ADHD & Me: What I Learned From Lighting

Fires at the Dinner Table

By: Blake E. . Taylor
!a"se and E##e$t
Being Distra$ted
Being Im%"lsi&e
Being Disorgani'ed
Being Hy%era$ti&e
Ha&ing Ti$s
Being (n%o%"lar
Being B"llied
Being Isolated
Being Mis"nderstood
Being Blamed
Being )igid
Being Disobedient
Being Dis$riminated Against
Taking !ontrol
Being *i#ted
ol"tions
Being Distra$ted
o Be organi'ed
o !reate a distra$tion #ree en&ironment
o Work in a +"iet room
o Be ,ell rested and take breaks
o Take yo"r medi$ine
o Find a ro"tine or %attern o# st"dy
Being Im%"lsi&e
o Learn #rom yo"r mistakes
o Wat$h o"t #or times ,hen yo" $an-t
$on$entrate
o *et %lenty o# slee%
o .no, yo"r o,n mind
Being Disorgani'ed
o *et hel% getting organi'ed
o /rgani'e yo"r %a%ers at home
o tart "sing te$hnology
o )emember 0a %la$e #or e&erything and
e&erything in its %la$e
Being Hy%era$ti&e
o !hannel yo"r energy into something
%rod"$ti&e
o (nleash yo"r energy in a $ontrolled
sit"ation
Ha&ing Ti$s
o For$e yo"rsel# to sto% the ti$
o Fo$"s on something else
o Try meditating
o !he$k the dosage o# the medi$ation
yo"-re "sing
Being (n%o%"lar
o Make #riends ,ith yo"rsel#
o Learn to %ay attention
o Don-t %"t yo"r #oot in yo"r mo"th
o to% ta%%ing yo"r #oot
o Learn ho, to shake hands
o Let go o# insin$ere #riends
Being B"llied
o (se h"mor
o Ans,er ba$k
o A&oid the b"lly
o !all them on it
o (se %ositi&e sel#1talk
o *et hel% #rom ad"lts
Being Isolated
o Find an e2$"se to say hi
o For$e yo"rsel# to 3oin the gro"% at the
l"n$h table
o Do ,ell in something
o *o to so$ial e&ents
Being Mis"nderstood
o Tell yo"r s$hool abo"t yo"r ADHD
o .no, yo"r rights
o Be in a small4 +"iet $lassrooms
o Don-t be shy: ask #or $hanges in the
$lassroom
o Ask #or the kind o# tea$her ,ho is best
#or yo"
Being Blamed
o Be a la,yer and %resent yo"r $ase
o Be honest
o Bring in the rein#or$ements
o .no, that sometimes it-s 3"st not #air
Being )igid
o Be o%en to something ne,
o *et in#ormation
Being Disobedient
o 5"st #ollo, the r"les
o Listen to others
Being Dis$riminated Against
o (nderstand that bias e2ists
o *o to a s$hool ,here di##eren$es are
res%e$ted and a$$e%ted
Taking !ontrol
o I# something-s not ,orking4 $hange it
o 5oin the so$ial s$ene
o Be$ome a$ti&e in yo"r $omm"nity
o Find an o"tlet #or yo"r $reati&ity
o Work in the real ,orld
Being *i#ted
Intelligen$e
!harm
A sense o# h"mor
An ability to #o$"s intensely on yo"r
interests
An ability to do a lot o# things at on$e
!reati&ity
!om%assion and em%athy
6assion
Tr"st,orthiness and sin$erity
Honesty
An ad&ent"ro"s s%irit
Determination
A lo&e #or animals and nat"re