Being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult turned my life upside down in an instant. It turns out my brain isn’t broken, it’s wired differently. My brain can do things that most other people can’t. It’s a magic brain.
While my diagnosis didn’t eliminate a lifetime of frustration, it did provide a pathway for me to address the shame and self-doubt I’d been carrying. It also launched my career as a special education teacher, making me a better educator and advocate for my students.
In 2017, at the start of my career, I began teaching students diagnosed with mild cognitive delay. Most of the students in my classes had one or two co-morbid conditions, the most common being ADHD. At the time, I had only just been diagnosed with ADHD myself and had very little understanding of how my own brain worked, let alone that of my students. Unfortunately, this lack of understanding left me frustrated with having to repeat lessons and concepts over and over again, and I lost patience with my students (and myself). Why couldn’t they understand?
A few years later, I had the good fortune to attend a professional lecture about my own students, where Dr. Stephen Shaw of McGill University, who studies intellectual disabilities in young students, said something that would forever change how I viewed my students and the direction of my career: “They don’t know.” [that] They don’t know.”
In that moment, it dawned on me: I had been missing this important piece, and it was affecting my relationships with my students. Soon after, and for the first time, I was able to see just how amazing my students’ brains really are.
[Click to Read: 9 Things I Wish the World Knew About My Students’ ADHD]
We often mistakenly assume that all neural wiring in children with intellectual disabilities is “faulty.” This unfortunate assumption causes us to focus on the connections and capabilities they lack, rather than the abilities they shine with. This perspective translates into a terrible message for these learners: “They’re useless.”
Most people have a false idea of what intellectual disability looks like. If you walked into my classroom, you would never guess that my children have a cognitive delay. You would see unique and quirky students, students who have interesting conversations, students who tell jokes, students who make you feel like the best person you can be. You would see students who are accepting and kind, and who show a higher level of empathy than you’ve probably seen from other kids.
Individuals with mild cognitive delay are expected to function in society in the same way as neurologically normal people. However, our society, including our education system, is currently not designed to support them. My goal as an educator is to change this. Gaining a deeper understanding of ADHD in myself and my students is an important step toward this goal and has helped me provide them with a better experience.
Mild cognitive delay and ADHD affect the frontal lobe in the same way. However, symptoms are often amplified in the case of ADHD. I see this clearly when comparing students without ADHD to those with a dual ADHD diagnosis. However, I teach with ADHD strategies in mind for the benefit of everyone in the class.
[Read: Teaching Strategies to Help Every Child Shine]
I observe all the time that my students are clearly learning and acquiring new skills; they just need a lot of practice and repetition. Now every lesson follows the same pattern: I do it, we do it, they do it, they do it, and then we work independently. In this way, we are slowly catching up to grade-level learning, a feat that few people ever thought my students could accomplish. I mean, few people other than me and my teaching assistants. We always assumed they could.
We need the world to believe in our students. They can do anything they put their mind to and they can achieve a lot. They bring value to our society. This demographic is so misunderstood that they struggle to get recognition and advocates on their side.
Imagine what the world would be like if we focused on helping everyone be the best version of themselves. Your magical mind may not share in the greatness of my students, but make it your duty to make the world a better place for them. They all deserve it.
Students with Intellectual Disabilities: Next Steps
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