From ‘Hamlet’ to Hannah: How Understanding ADHD Made Me a Better Writer

The debut author explores her experience growing up with ADHD, and how it informed her novel Hannah Edwards: Secrets of Riverway. “The point is ADD makes children restless and easily distracted.” This line is not from a psychological resource or a parenting advice website. It was said by Principal Skinner in a Simpsons episode where Bart is diagnosed with ADD—now commonly referred to as ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Bart fits the popular depiction of ADHD: he fails his courses, distracts other students, talks out of turn in class, and is generally a menace to the school population. Similarly, at the psychiatry clinic where I received my diagnosis, I was asked to provide “proof” of my ADHD, like comments from teachers about how I was easily distracted and talked too much, or courses where I performed poorly. This infuriated me and compelled me to rewrite the conventional narrative of ADHD portrayed through characters like Bart Simpson. Why? Well, because I, Ashley Hards, have always been—and will always be—a pleasure to have in class. My Journey with ADHD My journey with ADHD was unconventional. At age five. I haughtily approached my mother and demanded that she talk to my teacher. I was bored out of my mind. By the time I was eight, I told my mother that I was not going to school anymore, because: 1) it was too boring, 2) I already knew everything (bold claim), 3) I could get the work done in an hour. My parents had me evaluated, and I was declared a “gifted” student. My new gifted title came with some perks: an Individual Personalized Plan (IPP) that allowed me to study more advanced material. I believe this IPP—combined with a fundamental misunderstanding of how ADHD presents, particularly in women—is why I was not formally diagnosed with ADHD until I was 22. The symptoms were all present, just not in the ways people assumed. I had the desire to speak all of the time—I just compensated for it by always being the first student to raise their hand. I wasn’t visibly distracted—but I was writing […]

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