Celebrate Neurodiversity and Stop the Stigma Around ADHD

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Beijing’s expat community is highly diverse and full of passionate individuals who are champions for all sorts of worthy causes, from animal rescue to sustainable living and female empowerment.
 Today, let’s meet another such mover and shaker in our community and find out more about her personal mission.

Marta Smith, an international school educator and ADHD coach, has resided in Beijing for five years. She is the mother of two boys, aged 13 and 11. March holds a special place in her heart as it marks the transition from the darkness of winter to the lightness of spring in Beijing, a transformation she finds utterly enchanting.

JKI: Can you tell us what prompted you to start your awareness campaign on ADHD?

ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder and, unfortunately, the name contributes to the stigma attached to having ADHD. People with ADHD have an imbalance of attention, not a deficit, meaning they can hyper-focus on a particular thing and have no attention span for something they are not interested in. 

Two years ago, my sons and I were all diagnosed with ADHD and have been on a mission to demystify and normalize what ADHD is, what it is not, and how to live and thrive being neurodivergent. Neurodivergent simply means that the brain processes information in a different way to the “typical” way. 

Having undiagnosed ADHD can lead to people having incredibly low self-esteem because their behavior is different from what is “expected,” and the feedback that a person with ADHD receives on a daily basis is far more negative than a person without. By helping people to better understand ADHD it reduces the stigma and misunderstanding surrounding it.

How do you aim to change the public’s view of ADHD sufferers?

Being neurodivergent is still a hush-hush topic when it really needn’t be. Society has continued to boost the idea of uniformity and sitting outside of the “norm” tends to feel dangerous and uncomfortable. However, we live in a challenging and uncertain world and we need out-of-the-box thinkers. People with ADHD tend to be exactly this: creative and unique strategists. However, this is usually hidden under a ton of self-doubt and negative self-talk. We need to understand and normalize ADHD so that we can empower these innovative thinkers to shine.

What are three basic things you would like to inform our readers about concerning ADHD?

1. You can live a very successful life having ADHD – identifying pain points and creating systems that are unique to you and your needs can help you manage areas of your life that were previously hard to manage.
   
   
2. Self-awareness is fundamental for understanding how to work with, not against, ADHD – knowing what works for you and what doesn’t, communicating with your school or employer about your needs and identifying how to streamline things in your life and your home can radically change how you function with ADHD.
   
   
3. If you know one person with ADHD, you only know one person with ADHD – everybody’s ADHD is different and therefore handing out advice is tricky because what works for one person does not work for another.

How we can help support your cause!

Spreading the word and connecting people is essential. It’s a wellness issue – understanding yourself, and your limitations and knowing that it is due to neurochemicals in the brain rather than something you can control is an important message to share.

Having a place to share common difficulties or talk to people who are going through similar experiences is incredibly helpful. We have a WeChat group for people with ADHD in Beijing and are hoping to meet for the first time soon to have open discussions.

Know any expat individuals who are committed to a cause that could use some support? Contact us at [e-mail] or on WeChat at VivienneTseng-Rush to connect!

Images: Marta Smith

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