Do kids with ADHD have to work harder than their peers? Elaine & Diane respond to a mom’s question below. The short answer is yes – but not the way you might think.

Elaine:
One mom wrote and said, "My kid's doctor says ADHD kids have to work harder." Is that true?

Diane:
Yes.

Elaine:
Yes, it is.

Diane:
But it's not that simple.

Elaine:
It's not about working harder in terms of, like, we often say, "If they would just work harder, if they would just harder."

Diane:
Right, that's not what we mean.

Elaine:
That's not what we're talking about, no. Right.

Diane:
No. It is often more difficult for them to get their brains to do what a lot of us just kind of take for granted that our brains can do.

Elaine:
What they see their peers doing and their siblings doing, and they can't get themselves to do what they know they should be doing. That's sort of the marker of it. It can be terribly frustrating and overwhelming, maddening for some kids, right?

Elaine:
Yeah, I do think that it's harder to have some of these conditions. As parents, we have an opportunity to sort of recognize that, have compassion for it, and help our kids see that that's their challenge and that we all have something, right? Without making an excuse, but to help them understand that's their learning edge in life. Not necessarily to see the opportunity in the hard, but to recognize that that's what they've got and everybody's got something ... to help them see what the benefits are when they do work hard to manage it.

Bottom line:
The reality of the condition is the people with ADHD – both kids and adults – have to work hard if they want to successfully manage the challenges they face.