with a great score at TFA's test), and struggling with one of my kids which has some symptoms I recognize. And I know why she struggles in the school system, and how she will struggle later in life, but I don't know how to help her.
I'm lucky enough to live somewhere where healthcare is a given and she's currently in the diagnostics phase (for the second time), but I'm still scared for her future. Even with help and meds and whatnot, life won't be easy I guess.
Life is Sheldon “easy”, for anyone. And it’s a relative term. I did struggle with my mental condition, but I ended up with what many would consider “a comfortable life”: good salary, a family, a house. No major health issues, both parents alive until I was able to fend for myself, etc. I didn’t take drugs although I do have some compulsive behavior issues I still work on, through therapy. Which I recommend considering! Your family deserves a mentally strong parent. And that sometimes unpacking and dealing with stuff.
On that note, when your kid becomes a teenager, he’ll be more likely to get hooked into addictive substances like drugs, tobacco, or alcohol than others, I’m afraid to say. I will be paying attention to this matter very closely and will make sure that my son has all the information about them when that period comes.
Good luck on raising your kids! It’s the biggest adventure in life.
You are helping her by getting her professional help :) Do some research, talk to a psychiatrist, talk to your daughter; there are lots of ways you can help her cope with things.
> life won't be easy I guess.
Probably not, but at least she won't have to struggle with not understanding why her life is so much harder than others. And having a parent who understands that struggle and the problems she faces will help a lot.
It's not a cure but it will definitely help kids with suboptimal executive function.
My primary school had a run club at the beginning of the day we'd hit laps of the school between roll call and 1st session, iirc we had 10 minutes you had to do at least one lap, you had to have good pace for two to be allowed a third, I don't recall many doing 4.
When I moved to highschool I didn't immediately notice why I was suddenly struggling to keep my shit together in class, the absence of moderate intensity cardio at the start of the day.
There's a few books and papers that back this up also
This seems like an underappreciated side-effect of awareness of these things. I can't imagine what some parents must feel - about themselves, and their kid - when raising a child with ADHD and not knowing much or anything about it.