How to Tell Your Child About a Diagnosis of ADHD

Mar 6, 2011
Elizabeth Richards

Einstein, Robin Williams and Walt Disney All Have Symptoms of ADHD - B Richards

Discussing the diagnosis of attention deficit disorder or ADHD to your child can be worrisome but done properly with foresight and planning helps a lot.

What to tell a child with ADHD about their diagnosis is a topic of great discussion on many attention deficit disorder forums, and with good reason. The idea of discussing ADD or ADHD and the implications can be scary and upsetting. However, there are things you can do to make the process easier.

Take a Positive Approach with the ADHD Diagnosis

Instead of presenting the idea of ADD or ADHD as a problem, consider it a privilege. While this may seem funny at first, it is a fact. Dr. Hallowell, M.D. and Dr. John J. Ratey, M.D., in their wonderful book about childhood and adult ADD, Delivered from Distraction, Getting the Most out of Life with Attention Deficit Disorder, offer useful suggestions for telling a child he has ADD. Approach the discussion with an honest and age representation.

Some conversation starters can include:

"We have good news for you. We've gotten results for all the questions and tests you've been asked recently."
"You have an incredible brain."
"You have a special gift."

Relate an ADHD Diagnosis to a Familiar Concept

Dr. Hallowell and Dr. Ratey suggest relating ADHD to an idea that is comfortable and familiar for your child. For example, telling him that ADHD is like having a race car brain with a turbocharged engine Some brains are just like race cars, but some are turbocharged. With ADD, it's hard to put on the brakes and sometimes it needs extra oil to help prevent the engine from overheating. But when everything is working and used right, your race car is a champion.

Famous People Have ADD Too

Many kids find comfort in knowing that successful adults or people the child admires have an attention disorder. Psychcentral notes that the following famous people have symptoms that suggest that they have or had an attention disorder (with or without hyperactivity):

Albert Einstein
Galileo
Mozart
Leonardo da Vinci
Cher
Bruce Jenner
Charles Schwab
Henry Winkler
Danny Glover
Walt Disney
John Lennon
Winston Churchill
Henry Ford
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Robert Kennedy
Prince Charles
Eddie Rickenbacker
Harry Belafonte
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Steve McQueen
George C. Scott
George Bernard Shaw
Joan Rivers
Beethoven
Jim Carey
“Magic” Johnson
Sylvester Stallone
Stephen Hawkings
Jules Verne
Alexander Graham Bell
Woodrow Wilson
Hans Christian Anderson
Nelson Rockefeller
Thomas Edison
Gen. George Patton
Agatha Christie
John F. Kennedy
Whoopi Goldberg
David H. Murdock
Dustin Hoffman
Pete Rose
Robin Williams
Louis Pasteur

Be prepared to answer questions your child might have about the ADHD diagnosis. Familiarize yourself with as much basic information as possible – most likely your counselor and doctor will provide you with tools to aid in the discussion. Keep answers simple, especially for younger children. The task of telling a child he or she has ADHD is much easier when you are prepared, straightforward and positive.