PRAXIS

 

 

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is often mistaken for a learning disability (though academic success can be affected by it). People living with ADHD can exhibit a poor working memory, high impulsivity, limited attention, problems developing gross motor skills, and hyperactivity. Some stigmatize it as an over-diagnosed disorder that excuses people who are lazy or forgetful. However, doctors and psychologists consider ADHD to be a condition that is wrongly discredited.

 

For this series I worked with my younger brother, a middle school aged child with ADHD. Establishing and maintaining organizational tools are crucial to the success of individuals like my brother. As part of the Department of Labor's Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (section 504), students with disabilities are provided accomodations in order for them to perform at the same level as their peers.

 

Outside of school, my brother enjoys building with Legos, doodling, or anything that keeps his mind and hands busy. These secondary tasks are just one method to help maintain focus, but the products that come from these tasks are what I find most intriguing about the disorder. People with ADHD tend to be highly creative, and can easily focus on topics they find interest in. Tools and activities that may help organization and attention include a daily schedule, planner, and doodling in margins of paper.
 

 

Executive Function, On Track, and Attentional Shift are screenprints of scans from my brother's daily agenda, including the daily correspondence and notes between him, his teachers, and our parents. When layered together in CMYK color separation, the images develop their own chaotic textures where informatoin becomes unfocused and mimic the experiences someone with ADHD can have when processing information.

 

504-C is a small series of cards on found paper bearing examples of a creative and active mind, including doodles, block construction, and amusing photographs. This piece demonstrates the need for my brother and other children with ADHD to be treated on a personalized basis, with carefully organized systems tailored to the individual, to provide for better academic success.