The good, productive aspects of ADHD are many and varied — creativity, empathy, and resilience. Here’s a look at the superpowers that make people with this condition so amazing.
This post is about ADHD superpowers and benefits and how to focus on the advantages.
People with ADHD have many exceptional qualities. They’re highly creative, resourceful problem solvers and optimists. They’re also known for their humor, perseverance, and acceptance of others. Hyper-focusing on one thing is a considerable strength, but they also love multitasking. These strengths can help develop strategies for thriving with your or your teen’s ADHD, so you can put them to use in your career and life.
Story Time: My Son and His ADHD
Parent-teacher conferences were something I grew to dread. My son was diagnosed with ADHD and Dyslexia when he was 7 years old, and I homeschooled him for as long as I could. However, I quickly learned that he needed an outside tutor, and I needed extra reinforcements, so off to public school, he went.
The idea of him being around other adults all day who didn’t love him as we did but had the potential to get equally frustrated, always laid heavy on my heart.
Having a child with ADHD and Dyslexia is taxing and opens you up to a lot of judgment by teachers, other parents, and strangers.
He’s such an incredible soul and so passionate yet highly stubborn. He wasn’t designed to sit in a classroom for 7 hours and was often misunderstood. When he was younger, he was very impulsive and insistent on his needs being met immediately. As a result, he got easily frustrated and a bit disruptive. If he ever felt like a teacher didn’t believe in him or didn’t have the patience for him, he shut down. I saw his bright light begin to dim after being stuck in resource rooms with an IEP that ignored his advantages and focused on his disadvantages.
ADHD Superpowers and Benefits: Attention to Detail
Attention to detail is one of the most common ADHD superpowers. ADHD does not always mean a lack of awareness. On the contrary, people with ADHD can learn faster because they notice all kinds of details others miss. When you have ADHD, you can pay attention to every little thing in your surroundings–and remember it all!
Watching my son grow up from toddler to teen, I noticed he was incredibly hyper-focused on details as he watched my husband fix things around the house. He wanted to know what size drill bit was used, why, and what would happen next. It was always fascinating to see how his brain processed his surroundings and what he was focused on.
ADHD Superpowers and Benefits: Intuitive
People with ADHD are masters of the big picture. They can see how things are connected and often have an innate understanding of how things work. Furthermore, they naturally understand abstract concepts, which makes it easy for them to learn new information. They may be able to look at a situation from multiple perspectives, notice details that others miss–or even come up with solutions when others can’t see any options!
Even though my son had difficulty learning in the classroom, at home, I saw him look things up on YouTube and immediately get to work, using his hands to apply what he learned. He always finished a project with a confident, beaming smile! It didn’t take long for us to realize school was hindering his learning. They were more concerned about him fitting into their system of tests, reports, and grades and less about his spirit and confidence.
ADHD Superpowers and Benefits: Highly Creative
You’re probably familiar with the stereotypical ADHDer like my son. You know, the one who’s always in trouble for talking out of turn or being disruptive? Some of that is the way they process thoughts. One way people with ADHD are often more creative than those without it is through brainstorming—an essential process for coming up with ideas and solutions. People who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) tend to think outside the box when it comes to problem-solving, resulting in more original or unusual ideas than their peers do.
I’ll never forget one day when our beater broke the morning we were making waffles for family breakfast. My son was 9 years old at the time. He saw the problem and ran out to the garage. Five minutes later, he returned holding my husband’s power drill with a beater duct taped to the drill bit. My husband and I looked at each other, awed by his ingenuity.
ADHD Superpowers and Benefits: Great multitasking Skills
Although studies have proven that multitasking is ineffective, many people with ADHD are more productive when doing multiple things simultaneously. They have no difficulty switching between tasks or doing several things at once while still being efficient–even if the tasks aren’t related! ADHD people have powerful executive functions (the ability to plan, organize and prioritize) and good working memory (the ability to hold information in mind while using it).
ADHD Superpowers and Benefits: Higher Energy and Enthusiasm
You may be a person with ADHD, or maybe it’s your teenager who is. In either case, it’s essential to understand that while ADHD can have its challenges and difficulties–and certainly does for many people–it also has many benefits. One of those benefits is the ability to stay energetic and enthusiastic about things that interest you. A small study found that people with ADHD liked their higher energy levels. This passion is incredibly infectious!
I’ve watched my son get excited about calf-roping, photography, videography, welding, mechanics, and working out. With each passion, he pours his endless energy into learning everything about it. We watched him get his siblings involved and, as a result, saw his passion and energy duplicate throughout the house. Even though he’s the middle child, he leads his siblings with his passionate pursuits!
ADHD Superpowers and Benefits: Resourceful Problem Solver
If you’re an adult with ADHD, your problem-solving ability is probably better than that of non-ADHD adults. This is because you can find creative solutions to problems and think outside the box.
In a 2017 study, people with ADHD were more likely to report that they were creative in the performance domain (e.g., acting or playing music in public) or mechanical/scientific domain than in the artistic domain.
Ping-ponging thoughts can help devise unique solutions to tricky situations and brainstorm essential questions. Your teen with ADHD is a pro at problem-solving, a skill that helps them find answers in even the most difficult circumstances. (Think beater/drill example in the creativity section.)
ADHD Superpowers and Benefits: Optimist
Optimism is another superpower and advantage of ADHD. When faced with setbacks or obstacles, optimists tend to see the good in their situation and think of ways to turn things around–even if those changes are small at first (like getting up early). However, they don’t give up easily because they know their efforts will pay off–which is why we often hear about successful entrepreneurs who overcame ADHD as children!
ADHD Superpowers and Benefits: A Strong Sense of Justice
People with ADHD tend to have a strong sense of right and wrong. For example, one of the many phone calls I received from the school involved my son pushing another boy. When we met with the school, they explained that the little boy had been hitting girls on the basketball court, so my son decided to serve justice. Although, I also received phone calls from the school because my son told a girl she needed to brush her teeth more because her breath stank. He certainly wasn’t a saint by any means. But more often than not, he has a passion for the underdog, the mistreated, and the misunderstood. And I always knew it was because he had been in that position and easily empathized.
Acknowledging and Recognizing the Superpowers and Benefits of ADHD
If you or your teen has ADHD, the first step is acknowledging that it’s a lifelong condition that can be managed. Next, focus on strengths and the advantages they bring to life. Then, empower your teen to use those skills positively by focusing on what works best for them rather than trying to fit into someone else’s mold; this might mean changing schools, jobs, or careers if necessary or finding other outlets for expressing themselves creatively.
Although we chose not to medicate our son, medication is another tool that can be helpful. I encourage you to experiment with natural supplements before taking the prescription route. Our son was consistently on a CBD tincture throughout middle school. It was safe and effective; you can’t overdose on it. In addition, it does not contain THC and is not habit-forming. We used the Q Fuse Hemp oil and highly recommend it!
My Son With ADHD Today
When COVID appeared in 2020, my son was in 8th grade. Unfortunately, the school was unequipped to go remote, and the children with IEPs took the brunt. Even though we had his necessary accommodations on record for years, it didn’t prevent the teachers from sending home stacks of papers for him to read. He was also required to sit in front of a computer for hours. In conclusion, we unenrolled him from 8th grade and homeschooled him for the remainder of the year. Technically, he was an eighth-grade drop-out. However, instead of sending him back to public school as a 6’4″ ADHD freshman who is extremely dyslexic, we encouraged him to follow his passions and pursue his HiSET, a high school diploma equivalency.
His confidence grew by the day. He taught himself how to weld, replace brakes, tune cars, and, most recently, he has rebuilt an engine. Not a day goes by without me standing awed by his ability to go all in on projects and problem-solve. He learns from YouTube, calling shops, and asking other people at car meets. His passion is seriously infectious.
Today, he is two tests away from finishing his HiSET, a year earlier than planned. But in addition, his spirit is bright and beautiful, and he wakes up daily with a purpose. So if you have a teenager with ADHD and/or Dyslexia, this is your reminder to focus on their spirit over their grades or performance and remind them of their superpowers!
Conclusion
In conclusion, I hope this article has helped you see the benefits of having ADHD. While it’s true that there are many challenges to living with the condition, there are also many advantages to consider! People with ADHD can succeed in their careers and personal lives if they recognize and use their strengths wisely.
This post was about ADHD Superpowers and Benefits: Focus on the Advantages.
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I am a coach, writer, and speaker.