Lessons from Sesame Street: Finding Differences


'One of these things is not like the others....'? Remember that game on Sesame Street?

Well, if you were to play that game with my ADD husband, using the above photograph, he would not only point out the obvious, the tart is different than the donuts, but he would probably also have to mention some sorts of differences he sees between the donuts too.

I mentioned the last time how my husband has to pick up EVERY brochure that he has the chance to pick up. Why is that?  Why EVERY brochure? Because they all present the same level of interest for him. He can't prioritize them. He can't discriminate between them. He has a hard time eliminating some of them in preference of others.This is one of the contributors to the condition of ADD; everything is equally distracting, not just some things.

That is why they are distracted almost all the time.
ADDers have a hard time seeing similarities because they can see so many differences. If you were to play the 'one of these things is not like the others' game with an ADDer and this photo of three donuts and a tart, you might have an argument on your hands. Instead of wanting to point out right away that the tart just doesn't belong, they may also point out some of the minor differences between the donuts.

ALL DIFFERENCES MATTER to someone with ADD, some differences are not necessarily bigger than other differences.

But wait, there is a flip side! The ADD person can also, sometimes, concentrate better than anybody else! What could I possibly be talking about? Do I mean that someone who is handicapped in the concentration department can also concentrate better than anybody else? 

 Next time I will explain. I know, I know, it simply doesn't make sense. Am I telling you that a person who is easily distracted can also concentrate better than others who are not so easily distracted? Yup! Come back tomorrow and I will tell you a little about that aspect of ADD.

 WHAT ABOUT YOU? How are you feeling today? Is this discussion about ADD making you think of someone you know?

 Don't give up! There is always hope!
  

Popular posts from this blog

My Little Helper

Image
  My Little Helper Casey Writes a Book! I am writing another book! This time it is a Christian devotional and I am looking forward to sharing it with you when I am done. In the meantime, just for fun, I googled 'yorkie writing a book' and this is the picture that came up. It's a beautiful picture, isn't it? Actually looks like a painting to me, what do you think? Anyways, that reminded me of how much you can find on the internet just with a few words to google. It's amazing, isn't it? And that got me thinking about how much information I have found over the years about depression that has helped me.
Read more

Joy and Sorrow - Together?

Image
  Joy and Sorrow - At the Same Time? Have you ever experienced joy in the middle of sorrow? I have. My father died suddenly at the age of 59. I remember the moment. I was at his funeral, sitting in the front pew holding my mother's right hand with my sister on the other side holding her left hand. The three of us were drenched with tears. The big church was packed. But despite my sorrow I was filled with joy at the life my dad had lived, at the lives he had impacted in a good way, and at the thankfulness I felt for having him all those years.
Read more