My Hidden Disability
In kindy I needed support to learn how to play and this often involved setting me up with activities where I would use toys independently. In reception, I was enrolled in a private school where I first experienced the label ‘naughty boy’. At five years old I began to dread being sent to the Principal’s office and was often sent there crying. I then transitioned to Montessori
learning. Although the new education approach did assist me in ways, ultimately the same situation occurred whereby my impulsive behaviors led to parents demanding the naughty boy removed. The rejection I felt was significant. Finally, I arrived in a public school in year 3 where a balance of structure and stimulation was achieved. In year 4, I had the good fortune of having an excellent teacher who encouraged us to have me assessed for Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D). After a two-week placebo trial, my teachers believed if the second week was the real thing, we will take it. After commencing medication my concentration time doubled and my learning reflected this, particularly in reading and writing (memory and math skill were still rubbish, however this is often the case with an executive function disorder). Fortunately, from this point on I was able to complete my schooling and form strong peer relationships that I maintain to this day. But wait, there was much more learning to come...
Considering academic accolades were not a thing for me (yet*), most of my self-worth came from sport and I spent most waking hours participating in some way. Nevertheless, the time came to grow up. Fast forward 10 years and after having every process/labor job under the sun, I was still clueless as to what my purpose was in terms of adulting. Aside from the obvious fact that one needs to earn a wage to live, I was also dealing with the issue of having a hidden disability and the pervasive societal misunderstanding that I was dumb or lazy. The good news…
All people have value and worth and we deserve to know it. For me, my pathway to purpose was when I followed my sister’s advice to enroll in Foundation Studies at UniSA (hesitant to be sure*) and I discovered that my adult brain had far less background noise (friends, sports, girls, cars etc) than my adolescent brain! Obviously, to my delight and amazement, I began to turn in work worthy of high marks, and it became clear that my strength was, and always has been human interaction. The takeaway...
Disability does not define people, or their identity. What defines us is our resilience to persevere when we are faced with hurdles and rejection. As parents, support persons, family and friends, we all have a role to play in building the reflective armor in young people that they will need to grow. This is what I call, new paradigm living.
