Unfiltered: The ADHD Blog - I Have a Disorder?!

Dear Anchor,

ADHD sounded terrible to me, with the only word I knew from the acronym being disorder. I didn't expect anything good to come from it. I was nervous and scared that ADHD could ruin everything. When I was given an ADHD workbook, it explained what ADHD meant (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), the symptoms (easily distracted, strong impulses), and it gave me ways to cope with it. That book is what told me I had mixed ADHD.

The first thing that the ADHD book acknowledged was that I was not alone. Michael Phelps, Simone Biles, and Dav Pilkey (the author of Captain Underpants and Dogman) all have ADHD! Even Albert Einstein is theorized to have ADHD. This proved to me that ADHD didn't mean that I was dumb, weird, or incapable; it just meant that I was awesome in my own unique way. - Signed, A.W. Brooklyn - AKA Unfiltered

Dear Unfiltered,

You’re right—the word disorder can feel heavy when you first hear it. But it doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. What stands out in your letter is not the diagnosis, but your honesty and courage in facing something that scared you instead of letting it shrink you.

Like many kids with ADHD, you bring creativity, humor, curiosity, and heart into the world. Your brain may move faster, notice more, and feel things deeply—and those qualities matter. Learning how you work helps you grow into who you’re becoming, not someone you’re supposed to be.

Signed, Anchor

PS - Here’s the Book That You Mentioned: Thriving with ADHD Workbook for Kids

https://a.co/d/f0oWdOq