CONSISTENT INCONSISTENCY: HALLMARK SIGN OF ADHD

In my opinion, this is possibly the most frustrating characteristic of ADHD, and I have been on both sides of the coin.

As a child, I can remember so many occasions where I would be asked by one of my parents or a teacher, “I know you’re just being lazy! You didn’t have any problems getting this done yesterday! Why can’t you just do that every day?”. And the most absolute honest answer to this question was one that would irritate them even more: “I don’t know.”. Because I, myself, didn’t know the answer, it left me vulnerable to believing their answers; I must be lazy or stupid. This is precisely why I feel it is so important to take a look at what most likely is really going on.

Remember the filter that I talk about in my first blog, “What’s in a Name?”?
This idea really comes back into the picture here. There are times when our “filters” just sporadically work pretty well, and just as randomly as this happens, they also fizzle right back out. I once heard it compared to trying to listen to a radio station while driving through the mountains. At times the station comes in good and strong, while at other times three to four other stations are trying to come through at the same time, making none of them audible. And the driver has no control over it.

As the parent of an Asperger’s child ( who has many ADHD characteristics), I also understand the frustration from the other view point. After all, the child (or person; this concept applies to children, as well as adults) has proven that they can successfully complete a certain task. And so, they’re inability to complete it today can only mean that they’re not trying hard enough, right? Well … probably not.

If you have ADHD or have a child or spouse with it, you may find yourself feeling a bit relieved. In either case, this information will probably clear up a major source of confusion, doubt, and frustration. If we understand this inconsistency to be what it is, a hallmark symptom of ADHD, and not willful behavior, we can learn to be more patient and tolerant when we recognize it.