ADHD Isn’t an Excuse

Every Thursday ADHD Kids Rock will post a blog from a Student with something to say about their experience living with ADHD.   This week Mikaylee from Bridges Middle School in Portland describes what it is like when adults don’t understand her.  Thanks Mikaylee!  ~jeff

“That was wrong of me.”

“That was my fault and I’m sorry.”

I can’t count how many times adults have made say things like that. The people who made me apologize thought I wasn’t trying and that I was just a bad kid. After a while, I started to believe it too.

ADHD isn’t an excuse, it’s part of who you are. But people who don’t understand what it’s like to have ADHD may not know that.

When I was younger, school was a place filled with people who didn’t understand. My teachers would punish me for talking out of turn and not sitting still. Sometimes I’d even be in trouble for screaming or crying.

It didn’t take long for the other kids to realize there was something different about me. I didn’t have friends and I got bullied a lot.

That’s how things went for a few years and I never learned to stand up for myself. What I did learn was that there are people who care about me, and that there is always someone who wants to help. When my parents found out what was happening, they acted immediately.

Though I could never get those years of hurt feelings and mean words back, they could help me have a better future. After a lot of searching the web and asking around, my mom found Bridges Middle School. Bridges is a place for kids with learning disabilities like ADHD, dyslexia, and much more. Now I have friends, good grades, and am really happy.

If I had the chance to go back and give myself a better elementary school experience, I wouldn’t. Because by being teased and bullied I learned a valuable life lesson. No matter what problems you’re having, there’s always someone who cares. So if you reach out and tell people what’s going on, someone will help you.

Life is hard and it may not always be ok, but if you have hope, and keep moving forward, you’ll find life can be a pretty great thing.

~ Mikaylee
A Student at Bridges Middle School

Bridges Middle School is an independent nonprofit school in Portland, Oregon that provides a highly creative and focused school setting for 5th – 8th grade students with learning differences.