I wrote A.D.D. not B.A.D. to help peers (and all of us) to better understand the world of a child living with Attention Deficit Disorder, and with the Hyperactivity that often accompanies this condition. I asked a third grade class to help me show how this might feel to others who may not know what it’s like to be unable to sit still, with some rather funny results!

It can be very distracting when a child taps his pencil on the desk, drums his hands on his thighs, or simply can’t sit still, even when he is not making noise of any kind. It’s not simply “bad behavior” as some have suggested. True A.D.H.D. can be confirmed by tests, and it is a treatable condition.

ACTIVITIES:
Have the children bring in an extra pair of socks, and actually try on each other’s shoes and walk around in them for a while. For the truly adventurous, you can bring in ladybugs – I did!

What Others Are Saying:

“Any effort to help other children (and their parents) understand the dynamics of this condition is both important and laudable, and I therefore welcome the addition of A.D.D. not B.A.D. to a growing body of such works.”—Paul George Prunier, M.D.