Working with my ADHD diagnosis instead of against it

Posted on April, 04, 2025 by Susan Schaefer, M.Ed., M.A.T, Founder & CEO
 

When I was in elementary school, the other girls thought I was weird. I know this because they told me. Making friends was hard, like everyone else got the manual but me. My 4th grade teacher picked “Student of the Week” each Friday. That person got a prize and was treated special in front of their peers. Thirty-six weeks and I was never student of the week. And so was the beginning of my low self-esteem. 

In middle school I was always late to class, something that followed me through high school. There was a locker room where the girls changed for gym. I was late so often that the teacher threatened to lock me in and scared the bejeebies out of me. I figured out the social part at least, and my mother began referring to me as a social butterfly, which was better than my father’s pet name for me, which was “stupid.” 

Academics in college was hard, I had trouble getting assignments in on time, I would get to the end of a page in a textbook and realize I had comprehended nothing, and even though the other students knew exactly what to do when we got assignments, I didn’t which I now know was because of a processing disorder common in people with ADHD. 

I began to have an inkling that I didn’t learn the same as everyone else my junior year in college. I had a friend with similar issues and she helped me develop better skills. She showed me a better way to organize the material for my classes. When I got an assignment, I made sure to ask the professor if I understood it correctly, which brought my grades up (a strategy I still use with my students).  I usually spaced out in classes I wasn’t interested in and relied on my textbook and friends in class to help me understand the material. I began to actually enjoy academics and went on to grad school. By now, I had learned enough coping mechanisms to do really well.   

It was after I had kids that my ADHD symptoms grew into a monster I couldn’t control. I was again late for everything like carpool and playdates. I forgot about my friend’s kids’ birthday parties, I showed up for my son’s kindergarten conference a week late even though I had it written in my calendar. I was disorganized, overwhelmed, and exhausted all the time. So I did what anyone would do… I went for a second Master’s degree.  

My parents would not let me major in education because they thought I wasn’t smart enough. This time, however,  I did major in education and became a tenured teacher. Did my colleagues talk about me behind my back because some of my methods were unorthodox (I like to say “creative”)? You bet! One of the advantages of ADHD is creative problem solving and generally being a fun person.  

Several years later, I had to leave my teaching job to move to a different state. Rather than looking for another teaching job, I started my own academic coaching business, Academic Coaching Associates (ACA)… My goal was, and remains, to help struggling students with ADHD who find school frustrating and difficult, like I did, succeed and thrive in an academic setting. I turned what others would call my disability to my advantage and it’s been a great success. By the way, another upside of ADHD is that we are amazing entrepreneurs.   

So, as you can see, ADHD made my life hard—really hard. But in the end, I figured out how to make it work for me instead of against me. Now, I get to help other people do the same. If any of this sounds familiar, just know you’re not alone, and there’s a way forward. ADHD might throw us some curveballs, but it also makes us creative, resilient, and, let’s be honest, pretty fun.

In recent years, I have noticed many more adults, both men and women, being diagnosed with ADHD. And so Launch Adult ADHD Coaching was born. But that’s a story for another day… 

Everyone who has ADHD has their own story and I want to hear all about it. If you would like to share your journey, please email it to sue@acacoaches.com. I might even publish it on my blog, but only with your consent, of course.