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Arleth Rios

Dr. Kevin Lindberg

ENGL 1302 202

April 10, 2022

The Success of ADHD

Despite the trials and tribulations people with ADHD face dealing with school, work, and

daily life, when given the right tools to assist their disorder, they can thrive. The neurological

disorder Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a disorder that affects the brain’s

executive functions, which causes hyperactivity, an inability to focus, and impulsivity. At face

value, people could easily stereotype ADHD individuals to lack an attention span, have

unfinished tasks, and other negative connotations. The reality is that neurodivergent people

possess unique talents; it’s just a matter of knowing what to use to aid in their daily lives.

The success of ADHD in education

ADHD is typically noticed and diagnosed once a person tackles school life, which is when

one usually becomes aware of how the disorder impacts them negatively and positively in all

aspects of their life. Since the majority start school as young children, teachers can inform

parents about the differences they notice in their child and suggest that they receive a diagnosis

to better assist them. Doctors will then recommend medication to assist the child affected with

the disorder, at which point the parents will decide to go through with it or not.
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For the most part, parents are afraid of giving their children medication for ADHD or just giving

them the help they need in general (Volkow et. al 553–555). A neglected diagnosis and the

failure to provide the aid needed for students with ADHD can significantly impact the education

of a student with ADHD in a negative way (Caye, Arthur, et al. vol 19). Those who go untreated

or undiagnosed can often believe they are just lazy, not good enough for school, and can have

other negative thoughts and feelings that contribute to failure in school (Weyandt, Dupaul 2013).

When the student struggling with ADHD gets a diagnosis and the help needed to thrive in

school, it makes a drastic difference. Students with the disorder will usually become involved in

multiple extra-curricular activities knowing they can handle many things at a time.

Academically, students with ADHD will use their drive to complete assignments and study by

using a variety of methods to help maintain focus. Methods that help students with ADHD

include creating a schedule, taking away distractions, taking medication, and listening to

classical or other study music.

The success of ADHD in the workplace

When someone with ADHD takes on working, the idea can seem daunting, but the

individual has yet to find out their specialties and the help that can be provided by their

workplace. A company or establishment tend to have programs that help guide their employees

with ADHD in order to prosper in their job (Austin, Pisano 2017). Further assistance is of

course a good thing, but it can sometimes cause extra trouble or work that some organizations

may not be willing to go through. Overall, it is a tricky situation for the company, but they

eventually find it is a worthwhile decision to put in assistance for ADHD individuals so that

everyone can thrive. One nerve-racking situation a person with ADHD faces are interviews, as
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they often have trouble staying on topic or organizing their words. Another factor that gives

people with ADHD nerves is feeling that they won’t do well in the workplace. All of those

factors contribute in discouraging individuals with ADHD to find or receive employment.

Nonetheless, people with the disorder have found jobs they can thrive in, to which they used

their disorder to aid in their job by staying organized. Nurses and other people in the medical

field who have the disorder have found that they flourish in that hectic environment as they enjoy

staying on their feet and can handle multiple things at a time ( Mo 2021). It can come across as

surprising to most how well they handle a challenging job as a health professional, yet it makes

sense how successful they can be in such positions that require drive.

Conclusion

Just like every individual, those with ADHD need assistance that caters to the way they

work in order to thrive. Whether its in the workplace or education, ADHD individuals may

take one by surprise once they unlock their untapped potential. In sum, people with the

disorder require special attention and further aid, but when provided that, the possibilities

are endless.

Works cited

Austin, Pisano. “Advantage Neurodiversity as a Competitive Hiring.” Hiring, May-June,

2017
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https://celebratingneurodiversity365.com/wp-

content/uploads/2019/08/Neurodiversity-Is-a-Competitive-Advantage-article-in-

Harvard-Biz-Review.pdf.

Alice R. Mao et. al. “A Physician's Guide to Helping Patients with ADHD Find Success in

the Workplace.” Taylor & Francis,

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3810/pgm.2011.09.2460.

Volkow, Nora D., and James M. Swanson. “Does Childhood Treatment of ADHD with

Stimulant Medication Affect Substance Abuse in Adulthood?” American Journal of

Psychiatry, vol. 165, no. 5, 2008, pp. 553–555.,

https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2008.08020237.

Weyandt, Lisa L., and George J. DuPaul. College Students with ADHD Current Issues and

Future Directions. Springer, 2013.

Hinshaw1, Stephen P. “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Controversy,

Developmental Mechanisms, and Multiple Levels of Analysis.” Annual Reviews,

https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050817-

084917#_i3.

Mo, Nurse. “Nursing School with ADHD.” Straight A Nursing, 8 Aug. 2021,

https://straightanursingstudent.com/nursing-school-with-adhd/.
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Hinshaw, Stephen P., and Richard M. Scheffler. The ADHD Explosion: Myths,

Medication, Money, and Today's Push for Performance. Oxford University Press,

2014.

Chang, Zheng, et al. “Stimulant ADHD Medication and Risk for Substance Abuse.”

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, vol. 55, no. 8, 2013, pp. 878–885.,

https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12164.

Caye, Arthur, et al. “Late-Onset ADHD: Understanding the Evidence and Building

Theoretical Frameworks.” Current Psychiatry Reports, vol. 19, no. 12, 2017,

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-017-0858-7.

Reflection Essay

In my essay I learned to take a topic and research one side of the argument, which can help in

other classes that require special attention to certain topics. Another thing that this essay

aids in, is helping me get my point across when it comes to anything. My strong points in

this essay were definitely the research and idea aspect of it since it is fun for me, and my

weaknesses were structure.