Understanding the challenges faced by individuals with ADHD can be difficult for those of us who function within the neurotypical framework. Even when it’s our own child struggling with these issues, we can find ourselves making hasty assumptions, feeling frustrated, and overall, unable to truly grasp their experience.
ADHD, a widely recognized neurodevelopmental disorder, is often diagnosed too late, leading to stress and emotional turmoil for both children and their parents. Even with a proper diagnosis and treatment plan, daily struggles persist, leaving caregivers and educators unsure of how to best support these children.
Lisa Thompson’s Insightful Analogy
Enter Lisa Thompson, a Speech-Language Pathologist and mother to an 8-year-old with ADHD, who recently shared an insightful analogy on Twitter using a “peanut butter and jelly sandwich” to explain the ADHD experience. This analogy is particularly enlightening for anyone parenting a child with ADHD.
Thompson elaborates on the differences in how ADHD brains process information compared to neurotypical brains, particularly focusing on how they handle short-term or Working Memory (WM). Essentially, individuals with ADHD struggle to retain Nonverbal Working Memories, which influences their ability to visualize past experiences and future outcomes. This limitation can make completing tasks challenging, as they often cannot picture what the end goal looks like.
For neurotypical individuals, envisioning the completed task helps in planning the necessary steps to achieve it. Thompson notes, “Neurotypicals can simply imagine what ‘finished’ looks like and work backward to identify the steps needed.”
The Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Analogy
Now, here’s where the peanut butter and jelly sandwich analogy comes into play. When a neurotypical person sets out to make a PB&J, they first visualize the finished sandwich, helping them plan the entire process. In contrast, a person with ADHD may struggle to form that mental image, making the task of preparing the sandwich significantly more difficult.
Thompson illustrates the process for a neurotypical person: “What are the steps to achieve the ‘completed’ sandwich?” They think about laying out the bread, spreading peanut butter, adding jelly, and putting it all together. They know what materials they need: bread, peanut butter, jelly, and a knife. This backward planning is a skill that those with ADHD often lack.
Practical Solutions for ADHD Challenges
The brilliance of Thompson’s approach lies in her practical solution for addressing Nonverbal Working Memory deficits in children with ADHD. Since they struggle to keep the end goal in mind, she suggests providing a visual representation of what they are working toward.
For instance, she took a photo of her son fully prepared for school and now uses it each morning, saying, “match the picture.” This method has helped him grasp what being “ready for school” entails, allowing him to visualize the end result and reducing anxiety about the unknown.
This technique has proven beneficial not just for her son, but has been shared successfully with his teachers as well. Thompson further emphasizes that simple checklists often fall short for kids with ADHD because they lack the visual representation of what the end product should resemble.
Empathy and Understanding
It’s essential to note that every child is unique, and while this method may not work for everyone, it could prove useful for many facing executive functioning challenges. Understanding this perspective is invaluable for those of us who are neurotypical and may struggle to relate to the experiences of differently wired individuals. A little empathy and awareness can significantly aid our efforts to help our children thrive.
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Conclusion
In summary, the peanut butter and jelly analogy effectively illustrates the challenges faced by individuals with ADHD and highlights practical strategies for support, emphasizing the importance of visualization in task completion.