“Call a dog by a name enough times and he will eventually respond to it.”I read these words shortly after I was diagnosed with ADHD at age 44.
Those 15 words, which appeared in a book meant for ADHD families, left me stunned for weeks. They helped me understand my entire life experience far more than any other sentence – or any person, for that matter – ever had.Growing up with undiagnosed ADHD, I was repeatedly labeled…Lazy.
Unmotivated. Smart but slacks off. Careless. Indifferent. Clumsy. Forgetful. Distracted. Sloppy. Listens but doesn’t follow directions.
Doesn’t listen. Won’t listen. Stubborn.Despite all evidence to the contrary and much work on my part to see myself differently, I still identify to some degree with the above labels.