ADHD in Pop Culture
Most decorated American Olympian, who is outspoken about their ADHD diagnosis
Who is Michael Phelps?
Symptoms: Sleep disturbance; acting as though driven by a motor
What is mania?
(Will this work - why or why not?)
Preferential seating
What is yes - manages possible distractions?
(Give at least one idea or strategy for when parents ask about the following topic):
Emotional regulation
co-regulate; SEL books/games; time-in/time-out; yoga; calm down corner
Literary-turned-cartoon character, often highlighted as a classic embodiment of ADHD when each character from that series is assigned a DSM diagnosis
Who is Tigger?
Symptoms: irritability; emotional dysregulation; exaggerated reactions
What is depression, trauma, and/or adolescence?
(Will this work - why or why not?)
Extra time to complete tasks
What is probably not? Depending on the person, this often just gives the person more time to continue not doing the task. For most people, limiting time helps teach better time management and enforced real-world consequences will help them learn for next time
(Give at least one idea or strategy for when parents ask about the following topic):
Poor sleep hygiene
weighted blanket; stopping screen time well before bedtime starts; noise machine; reading with small book light; allowing a small amount of stimulation at night so that the brain can shut down. An ADHD brain will scream into the void if there is total sensory deprivation.
Title character of a coming-of-age story that explores the consequences of undiagnosed/unmedicated ADHD in a teen girl
What is Juno?
Symptoms: difficulty concentrating, reassurance seeking, needing verbal instructions repeated
What is anxiety?
(Will this work - why or why not?)
Visual aids, like graphic organizers
What is yes! ADHD students tend to love pictures, lists, and visually interesting reminders/data/information to help trigger memory & behavior activation
(Give at least one idea or strategy for when parents ask about the following topic):
Organization
Chore charts; graphic organizers; body doubling; create a game out of organizing; allow the kid to help create the organizational system
Literary and movie character whose ADHD and dyslexia help him become a hero, showing a strengths-based perspective of the diagnoses.
Who is Percy Jackson?
Symptoms: forgetfulness, academic failure
What is trauma and/or depression?
(Will this work - why or why not?)
Simplified work or modified assignments to make them easier
What is no - *chunking* work so it's less to focus on at once helps; but making things easier makes it less likely that they'll do it because they will be bored and/or won't see the point
(Give at least one idea or strategy for when parents ask about the following topic):
Completing homework & academic concerns
physical agenda book; body doubling; specific spot in the house for academic focus time; allowing play/unwind time after school & before homework time
Title TV character who demonstrates many classic symptoms of ADHD, which help with his profession and hinders his personal life?
Who is House?
Symptoms: rigidity in thinking/behavior, extreme worry over grades/over-achieving, extremely busy scheduling (as though avoiding down time)
What is anxiety (bonus point for specifying OCD) and/or trauma?
(Will this work - why or why not?)
Group projects, social groups, team sports, etc
What is yes - helps build social skills and hopefully develop some executive functioning skills from learning how others do things
(Give at least one idea or strategy for when parents ask about the following topic):
Rules & other generally "defiant" behavior
adjust expectations; give reminders; turn tasks/rules into games; try to not react to emotional outbursts or initial "no"'s & give time for the child to initiate the desired behavior or explain why they are upset; positive reinforcements of desired behaviors, no matter how mundane; behavior activation becomes family bonding time; limiting screens