Neurodiversity and the Church Part 3: ADHD
by Maci Sepp
Of the neurodiverse conditions included in these essays, ADHD is likely the most commonly known. From 2003 to 2007, the Centers for Disease Control reported an increase of 21.8 percent in ADHD diagnoses.[1] Needless to say, this was a significant spike in only four years, and this trend has continued to rise, with the number of children with ADHD currently sitting at about one-tenth of the population.[2] As common as an ADHD diagnosis is, we continue to observe the ways it is stigmatized and misdiagnosed today. I can remember growing up with a friend who was diagnosed with ADHD at a fairly young age, and anytime she did something my friends and I considered to be hyperactive, we would jokingly ask if she forgot to take her meds. We could easily say that we were kids who just didn’t know any better at the time, but we could also ask why we were so unaware of what ADHD actually entailed and why we spoke about it with such a negative connotation.
Over the past few months alone, I have had three female peers disclose in classes that they were only recently diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood. In addition to the stigma of the diagnosis itself, is a diagnosis primarily given to hyperactive boys, leaving many girls to not be diagnosed until later in life or with a co-occurring condition.[3] Once again, we see how different parts of our identity have significant intersecting and influential impact on any given individual. Now, with so much of our daily activities and interactions taking place online, many of us might be wondering about our own ADHD-like tendencies and possible diagnoses.
When the topic of ADHD was discussed in class, the first thing we were told was to make ourselves comfortable, takes notes however we felt appropriate, get up and stretch if we needed to, and keep our cameras on or off depending on our preference. In a time when so much of our work is done in the same place, day in and day out, and when I am almost always expected to be on camera and look attentive, I remember hearing these instructions and feeling an unexpected wave of relief. As I got comfortable in my chair and started doodling my notes, I began thinking of the times in church when children were being “too fidgety” or “too hyper” and their parents had to remove them from the worship service. They were not afforded the same privileges of staying with the group, simply because they had different ways of learning and being present. Their absence, perhaps, said more about the church than it did about them.
Looking to the future, there is no telling for certain how much of our lives will be consumed by technology and virtual spaces. Rather than view these experiences as restrictive or detrimental to learning, we ought to do our best to embrace technology and all that it has to offer students who benefit from different platforms and methods of learning. At the same time, we must also acknowledge the ways technology can be both a helpful tool and a hinderance for students with ADHD and take this into account as we prepare worship and educational experiences.[4] As conditions change and new technologies become available, it will be critical for us to be open in learning how to use them and adapt with them, constantly asking ourselves how they are enhancing the education of people with ADHD. This could include integrating online games into Sunday school lessons, or it could simply mean talking more about characters in the Bible who possibly have an ADHD diagnosis.[5] As mentioned before, the power of being recognized in biblical stories and in church curriculum cannot be underestimated. Recognizing others can transform hearts, and it can also encourage us to put our faith into action.
Maci Sepp is an M.Div. graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary. Her research interests include disability studies and disability theology, adoption ethics, and intersectionality.
[1] Thomas Armstrong, Neurodiversity in the Classroom: Strength-Based Strategies to Help Students with Special Needs Succeed in School and Life (Alexandria: ASCD, 2012), 49.
[2] “Data and Statistics About ADHD,” Centers for Disease Control, last reviewed Nov. 16, 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html.
[3] “Women Often Diagnosed with ADHD Later in Life,” CHADD, June 13, 2019, https://chadd.org/adhd-weekly/women-often-diagnosed-with-adhd-later-in-life/.
[4] Armstrong, 54.
[5] See for instance, Aileen Barclay, “Does Peter Have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)?” Journal of Religion, Disability & Health 12 no. 4, 330-346.
