What is ADHD?

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Cameron Witt and I am diagnosed with ADHD, one of the most common disabilities in the world. There are more than 3 million cases in the United States per year. It is a condition in which people have hyperactivity and impulsiveness and express difficulty in paying attention.

ADHD (or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) begins as early as childhood and can continue well beyond adulthood. Many people who are diagnosed with it experience self esteem issues, difficulty with staying focused in school, relationships, or all of the above. One who is diagnosed with ADHD may also show difficulty in processing given information. They may not understand what they heard and will ask for the information to be repeated to them. Diagnosed individuals may also receive accommodations that cater to their needs and ensure that they are able to perform given tasks. ADHD effects millions around the world, but I am here to share about my own personal experiences as someone who is among the diagnosed millions.

Cameron's ADHD Blog – My Childhood

To begin my blog (this is Part 1 of 5), I will go over how my ADHD has affected me since childhood. I have had ADHD for as long as I can remember, but never knew about it until high school. I have two sisters. One older, one younger, but I do not believe they have ever been diagnosed with a disability. They are not on the spectrum like I am. ADHD has affected how I learn in school and still does today. I have had to ask my teachers to repeat what I've been told, asked questions to something I was just told the answer to (which makes me feel embarrassed and dumb every time it happens and it has occurred more than once) and I have found myself at a loss on what I am supposed to do even on an assignment that sounds simple in theory.

My ADHD has also resulted in low self-esteem for most of my childhood. I could not. for the life of me, engage in conversations with other people because I was too nervous on what I should say, plus I was afraid of making a fool of myself. I had a similar problem with girls, except worse. I have always been shy around them and whenever I gained the thought of talking to my crushes (or any girl for that matter), I would crumble and back away because I felt I was not confident in myself.

My ADHD has also affected me when I am doing chores at home. Sometimes when I am told to do something, I forget what I am supposed to do despite paying attention and being clear on what I was told to do. The most notable of these instances are when I am tasked with taking care of the pool in our backyard. We have a cleaner that drives around the bottom of the pool and it cleans up any mess that forms. More than once, I have been asked to turn the cleaner on and off by turning a valve that is connected to a pipe and then flipping a switch that activates the cleaner. One time when I went to turn it off, I flipped the switch off, but I forgot to turn the valve. My father flipped out on me and went to fix it himself. Thankfully, nothing bad happened and I did not get into big trouble over it, but it is still an instance of my ADHD hindering me. However, my family has shown great support and understand what I am going through.