By Casey Neill
An Aussie mum is encouraging kids to see ADHD as a superpower rather than a hindrance, following her own diagnosis with the disorder.
Elly Both uses A Kids Book about ADHD! to celebrate the unique skills that come with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Growing up, Elly often thought there was something wrong with her.
“I was diagnosed with ADHD a few years ago now at the ripe old age of 44,” she told Kids.
“I started to look back at my childhood and how I would have loved to have a handbook of how my mind worked at that time.”
It was only once she received her diagnosis that her ‘character flaws’ became symptoms and her world started to make sense.
“I was a pretty anxious kid,” Elly said.
“I spent a lot of my time daydreaming.”
Her school reports said she was smart but could do a little less talking, stop bothering her classmates, and be a little more conscientious.
“So I just wanted to make kids feel OK,” she said.
“They’ve got this brain, it’s not always easy to cope with.
“Even as an adult I’m still dealing with the challenges of ADHD every day.”
Elly said it could knock your self esteem and confidence.
“There are challenges, I’m never going to sugarcoat it,” she said.
“But how do we discover what our superpower is, and how do we harness it?”
ADHD comes with an immense sense of energy, creativity, and a hyperfocus state, she explained.
“I think that’s how I do a lot of my written work,” she said.
“How do we foster that in our kids or help them harness that?
“I’ve had so many parents message me in tears saying they saw themselves on the pages or that it helped them understand their own kid.
“It’s designed to be co-read with a grownup.
“I’ve also included in the book a number of questions that I think adults can speak to their kids about as well.”
Elly said the book could help kids to better understand and empathise with their peers.
“Everyone has a unique brain, we are all unique,” she said.
“We can’t understand unless we talk to people about those differences.”
Elly’s book is part of the A Kids Co series ‘A Kids Book About…’.
“I’ve always wanted to write something. I had this inspiration one day to ask them ‘can I write a book in your series?’,” she said.
She’s a sustainability consultant by trade.
“A lot of what I do is the written side of things, so the communications side,” she said.
“It’s my happy place.”
Elly has other children’s books in the pipeline.
“I’ve got a few on the go. I’m not sure which one will eventuate,” she said.
Find A Kids Book about ADHD! on Amazon or at ellyboth.com.
