Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as Neurodiverse Condition

Neurodiversity is discussed in detail in our previous article “Neurodiversity”.

ADHD as a Neurodiverse Condition

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is recognised as a neurodiverse condition within the framework of neurodiversity. This perspective shifts the focus from viewing ADHD as a disorder or deficit to seeing it as a natural variation in how the brain processes information, manages attention and regulates behaviour. ADHD typically manifest early in development, often before the child enters formal schooling and is typically characterised by challenges in personal, social, academic or occupational functioning. ADHD commonly co-occur with other neurodiverse conditions.

Characteristics of ADHD as a Neurodiverse Condition

From a neurodiversity perspective, ADHD is often viewed as a spectrum of traits rather than a disorder, focusing on strengths and challenges. The neurodiversity model reframes ADHD as a unique way of thinking and experiencing the world. While the term “types of ADHD” is often rooted in traditional diagnostic frameworks, the neurodiversity perspective tends to emphasise unique presentations rather than strict categories. Below are six common ways ADHD traits manifest, incorporating both traditional and neurodiversity-informed views:

1. Classic/Hyperactive/Impulsive Type

• Traits: High energy, often expressed through movement, fidgeting or restlessness, impulsivity, difficulty staying seated or waiting turns. Excessive motor activity (such as a child running about) when it is not appropriate, or excessive fidgeting, tapping or talkativeness. Hasty actions that occur in the moment without forethought and that have high potential for harm to the individual (e.g., darting into the street without looking). Impulsivity may reflect a desire for immediate rewards or difficulty to delay gratification.
• Strengths: High energy can lead to enthusiasm, drive and action-oriented problem-solving.
• Challenges: May struggle with self-regulation, maintaining focus or being perceived as overly intense. In adults, hyperactivity may manifest as extreme restlessness or wearing others out with their activity. Impulsive behaviours may manifest as social intrusiveness (e.g. interrupting others excessively) and/or as making important decisions without consideration of long-term consequences (e.g. taking a job without adequate information).

2. Inattentive Type

• Traits: Difficulty focusing, especially on tasks that are repetitive or uninteresting, distractibility, forgetfulness or appearing “spacey.” Persistent pattern of inattention that interferes with functioning or development. Inattention manifests behaviourally in ADHD as wandering off task, lacking persistence, having difficulty sustaining focus and being disorganised; is not due to defiance or lack of comprehension.
• Strengths: Often highly creative and adept at connecting disparate ideas; a tendency to think outside the box and generate novel ideas; innovative.
• Challenges: Struggles with executive functioning such as organisation and time management may lead to being misunderstood as “lazy” or “unmotivated”; adhering to rigid systems.

3. Combined Type

• Traits: A mix of hyperactive, impulsive and inattentive traits.
• Strengths: Flexibility in switching between action and reflection; diverse strengths across areas.
• Challenges: Balancing the competing demands of both hyperactive and inattentive tendencies.

4. Overfocused Type (Common in neurodiversity-informed frameworks)

• Traits: Intense focus on certain tasks or topics, often to the exclusion of others; difficulty shifting attention.
• Strengths: Exceptional ability to deep-dive into areas of passion or expertise.
• Challenges: Rigidity in thinking or hyperfocus on unproductive tasks.

5. Emotional Dysregulation/Reactive Type

• Traits: Heightened emotional sensitivity, quick emotional responses and difficulty calming down.
• Strengths: High empathy and strong emotional connections with others.
• Challenges: Difficulty managing intense emotions can impact relationships or decision-making.

6. Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT)

• Traits: Daydreaming, lethargy, low energy and slow processing speed.
• Strengths: Reflective, calm and often deeply imaginative.
• Challenges: Misunderstood as “disengaged” or “disinterested”; often overlooked in traditional ADHD diagnoses.

Associated Features of ADHD (not necessarily all symptoms)

• Fights
• Struggles to take responsibility
• Possibility of low self-esteem
• Sensitivity to sounds
• Extraordinary memory for remote events
• Extraordinary attention to detail in drawing
• Marked fluctuation in performance
• Inconsistent and unpredictable
• Flight of ideas
• Over reactive, marked intensity
• Difficulty to respect boundaries
• Failure to anticipate consequences
• Difficulty to deal with change
• Frankness
• Restless sleeper (night terrors)
• Kinaesthetic learner
• May have learning difficulties
• Emotional difficulties
• Depression may develop
• Irritability
• Unpredictable
• Accident proneness
• Relationship problems
• Mild delays in language, perception, motor or social development

Challenges Within a Neurodiverse Framework

Despite its strengths, ADHD can still pose significant challenges, such as:

• Difficulty meeting societal expectations around organisation and punctuality.
• Higher rates of comorbid conditions like anxiety or depression.
• Stigma and misunderstandings about ADHD, often leading to feelings of inadequacy or frustration.

Parenting Tips for ADHD

Parenting a child with ADHD can be both rewarding and challenging. Multimodal intervention proves to be most useful in managing attention difficulties. It requires lifestyle changes which usually involves diet, psychosocial intervention, exercise and often medication. In case of associated learning difficulties occupational therapy, speech therapy, physiotherapy or remedial therapy may be necessary to compile an individual support plan for study skills support. Here are some practical tips to help you support your child effectively:

1. Understand ADHD

• Educate yourself about ADHD. Understanding its symptoms (inattention, impulsivity, hyperactivity, emotional dysregulation) will help you better interpret your child’s behaviour. Learn about neurodiverse conditions and the experiences of neurodiverse individuals.
• Recognise that ADHD is a neurological condition, not wilful misbehaviour.

2. Build a Structured Routine

• Consistency is key: Create predictable routines for daily activities like meals, homework, play and bedtime.
• Use visual schedules or checklists to help your child stay on track.

• Organise by planning for your child, structuring days and organising activities. Limit the number of playmates to one/two in the house during play dates. A large group may over stimulate your child. Playing with larger groups should follow small incremental steps. Provide firm consistent limits for your child’s behaviour and activities. Always evaluate your parenting device so that you do not continue with the programme long after the need for it has ceased.

3. Set Clear Expectations

• Clearly define rules and consequences in simple, understandable terms.

4. Use Positive Parenting and Discipline

• Focus on what your child is doing right instead of only pointing out mistakes.
• Avoid “Why”: Why can’t you do it now? Yesterday you could. Why can’t you remember what I said now?  You can remember everything about the TV-show.

• Practising positive parenting such as appropriate positive reinforcement in the form of praise or rewards should be given immediately after each successful step.

• Stay calm during conflicts and avoid harsh punishment, which can increase stress.
• Be supportive, secure and well-informed parents.

5. Break Tasks into Manageable Steps

• Simplify complex tasks into smaller, more achievable steps.
• Break ordinary tasks into small steps and avoid global directions. Give directions on a piecemeal basis.
• Make eye contact with your child when you give instructions.
• Use timers or reminders to help your child focus for short bursts.

6. Encourage Physical Activity

• Engage your child in regular exercise or sports to channel their energy positively.
• Activities like swimming, martial arts or dance can help with focus and discipline.

• Regular age-appropriate exercise can help managing attention difficulties.

7. Minimise Distractions

• Create a quiet, organised space for homework or tasks.
• Limit screen time and encourage non-digital activities like reading, drawing or puzzles.

8. Develop Emotional Regulation Skills

• Teach your child ways to manage frustration, like deep breathing or using words to express feelings.
• Model patience and problem-solving skills in your interactions.
• Initiate affectionate interaction without your child demanding it (±10-15 minutes per day individually).

• Optimal outcomes may be promoted by social skills training, diminishing of aggression, parent training, group therapeutic play dates, behavioural interventions at home and at school. Social skills training may entail teaching the child social amenities, courtesy and respect for the rights of others in more explicit and direct ways.

9. Foster Independence

• Gradually teach your child to manage their responsibilities, like packing their school bag or organising their room.
• Offer guidance without taking over tasks entirely.

10. Seek Professional Support

• Work closely with teachers, educational psychologists or therapists to develop strategies tailored to your child’s needs.
• Combine medication and behaviour therapy for a long-term solution.
• If prescribed, manage medication under a medical specialist’s supervision.

• Various types of medication are available. Medication is often not enough to satisfy the comprehensive therapeutic needs of people with attention difficulty, but is one facet of multimodal treatment. In case medication does not lead to any improvement or side effects are present, the dosage should be revised by your specialist (dosage does not necessarily relate to weight). It is very seldom that someone does not react positively to medication. Attention difficulty can be caused by biological abnormalities in the nervous system. Therefore, medication can assist with neurotransmitters in the brain. Children using medication should be informed about the purpose of it and be given the opportunity to reveal their feelings about it.

11. Take Care of Yourself

• Parenting a child with ADHD can be demanding. Ensure you have support, whether from a partner, friends or parenting support groups.
• Prioritise self-care to maintain your well-being and patience.

12. Use inclusive language

•  Avoid language that stigmatises or pathologises neurological differences.

13. Create a supportive environment

• Provide accommodations and support for neurodiverse individuals in the workplace, education and community.
• Listen to and amplify the voices of neurodiverse individuals, rather than speaking over them; raise awareness about the unique needs and abilities of individuals with ADHD.
• Support peer group acceptance.

14. 14. Follow a heathy diet

• Omega-3 and Omega-6 are special types of polyunsaturated essential fatty acids. Omega-3 is found primarily in cold-water fish such as mackerel, herring, halibut, cod, shark and salmon. Lesser amounts of it are found in tuna and shrimp and purified fish oils. Organic eggs also contain plenty of omega-3 acids.
• Omega-6 is found in evening primrose oil, protein and most seed oils. Our bodies cannot make polyunsaturated essential fatty acids by themselves and need to come from the diet a few times a week. Cottonseed oil and many kinds of nuts are good sources of polyunsaturated fats. Sugar, colourants, flavourants, preservatives or processed food and/or food allergies may worsen an attention deficit. In this case a dietician could be consulted. Taking a multivitamin with either fish oil or flaxseed oil capsules and evening primrose oil can be a source of omega-3/6 fatty acids. It is important to stress that, although supplements may be helpful, it is best to rely on foods for nutrients whenever possible.

Conclusion

Categorisations remind us that ADHD traits exist on a continuum and that individuals may not fit neatly into one “type.” The neurodiversity perspective emphasises the value of understanding these traits as part of natural human diversity rather than strictly as deficits. In environments that allow flexibility, creativity and movement, individuals with ADHD often thrive. In rigid or highly structured settings, they may struggle, leading to perceptions of “deficit.” The neurodiversity movement advocates for environments that accommodate ADHD traits (e.g., flexible deadlines and workspaces that allow movement) rather than attempting to suppress them through medication or behaviour modification alone. ADHD traits have contributed to advancements in various fields, as individuals with ADHD often excel in dynamic, fast-paced and creative domains. By embracing ADHD as a neurodiverse condition, society can foster environments that celebrate and utilise diverse ways of thinking, benefiting everyone. For a more detailed look into the services of a professional that works with ADHDs, click here to view the website of Elizabeth Bezuidenhout, a seasoned educational psychologist and wellness practitioner based on the West Rand, on the border of Roodepoort and Krugersdorp.

Quotes

 “ADHD is not a choice or bad parenting. Kids with ADHD work twice as hard as their peers everyday but receive more negative feedback from the world.” — DRB 

ADHD is not about knowing what to do, but about doing what one knows. – Russell Barkley

In the midst of all the chaos swirling through your brain, all the disorganization and impulsiveness, the condition (ADHD) also seems to trigger a certain kind of creativity. -David Neeleman