Is ADHD A Learning Disability?

I hear the question quite a lot….is adhd a learning disability?

My answer is that ADHD is a living disability. With that being said, part of life is learning, so I guess it is a learning disability. Millions of kids and adults are impacted daily by ADHD in the United States. I think saying that ADHD is a learning disability is down playing the impact it actually has on people. It is something that doesn’t just affect people when they learn but affects every aspect of their lives.

Have you ever been in the car with music blaring loud and then have to follow specific directions to get somewhere or you almost get into an accident? What is the first thing you usually do? Majority of people turn down the music, why is that? It’s so you can start processing the information that is being thrown at you correctly.

For people who struggle with ADHD it’s almost as if that radio continues blaring no matter what they are doing. Imagine how difficult that must be to try and do anything to a certain degree of perfection in life. I do understand why so many people wonder about ADHD and learning. A lot of the people concerned about ADHD are parents and they are worried about their children in school.

Is ADHD A Learning Disability?

More often than not kids tend to be pretty energetic, especially if we are talking about boys. Since this is the case, ADHD can go unnoticed a lot of times until the later grades in school. During the earlier grades it will be categorized as a child just being high energy or being a kid. It’s not until later on when other kids start to settle down that the idea of an ADHD diagnosis comes into play for a lot of kids.

The problem with this happening is at this point ADHD has already been going on for years and has been impacting the person or child for years. Because of this our ability to learn in school has been hindered for years which is why some kids with ADHD start to really slide back in school, because they weren’t learning properly all of that time. They also may have not been developing correctly as the brain may not have been able to process specific information important for proper development. This is why I say that ADHD is not just a learning disability but a living disability…because it impacts all facets of the person’s or child’s life.

It’s not the greatest that sometimes we find out about an ADHD diagnosis later than expected but the good thing is that things can be done for people struggling with ADHD!

Ways to Help ADHD

The most common thing people do for ADHD is medication, there is no doubt about that. This is because it is one of the easiest things to combat it but it is also one of the only things most medical doctors and psychologists know about. A lot of parents nowadays no longer want to rely on medication for their children. Oftentimes they will notice that the medication may help but they also feel like they lose their child’s personality all together, which can be heartbreaking to see.

Something else that a lot of parents will do for their children is therapy. This can be a really great option if you are able to find the right therapist! There are countless exercises that can be done to help a child or adult with ADHD when it comes to therapy and this is something that doesn’t require the introduction to medications. The biggest thing is being consistent with the therapy and making sure that the recommendations are followed from the therapist when you aren’t in the office/are living your normal life. It is also something that everyone in the family needs to work on as there can sometimes be things in the household that trigger certain behaviors.

Nervous system work is something that we focus on at The Specific Chiropractic Centers and this can play a massive role in ADHD. The nervous system is in charge of fight or flight mode, along with resting and digesting mode. What mode do you think most people who struggle with ADHD are in? Correct…fight or flight mode! Think of it as being in a chronic adrenaline rush. If you’ve ever had an adrenaline rush then you understand that the only thing that your body is concerned about is survival. This is the same when the body is stuck in this fight or flight mode, not much healing is going on!

We use computerized infrared thermography to measure the nervous system to see what is going on. It helps us determine if the nervous system is working correctly or incorrectly…if there is a bombardment of information going to the brain causing ADHD or if the messages are getting to the brain how they are supposed to. Over a care plan we are able to see changes within the nervous system leading to long lasting changes over time.

It’s really cool that what we are seeing in the research is showing us that the brain and nervous system aren’t stuck in this state of dysfunction forever, that if we make certain changes that promote healthy function they can change! It’s my goal to help spread this message and make sure that people know that their children or themselves do have options that have long lasting effects when it comes to helping ADHD. Everything regarding our body’s health can be multifaceted but if the nervous system isn’t working at 100% then I know for sure that no matter what else we try or do isn’t going to be as effective as it potentially could be. Feel free to reach out if you’re interested in seeing if what we do at The Specific Chiropractic Centers – Naples could help you or your child with ADHD or other health problems!

Learn more.

Here are a few more posts on how chiropractic care can help those who suffer from headaches and/or migraines.