Sometimes there is a sense of isolation felt by children with ADHD. They often share about feeling “different” from their peers - feeling a sense of aloneness and uncertainty about making friends and connecting with others. It is not only children, however, that may feel this isolation. Parents and families impacted by ADHD often experience these same emotions.
Natalie Knochenhauer, founder and Executive Director of ADHD Aware, is an adult with ADHD and the mother of four fabulous children with ADHD. She refers to ADHD as an invisible disability -- “Time and time again, we’re judged either by our children’s impulsivity and our perceived inability to ‘gain control’ or our own executive functioning difficulties and our perceived inability to ‘just get organized.’” ADHD Aware aims to help ease these feelings, expand opportunities and enhance the quality of life for both children and adults living with ADHD.
How did it all begin? It began with a simple request from daughter to mother. Knochenhauer’s daughter, Mia, asked for her mother’s help in forming a special club for girls with ADHD. Together they created the Go Girls Club which provides education, strategies and support for elementary-age girls with ADHD. A boys’ club, B2B, soon followed as did Chaos & Kisses, a retreat for parents raising children with ADHD designed to support, inform and empower caregivers addressing ADHD in their families.
ADHD Aware also includes a community forum on their website where children, parents and other adults with ADHD can connect and provide support to one another. Additionally, a national conference for kids with ADHD is being planned. This conference would bring together children with ADHD from clubs all over the country for leadership, advocacy and empowerment training…and lots of fun!
ADHD Aware also strives to provide positive adult role models. “I believe one of the most powerful gifts we can give kids with ADHD is a connection with a successful adult with ADHD,” says Knochenhauer – a former executive and attorney before dedicating herself full time to the ADHD community. In the clubs, forums, conferences and ADHD Aware workshops –where girls, boys, and adults with ADHD grow together – the isolation of this “invisible” disability, as well as the social stigma, is decreased.
If you’d like to learn more about ADHD Aware, help support their mission, or start a Go Girls or B2B Boys Club in your area, check out the ADHD Aware website or send an email to info@adhdaware.org
I can’t wait for my 10 yr old daughter to attend GoGirls-Natalie immediately connected with her and established a level of trust. Her first question to Natalie? “What was hardest for you having ADHD as a kid?”
Hello, I have ADD but I use 2 supplements successfully, these are fish oil and phosphatidyl serine.