Dr. Alok 'Dr. K' Kanodia

So when you grow up with ADHD, you make all kinds of mistakes, okay?

So when I make a mistake and I, like, forget to do my homework, right, or I did my homework but I leave it at home and then I get feedback.

They're like, hey, you were supposed to do your homework.

You didn't do your homework.

Bad you.

But if we think about it for a second, everybody makes mistakes.

Neurotypical kids forget their homework too.

They don't have this.

Why?

Here's the key thing.

When a neurotypical child usually makes a mistake, they usually have the executive function, the emotional regulation, the ability to regulate their attention to correct the mistake.

So I forgot it once, I won't forget it again.

This type of feedback is useful in a neurotypical world.

So when a neurotypical person says, hey, you forgot, don't do it again, and a neurotypical person hears that, they're like, I forgot, I won't do it again.

The big difference is not the mistake that you make, but that for one person, our society is designed to help them correct the mistake.

It is sufficient to help them correct the mistake.

But with an ADHD kid, the world that we live in does not support us in the right way to not make that mistake again.

So then what ends up happening is if I make a mistake and someone tells me to do it differently, I say to myself, I need to do this differently.

But if I make the mistake again,

Then what happens?