As a late-diagnosed (and very proud) ADHDer who supports others with ADHD, I’m thrilled that October is ADHD Awareness Month.
I’ve experienced the validation that can come with an ADHD diagnosis, something to explain a life of struggles that don’t seem to hit others quite as hard.
And yet, there’s something else I’d like to shine awareness on. 🔦
Consider the words used to describe ADHD:
- Disorder
- Deficit
- Dysfunction
- Developmental condition
Ooof! These words carry weight. The subtext isn’t subtle either. It whispers: “There’s something wrong with you.” “You’ll only succeed if you learn to be more like everyone else.”
But that’s not the whole story. In fact, I’d argue it’s not the true story at all.
🔥 So here’s my hot take:
When ADHD is framed as a disorder, it becomes something that needs to be “fixed”. But when we view ADHD as a difference, it opens up possibilities for self-compassion, authenticity, and a life full of joy & purpose.
I believe that shifting from a deficit model to a strengths-based approach to ADHD creates space not only to live better lives, but also to bring our full selves to the table.
ADHD people deserve it.
And, I would argue, the world needs us.
Maybe now more than ever.
Today, I’m gonna try making my case…
1. ADHD Isn’t a Mistake – It’s Evolution at Work
Researchers asked themselves:
If ADHD traits are so “disordered,” why has natural selection decided to hang onto them?
Well, here’s some things we know to be true:
- ADHD has a strong hereditary component, passing down from one generation to the next.
- Traits like restlessness, distractibility, and impulsivity have been preserved over millennia.
- And that persistence suggests they may once have been advantageous for survival.
A recent study showed that people with ADHD traits outperform their neurotypical peers at foraging tasks, quickly scanning environments and finding resources in competitive settings.
What we now call “restlessness” or “impulsivity” was once survival: noticing opportunities, solving problems on the fly, and responding to a changing world.
A growing number of voices are reframing ADHD in a similar way. Not as a deficit but simply a range of neurobiological differences that can be incredibly useful to the individual and their community.
So… why does ADHD feel like a hindrance rather than an advantage?
2. We Live in a Neuronormative World
If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.
Most people (aka: neurotypical) think, behave, and organise life in ways that are widely accepted and rewarded in the modern world.
Systems like school, work, life admin, and everyday routines are designed around those norms and values:
- Rewarding compliance over curiosity.
- Being judged on memorisation vs creative problem-solving.
- Being able to cope with boring or repetitive tasks.
- 9-5 patterns that ignore personal energy peaks or spontaneity.
- Following linear processes vs being able to zig-zag, connect dots, and explore.
- Valuing consistency over working in short bursts, regardless of outcomes.
ADHD brains often work in different patterns. And when these differences come up against neuronormative expectations, it can lead to:
- Frustration: when we try to fit into neuronormative systems.
- Stress, which can be:
- Internal: the constant mental load of juggling tasks, fighting impulses, or masking.
- External: criticism from bosses or teachers, or judgment from family and peers.
- Feelings of shame or “not being good enough” / “being too much”.
For many people, this cycle of frustration, stress, and shame contributes to higher rates of anxiety, depression, and burnout compared to the general population.
The thing to remember about these norms is: they are arbitrary and artificial.
From this perspective, wouldn’t it be fair to say that our environment is disordered, not the ADHD mind?
3. And Yet, ADHD People Can Thrive
I love this story 💓
A young girl is taken to a specialist doctor. She’s disruptive in class, struggles to sit still, and her teachers think she has a learning disorder.
The doctor listens to the parents then takes them to one side, turning up the radio on the way. As they watch the little girl moving to the music, he shares his diagnosis:
“Your daughter isn’t sick. She’s a dancer. Take her to a dance school.”
That girl was Dame Gillian Lynne. She went on to become a world-famous choreographer, known for Cats, The Phantom of the Opera and some of the most successful theatre productions in history.
How different would her life have been if she’d been put on medication and told to “calm down”?
There’s no shortage of people with ADHD who have found success in their lives. Sir Richard Branson, Tom Hanks, Greta Gerwig, Robbie Williams, Simone Biles, David Grohl, Lewis Hamilton, Lily Allen, even Ozzy Osbourne and Yungblud.
Of course, not everyone with ADHD aspires to be a world-famous billionaire. And that’s not the point. What these examples show is that ADHD doesn’t automatically hold people back from achieving their potential.
In fact, for many, the very traits that come with ADHD – creativity, energy, hyperfocus, risk-taking, and out-of-the-box thinking – are exactly what propel them forward.
4. Why The ADHD Deficit Model Sucks (imo)
The “deficit model” is how most of society frames ADHD, a focus on what’s wrong or lacking in ADHD brains: difficulty with attention, organisation, impulsivity, or emotional regulation.
That belief system can be heavy to carry. It feeds cycles of self-criticism, encourages masking (hiding our true selves to fit in), pushes people toward burnout, and in some cases leads to giving up on ambitions altogether.
It’s no surprise, then, that adults with ADHD have a 32% lower rate of achieving “excellent mental health” compared to those without ADHD (Open Access Government, 2023).
When society insists that difference equals deficiency, people spend more energy battling themselves than building a life that works for them.
And yet, ADHD brings a host of strengths that often go unrecognised: creativity, hyperfocus, curiosity, energy for novelty, problem-solving skills, and an ability to see connections others might miss. Many people don’t realise these traits are part of their ADHD brain, and that these same traits can be leveraged to thrive… when the environment allows it.
And that’s what really hurts: not the ADHD itself, but the story we’re told about it.
So, is there a better way?
5. A Strengths-Based Approach to ADHD
When we move away from deficit thinking and towards difference thinking, something powerful happens.
- We allow more self-compassion: understanding that struggles come from mismatch, not personal failure.
- We open the door to authenticity: living in ways that honour our brains instead of fighting against them.
- We build self-efficacy and autonomy: creating strategies, routines, and environments that work for us, not against us.
This doesn’t mean ignoring difficulties. It means recognising that those difficulties don’t define us. They’re not evidence of being broken. They’re points of friction between our way of being and a system designed for someone else.
How This Works in My ADHD Practice…
My therapeutic experience as an ADHDer who supports others with ADHD is that there is a pathway – not only to be OK despite ADHD but to thrive because of it.
I don’t focus on “symptoms” or “deficits.”
Instead, I ask:
- What’s already working?
- What’s possible?
- Where do you notice moments of strength, clarity, and flow?
By focusing on solutions and resources, people often rediscover something vital: they already have more skills and resilience than they thought.
For example:
- The writer who broke through procrastination by leaning into projects that lit him up. And by changing his writing environment, he found his flow again.
- The executive who realised her “failure to focus” was really a sign of misalignment. She left her draining corporate job, started her own business, and is thriving.
- The overwhelmed activist who learned to give herself permission to rest. By trading burnout for balance, she discovered she could show up as the best version of herself.
Why Hypnosis Works for ADHD
Hypnosis (aka: trance state) has been shown to calm the nervous system (Brain Sciences, 2024).
This is particularly helpful for people with ADHD. And especially those who (like me) were diagnosed later in life and have spent decades as neurodivergent beings in a a neuronormative world – without even knowing it.
When that stress begins to lift, something shifts. We can find space to honour our ADHD minds with compassion, curiosity, and creativity.
Final Thoughts: Changing ADHD Lives Can Change the World
Shifting the way we see ADHD can do more than help individuals thrive.
We unlock perspectives, ideas, and new ways of thinking. People with ADHD experience the world differently. They notice patterns others miss, make connections others overlook, and approach challenges in creative, unconventional ways.
By creating environments that honour these strengths, we enrich our communities, workplaces, and society as a whole. The world benefits from insights, innovation, and energy that might otherwise go untapped.
It’s not just an act of compassion. It’s an investment in a brighter, more creative, and more inclusive future.
Ready to see what your ADHD brain can really do?
Book a free consultation. This is a relaxed, no-pressure chat to talk about what you’re facing and to see if we can find a pathway forward, together.
