what do you find hard about ADHD? | ADHD Information
As an individual who has known about my ADHD (they called it Hyperactivity in the 70s) for most of my life, I can tell you my experiences of what I have found difficult throughout my life. Making friends has always been a struggle. From being teased in elem/middle school to being rebellious as a teen to forcing myself upon people to be friends as an adult. I found school to be difficult until I was an adult and went back to college at age 37. Test taking was still really hard. Being financially responsible has always been a struggle. As a kid, I was impulsive with my allowance, wanting to go spend it as soon as I could. As an adult, I have had problems with saving, budgeting, balancing checkbooks, bouncing checks, making sound financial decisions. I have always been spontaneous which isn't always a bad thing unless I do things without thinking. I still have problems making inappropriate comments (from my strong desire to fit in but not knowing how to do it) or being too loud. I have been told that I have little or no tact. I will say that as I've gotten older, my ADHD symptoms have eased. Most likely because I have learned new coping skills. Medication, which I started earlier this year, has helped me see a difference in my behavior and has allowed me the focus I need to change those things I find undesireable.I know as a child, I put my parents through a lot. Not much was known about ADHD in the 70s and the three of us were at the mercy of the Dr. (I don't know what kind of doctor he was but he was weird looking) I was on Dexedrine for three years and I can only assume it helped. I think they took me off of it because they didn't want it to interfere with puberty. But thank goodness there is so much more information these days and we now know that it's safe to take medication (if not recommended) indefinitely.
Many children diagnosed with ADHD may grow up and still have ADHD. It is a condition your child will mostly likely not outgrow. It changes as we get older. The symptoms that plagued us as kids may not plague us as adults because we have different roles as adults.
I encourage you to keep working with your child to help them understand that they will have to deal with this for a long time - perhaps for the rest of their lives. But it is something that can be treated through medication and therapy. Good luck and I hope some of this answers your question. :)
are you studying this or do you have someone in your life you want to help?
This is part of my dissertation that I am doing for my final year in university. I am studying product design. My project title is: 'Help for children suffering with ADHD without the use of medication'.
I am currently at the research stage of my project and am trying to find out as much information about ADHD and how both children and parents are affected by the disorder.
I hope to be able to design a product that children can use to help them with ADHD to be used without or alongside medication.
I have a great interest in the area of mental health issues having suffered from panic attacks and anxiety for a long time and really want to be able to make a difference for children
I have a questionnaire link for anyone who would be interested in helping out!
to kjl2691
in response to your post, do you think that with help a child can learn and develop skills that can help them to control their ADHD when they become adults? or is it something that is quite hard to control?
I.e i have been looking at maybe designing a product that can help an ADHD child with concentration and memory which can then over time improve their mindset so that when they are older they dont have so much of a problem with it.
My son is very HHHH and impulsive. he would never be successful without the help of his meds. he would get in trouble.
He is a very good boy, caring, sensitive, kind hearted, but things would happen. He is silly and goofy but still a love.
He is intelligent and even before meds, he was still making the grades. Some have learning disorders, some don't, each one is different. Some are popular and the quarterback of the football team - example - Terry Bradshaw, some are nerds but brilliant - ex - Bill Gates, Thomas Edison, etc. Some are even in prison and if they had gotten help, they probably wouldn't be there.
Adhders usually have something else in addition to their adhd - it could be depression, autism, anxiety, speech delay, sensory integration, dyslexia, learning disabilities, who knows!!
They do NOT chose adhd, adhd is genetic and was passed down just like their eye and hair color, as well as looks. It does not go away or out grown. It just becomes better managed, by some.
I have read that the medication is actually fixing their brains.
What are some of your ideas to help?
I've found that there is a HUGE difference between ADHD and ADD. I think the only people that say there isn't a difference are the ones that don't deal with the hyperactivity/impulse control problems. My son is ADHHHHHHHHHHD (as if you couldn't tell! 
) He's still very young but the worst problems are that when he is not medicated he absolutely CANNOT be controlled and he cannot control himself. He acts on impulse without thinking and he bounces off the walls constantly. He has the most horrible meltdowns that cannot be controlled.
No disciplin works-EVER- if he's not medicated. And believe me we've tried just about everything and been to numerous doctors. We couldn't take him anywhere for fear of his behavior. For about a year we pretty much stayed in the house and didn't go anywhere other than the park. We couldn't take him out to eat, to the movies, to the grocery etc. It just wasn't possible! 
Medication has been a wonderful lifesaver in his life! He is still not like a "normal" child, but WOW, what a difference. He is much happier and controlled and so are we! 