Day 1. He has ADHD & Dyslexia - now what?

Last Tuesday, my wife Hannah and I huddled around my computer as I awkwardly fumbled the webcam to life. We were about to hop on a Zoom call with an Educational Psychologist who’d recently spent half a day watching Grayson at school, analyzing every quirk and fidget.

Grayson is a little too much like me at his age—same head-in-the-clouds temperament, same frustration with things that seem like a breeze to everyone else. His thoughts constantly branch off in every direction other than the one he needs them to.

I’m pretty sure I’ve got ADHD. Everyone around me certainly thinks so. If getting formally diagnosed didn’t cost more than a small hatchback, I’d have done it already.

But I’d really be doing it for the 10-year-old version of me—the one who slogged through school, convinced he was an idiot because of all those bright red D’s and F’s being served up daily.

A formal diagnosis back then would’ve at least given me a place to hang my coat and not be left out in the FREEZING RUDDY COLD! Sorry, I’m getting a bit melodramatic here. I’ll pull it back.

Fast forward to Grayson’s results from the Educational Psychologist: ADHD and mild dyslexia. Sorry about that mate. But hey, at least we know now, so we can all work around it, right?

Besides, it’s my job to frame it as a superpower—something special he can harness once he learns how. 

I need to try to convince him he's bascaily a jedi who's a bit shit at maths.

But here’s my real worry: the impending case of mobile phone addiction. Let’s be real—we’re all addicted to a degree. But add ADHD to the mix, and it’s like giving my wife a Vinted gift card with no spending limit. Chaos.

Most of you reading this probably don’t have ADHD, but that can always change. A recent study found that people who use social media heavily are 53% more likely to develop new ADHD symptoms.

I’m worried Grayson’s already at risk of falling into the same trap that’s claimed millions of screen-zombies before him, including myself, of course.

So, in the next five posts, I’m diving into this problem—exploring our relationship with smartphones/social media, what they’re doing to our poor little brains, and what we can do about it.

Spoiler alert: King’s College London found teens with problematic phone use are twice as likely to have anxiety and three times more likely to face depression.

Yeah, we’ve got some unpacking to do.

Stay tuned.

Cheers,

Stef

P.S This blog is part of my new newlsetter series.

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