“Yes, and it was fifteen percent of your grade. How did you forget?”

“I do not know! I made a list of all the assignments that I knew I was supposed to do… but then I left it on the counter and forgot about it.”

“I prepped meals for the week, went for a run, cleaned my house, washed my car, turned in three assignments for other classes, and then hiked seven miles with friends.”

“Whoa”

The episode above is an example of the inner dialogue of an individual who experiences attention deficit hyperactive disorder or ADHD.

ADHD is a learning disorder that is usually seen and diagnosed in children and teenagers. In Utah, the Centers for Disease Control says ADHD affects 9% of the population. In most cases children grow out of this condition. A growing number, however, continue to experience it as they progress into their adulthood.

In adulthood, chronic forgetfulness is not as easily forgiven as when you are an elementary, middle, or high school student. Smaller episodes like forgetting a school assignment can turn into miscalculations in finances, trouble finding and making good friends, or an internal belief that they are not good enough–landing an individual in a puddle of debt, a pit of loneliness, or under a pile of negative self-talk.

Why are they so forgetful?

Research has actually recorded that children with ADHD experience significant difficulties with memory processing. With this condition, classroom learning becomes especially difficult. In one study, difficulty with memory processing was actually linked to 56% of children with ADHD’s observed difficulty with math. The difficulties only rise when memory processing becomes a social challenge.

The fourth grader who is having trouble with math may compare themselves to their friends and begin to think that they are bad at math. In reality, their brain simply learns differently than their peers and with some coaching they can be just as good at math as their peers, if not better.

Are there already medications for ADHD?

Yes. The most common intervention for individuals with ADHD is prescribed medication. The miracle of modern medicine offers the opportunity to take stimulants designed to reduce common symptoms. However, there is evidence that medication does not cover every struggle that comes along with ADHD.

Studies have found that children with ADHD actually experience higher levels of negative emotions when faced with frustrating tasks. Additionally, it takes much longer for their breathing patterns to stabilize after frustrating situations–especially social situations. This is exactly the struggle that medication does not cover, allowing symptoms of depression and anxiety to take hold.

Looking for a non-medication solution? Look no further

Recent research shows that regularly practicing meditation helps regulate intense emotions, especially in cases of depression where negative emotions are most intense. Meditation also showed promising results in reducing ADHD symptoms, which is not surprising after seeing the emphasized negative emotions they experience.

Currently medication is more effective as a short term solution. However, one research study showed that the effects of medication started to dwindle over time. On the other hand, sitting meditation interventions continued to show effects four months after the intervention ended. With these credentials, meditation could prove to be an effective substitution or supplement for medication options.

Conclusion

Children with ADHD are in need of tools to help them regulate the intense emotions and demeaning difficulties in memory processing that they experience and meditation may just be the answer. It is not an easy fix-it-quick method, it is a skill that takes time to master. I firmly believe that by investing our time in the care of children with ADHD we invest in an enabling future for them, their families, and their communities.

Olivia Walker is a student at Brigham Young University.