Many ADHD websites, resources, and advocates are fond of touting the ‘positive traits’ of the condition. Traits such as creativity, problem solving, or even hyperfocus are commonly cited, but according to Dr. Russell Barkley, Ph.D, a renowned ADHD expert, this opinion isn’t aligned with what science has discovered.
ADHD is not a gift
According to Dr. Barkley, “ADHD is no gift. There is no evidence in any research on any of hundreds of measures that we have taken that ADHD predisposes to anything positive in human life.. While ADHD is but a small set of the psychological abilities that people will have, and many people may be gifted and talented in various aspects of these other human abilities, never attribute that giftedness or that success to ADHD.”
Below you can find an excellent excerpt from Dr. Barkley’s lecture to the Center for ADHD/ADD Advocacy Canada (CADDAC) where he clarifies what ADHD is, and more importantly what it is not:
What is important to take away from this is that people with ADHD can be successful, talented or accomplished inspite of their condition, but certainly not because of it.
Barkley, R. (2010, April). Neuro-anatomy of the disorder. , Toronto, Canada. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xpEBE9VDWw