Jo

I’m a teacher with ADHD. Nobody wants to say it out loud, but kids like me, kids with ADHD, aren’t “disabled enough” to get real support in school.
I’ve seen it time and time again. A child finally gets their diagnosis. Their parent comes in, hopeful that this means some real help, maybe a plan, some understanding, maybe a bit of relief.

But that’s not what happens. What usually happens is that the child goes from being a bit “difficult” to being managed. Every little thing gets noted, every interruption, every call out, every time they forget their book. The focus goes from why the child is struggling to how we can keep them under control.

And once that happens, everyone knows. The other kids start watching them, waiting for the next “incident.” Before the diagnosis, they just didn’t quite fit in. After it, they never really belong again.

We do this because most of us aren’t trained to understand ADHD as biological. We’re trained to manage behaviour, keep the class calm, hit the learning goals. And honestly? The system rewards compliance over curiosity.

Here’s another thing that doesn’t sit right with me:
The pressure on parents, and the child, to medicate is huge. We don’t come out and say it, but the message is basically: ‘You need to medicate to fit in here, because we can’t make space for you as you are.’

And sure, there are brilliant teachers out there, the ones who get it. They make space and they adapt and it really makes a difference. They help kids feel safe enough to learn. Some children thrive because of them. Some children also find that medication really helps their brain settle.

But those are the exceptions, not the rule. And I don’t think we should keep doing what we do to the rest.

We teach these kids how to mask. We don’t empower them to find their strengths. Then we act surprised when they grow up full of anxiety and self-doubt. I don’t think we have the research, but I’d bet these same kids make up a big part of our adult anxiety and depression stats.

ADHD needs to be properly included in any neurodiversity programmes, or better yet, have its own for a while, just to catch up. Not a side note, and not a joke in the staffroom.

We don’t need fixing. We just need schools that stop pretending they’ve got it all figured out and start listening. We’re ruining good kids’ lives because they stop believing they can do it, and because the education system never believed in them in the first place.