In the TED talk, "Failing at Normal: An ADHD Success Story," (2018), Jessica McCabe shares her experience of living with ADHD. She begins the TED talk explaining how throughout her early life, she had trouble paying attention and completing tasks. She talks about how people around her would get frustrated with her since they did not understand individuals living with ADHD.
She talks about how she started college but could not make it to class on time. She states that she aced a statistics course, but she forgot to sign up in time for the credit to actually count. She ended up dropping out of college and moving back home with her parents. In the span of 10 years, she was hired and fired from 15 different jobs. She got married, and she got divorced within a year. All of her challenges in life stemmed from the same thing: executive functioning skills. She says she had so much potential and was constantly busy putting in effort into various activities. However, her brain was unable to process the necessary information/tasks to complete the activities.
I chose this TED talk because my sister also has ADHD and struggled majorly in grade school. She spent 3-4 hours each night working on homework and studying, but she still could barely past her tests in school. When she was first diagnosed with ADHD in kindergarten, the doctor said her brain cannot "sort information" and has multiple "activities" going through her brain at once. Since she got diagnosed, she has always been on some sort of medication to "slow down her brain activity." This has helped tremendously, but she still has executive functioning challenges that most people do not experience. In particular, she has a difficult time with critical thinking skills and visual-spatial working memory. One of the most important aspects for success with my sister is positive and encouraging support from family and friends.
McCabe talks about how one of the most difficult challenges is people not understanding the way her brain works. People around her do not understand that her brain is wired differently than people without ADHD, so her processing skills is different. She says people ask her "what is wrong with you?" or similar type questions. My sister also experiences this reaction from people who do not know her. She tries to keep a positive mindset, but sometimes it is hard to be optimistic when people tell you that you are "stupid" or "do not know anything." As my sister started college, she has exceeded everyone's expectations, mainly because she was motivated AND had the support of family and friends.
McCabe also mentions that people with ADHD are 300 times more likely to open their own business because they do not limit themselves with "what is in the box." Ironically, my sister just got her business license and plans to open her own business after she graduates college in a year and half. She has never enjoyed being in the classroom, so she has worked hard and taken summer classes to finish her bachelors degree a semester early. My sister is not letting her diagnosis limit her goals. She is working past her deficits, even though some tasks/activities are extremely hard and may take more time to complete than normal.
After watching this TED talk, I was reminded how important education is. Many people do not understand neurological disorders, so they may treat people with neurological disorders unfairly. People with neurological disorders may have negative connotations since they are not "acting normal." However, many people with neurological disorders can independently function with some adaptations and/or modifications. As a future occupational therapist, I want to educate people and "open up their minds" to different ways of thinking and reacting to atypical behaviors.
In the future, it is extremely important to approach everyone and every situation with an open mind. It is important to be client-centered and get to know the person, not the deficit. As a future occupational therapist, I want to help people be happy with who they are while gaining skills for occupational performance.
Reference List
TED. (2018, June). Failing at normal: an ADHD success story. Retrieved fromhttps://seeyourwayclear.com/executive-functioning-a-tedx-talk/
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