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The ADD-vantage

ADD is not a symptom and it’s not a disease. It is what is known as a syndrome, which is a conglomeration of symptoms forming a man-made diagnosis. This doesn’t have to be pejorative, meaning it isn’t right and it isn’t wrong. It’s just the way a person is put together. Parents, professionals, and people need to hear that there often is another way to cope with ADD other than by medicating the individual. The advantages of ADD are often overlooked by educators at the unnecessary expense of the children.

People who have been diagnosed with ADD tend to behave, on occasion, differently than expected. For teachers who crave conformity this is problematic. For organizations and corporations who crave conformity this is also problematic. While ADD can be problematic for children (and adults), it doesn't have to be seen solely as problematic.

So it is for people with ADD. They are often relegated to lower levels of achievement than they are capable of, while certain individuals with ADD may tend to leap ahead of other people because of their special abilities. For example, Steven Jobs has been diagnosed with ADD and he is the president of Apple computers. It is also said that Pierre Elliot Trudeau the former Prime Minister of Canada had ADD. Many people in our society are functioning quite well with ADD, and in fact, the Director of the Psychotherapy Institute also has ADD. Each of these individuals has done well in life, and/or continues to do well in life, not because they’ve overcome their handicap, but because they’ve integrated their special talents. This supports the Individual Psychology philosophy that regarding talents/handicaps, it’s not what you’ve got but what you do with it. Similarly, your child may have a great deal to learn about how to deal with life, even if they are presently taking medication to help with their ADD. It is evident that a person with ADD has an opportunity to make a special contribution to their own life, their family, their school, and their society. It is the task of parents and teachers to find ways that the special talents can be used.

If you’re wondering about you, or particularly your child and their ADD/handicap/talent call us in Toronto at 416-968-0640, outside Toronto and in the U.S. at 1-888-966-6606 and in Europe at 001-416-968-0640.