The Gift of ADD and the ADD Genius by Dr. Edward Hallowell

The gifts of ADD and Inattentive ADD genius

behaviors are all around us according to Dr. Edward Hallowell and even on the days when I am most frustrated with the ADD and ADHD in my family, I have to admit that I agree with him.

Dr. Hallowell believes that people with ADD Inattentive and the other subtypes of ADHD are different but that there behaviors are not wrong. He sees these behavioral differences as the gift of ADD and the Genius of ADD. He turns the behaviors that teachers and others find infuriating into positives. Hyperactivity becomes passion and infectious enthusiasm; distractions become a path to greater thinking and creativity.

ADD Gifts

I believe that we must look at ADD and ADHD through Dr. Hallowell's glasses and embrace the gifts of ADD and the ADD genius that we see every day because the negative feedback that we and our children get from their behaviors must be counter balanced by something more positive. My family saw me as weird and kind of 'out of it' when I was growing up but they also saw me as someone who could solve problems in a unique way and as someone who usually had an impartial and creative solution to most of life's stumbling blocks.

The ADD gift of impartiality comes from frequently being on the outside of things because socially that is more comfortable for us. The creativity ADD genius comes from spending a lot of time thinking about stuff that others spend little or no time pondering. The Inattentive ADD distractions caused by the shiny things and the unusual shadows can occasionally take the ADD genius to places in their creative brains where none has gone before.

ADD Genius

Dr. Edward Hallowell is the loudest voice in the ADHD community reminding us that those adults and children with Inattentive ADD have ADD gifts and that some of these folks have ideas that anyone would describe as ADD genius.

If you have not read the book books written by Dr. Edward Hallowell, Driven to Distraction, and Delivered from Distraction you should. They are available at any library or at Amazon. I feel that they are required reading for any adult or parent beginning on their journey to an understanding of ADHD. Dr. Hallowell has ADHD and he is a psychiatrist. He understands from the inside and from the outside what ADD and ADHD are about. His positive outlook on this disorder is a refreshing change of tune from what we most often hear about our Inattentive ADD symptoms.

Dr. Hallowell has recordings of two graduation talks that he gave recently and I heard them the other day. The talks are truly inspirational and uplifting. He devotes much of the talks to the gift of ADD and the genius of ADD. I actually have listened to them twice and I highly recommend that you get them and listen to them as well. I had my kids watch them and they also enjoyed both talks. There are available for download from the Hallowell Reports Center and the set of two cost $5.00.

We spend a lot of time dealing with the problems of Inattentive ADD and often dismiss or forget about the gift of ADD. We are lucky to have the intelligent and articulate voice of Dr. Edward Hallowell to remind us of the Inattentive ADD genius and of the gifts of ADD.

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