Letters Page

I'd like to hear from you, for this page. Have you got any tips on how you deal with ADD/ADHD? Do you know a short true story, funny or sad, about any subject? It doesn't have to be about ADD/ADHD. If you're under 18 then send me an email or letter. We will publish the emails/letters, here on this page with your permission. I look forward to hearing from you.

Richard Hensby

Your Letters


sonnie, 15 from Australia wrote:

Dear Richard i have ADHD the combined type & 7 other disabilaty's i got diagnosed with it on the 27-10-06 my mum had to ring the new school and let them know what i have i am doing well now also iam 15 yrs old i love sports after school \ weekends i do Drama, Horse Rideing, Swimming,Hip\Hop Danceing & playing with my friends, and other types of Motor Activities also i had to move to a new high school which has an ED Support in Duncraig SHS, WA

u are not alone all u ADHD teens\Kids. Seeya By i have go now { hay look a bird out side the house lets chase it Chelsea ok there off we went singing} also before i go I am 1 of 5 in my family.

ADHD ROCKS Dosent it ? well sometimes anyway i have to go cause it is my sisters 7th b\day seeya Later.

sonnie, 15

ROSIE from England wrote

HELLO im a 15 year old girl from leicester iv battled with adhd all my life and always been turned away by the authority (teachers) because they dont have time to deal with me. i was put in bottom set for maths was refused to be tought by any english teacher and kick out of almost every science lesson by the time i got to year 9.

then i moved schools and am in year 11... in two years iv managed to get my maths grade up to C. an average of A in my english and doing triple science expected to get B's. im still batteling with ADHD with push backs from the public who still just think im a 'naught child' as they dont understand me!

i dont want this world in the future not to understand
i dont want people to be uneducated about this rising problem!
i would be SO GREATFUL if i could help you
you dont understand what it would mean to me to be able to stand up and give all these kids HOPE!
tell them my stories and tell them how i have come through so much tuffer!
and i no how hard it is you cant just turn around and say do this everytime you are angry or do this everytime you want to figit!
IT DOES NOT WORK!
it takes constante help and constant prais and consistancy!
I NO I COULD HELP!
iv done this all my life and WITHOUT the help of DRUGS!
please let me help you
YOU DONT NO HOW MUCH THIS REALY WOULD MEAN TO ME!

please get back to me im more than happy to do interveiws talks anything that would help!

Rosie


Keiran from England wrote the following poem:

The Moon

As the moon walks slowly
Up the sleepy sky
She sheds silver light
Like that of an angel
And she whispers hush hush
As she calms the sea and the Earth
The stars twinkle with delight
As the town lights up with joy

Keiran Aged 10

Rebecca from England wrote

I Have Got A picture 2 go on your website us the adders snake



By Rebecca Adhd suffer aged 11

 Rebecca also wrote the following letter to other children with ADHD:

Dear all ADD/ADHD sufferers,

My name is Rebecca I am 11 years old. I have ADHD. I have had it for 11 years but I have only been taking my medication for 3 years. Sometimes I wish I didn't have ADHD but I know god made me who I am. I am in year 7. Thanks to adders I know that I am not the only one with it.

Love From

Rebecca xxxxxx


Sam from England wrote:

Sam wrote this poem at school:-

Rockets

Rockets go up in the sky and
Explode with all colours of the rainbow..

Sam Aged 6

Connor from Scotland wrote

hello im connor,I have ADHD,

this is for the people that help my mum to help me.

THANK YOU XXX

THIS IS MY STORY.

My age is 8 years old.

I live with my mum,dad and my big brother scott.

I have had ADHD since i was born.

I think ADHD is when you are figity,angry, but it is all behaviour problems.

I'm now takeing tablets and i relly think they are helping me so i think i want have any problems takeing them.

if ther are any children who want advice of connor please get in touch with my mum...

thank you connor


Tom C from England wrote:

Tom wrote this poem at school:-

TOMMY'S POCKET

Tommy collects
A very lot of tissues,
Even though he has
So many issues.
Tommy collects,
Chunks of grass,
And gigantic bits
Of rusty brass.

Tommy has
Tons of sticks,
And a million
Muddy bricks.
Extremely revolting
Slimy dead slugs,
Gooey and wet
Sink plugs,
As sticky and red,
As the planet mars.

So many toys, so many toys,
Tommy is one of
The nasty boys.
A lot of marks
Off charity bands
One billion pieces
Of runny sands.

A very black
Pencil lead,
A big piece of
Mouldy bread.
Lots of broken conkers,
Sweet and tasty Willy wonkas.

A very old brown coat
And a half broken
Toy goat.
A very cool
Toy gun
An untasty
Brown bun.

By Tom C. Aged 8, ADHD.

Thomas from England

Thomas was sent a notepad as a prize for getting his 20 ADDerward Certificates which is the Silver Award. Thomas was really kind and wrote to me to give me a great idea for using this.

Hello Caroline,
I have a really good idea of how to use the notepad.
If you are angry, you can draw pictures to get your anger out.
from Thomas, UK age 11


James from England wrote:

"Hi my name is James - Age 11

I have ADHD some times I like it but some times I don't. If you have ADHD If you do like ADHD or don't try not to worry because your know different to anyone as your just specil. But never mind your ADHD it will soon go away.

Get a Hobie these r mine

Art, DT, Golf, Rugby, Football, Any think you like"

This is the picture James sent us



from James aged 11

Nat from England

Hi Richard,

I have just been diagnosed with ADHD. I like drawing, basketball, running, sports, playstation and stuff.
I am not at school at the moment as the head of my school said I have to take medication before I come back.
Anyway here is my drawing.
Nat, aged 13


Abigail from England wrote:

Dear Richard

I have adhd like many children and I'm not afraid to discuss it. I think your webstite is very useful for children like me I'm doing a project at school on a disability and I have found very useful information on this webisite. I have had adhd for 4 years now I thought it was very rare to have adhd but now I know its not and there is many children like me in this world and that I'm not alone. Every body has given me support my family but especialy the people at the Chatam House and I would like to say a very big thankyou to Dr Thomas and everyone who has supported me.

from Abigail aged 11

KZ wrote a letter which her mum posted on adders.org forum board and she has agreed we could post here as well. She wrote this about her brothers and how she feels as both of her brothers have ADHD and she does not so she has put her feelings in this letter about what it can be like living with siblings with ADHD.

kz deom England

My Brothers,

c= helps me with my problems talkes to me and gives me adivce and tells me not to do the things he has done because he don't want me to be like him , he does bad things but i don't think he means to do them i think he does it for fun and then regretes it after the things he has done are really bad but he means the world to me and he cares for our family loads c is very special,

i like reading to him because after we get to talk loads

i have always wanted to be like c my older brother i want to be unscared of things cos i think c is amazing

d= Bugs me stresses me out and is a very big attention seeker, he invades my privacey but sometimes can be very loveing affectionate and careing i feel like i can help him with a lot of things, i used to play schools with him so i can help him with things but he is starting to be more aggresive towards learning he stamps up the stairs and i don't think he ever understands why he is crying and screaming, i love d to bits tho always will my baby brother

it is very hard when i do something wrong and they do something even worse and they seem to get away with it, i feel trapped and confussed because i'm the only one with out adhd

it is very hard for me at times but i know that i can deal with it if i have a problem i write it down and go down the woods and burn it then i feel like my problems have gone c is 18yrs old d is 8 yrs old and i'm 13 yrs old

i have given my mum permission to show you this letter

kz x


James from England wrote:

Hi Richard

My mum wrote to your mum has suggested I email you about tablets.

A while ago I held them under my tounge spat them out again ,because I thought they were controling me and I wanted to see who I really was without them.

I am taking now but then I was more or less hell to live with. My mum was going to ask Dr C. about upping the dosage but I was already on 1-2 so I didn't see how many more I could have without doing damage to myself I was a angry cloud without them now I know they do help and the are not there for nothing.

James

An Email from Autumn

Hi, I am Autumn.

I am diagnosed with ADHD for about as long as I can remember. I take Concert, but I would like all the kids to know it is possible to excel even though they have ADHD like I do.

I am 12 years old. I never wanted to be diagnosed with ADHD i still don't, but God made me like that and I have no reason to be angry with God. I hate living with ADHD. I don't like to be treated different from anyone else but I am.

My advice to other kids with ADHD is to set goals and have your dream don't give up you can do it too!

Sincerely,

Autumn


The following email is from Cathy

Hey, I have A.D.D. and it's hard for me because non of my friends believe me and I get really depressed. It is so hard for me I don't like to take my medicine because if I don't take it, it makes me feel like regular kid. I know I am not regular because I am a Emo kid which is emotions which really helps show my emotions so I don't hide them but having A.D.D. is difficult because you can't think straight and no one understands you and you think everyone hates you I can't even remember where put my stuff and my parents don't even like to believe that A.D.D. makes you forget stuff and to top it off my mom has diabetes so it's for us to get along I just have a hard time I just wanna be normal I wish I didn't have this I wish I was normal.

From

Cathy

Cathy also wrote this song on her guitar:

Misunderstood Children

Days go by
People despise
People look at you like they didn't know
Staying away from you in there home

Well, We..
Can See..
What else we need
Just a little attention

People..
Don't see..
What we need..
So they don't offer

Here we are
The misunderstood children

You stop to stare..
Can you spare.. us
Here we are
The misunderstood children
No one wants to be ou friends
Again

Help us one more time
Jesus Christ
We want to be normal
Like we were before

Well, We..
Can see..
What else we need..
Just a little attention

People..
Don't see..
What we need..
So they don't offer

Here we are
The misunderstood Children

You won't be are friends
Because were different
Just a little bit awkward

Taking a chance
I guess is
Going over

Maybe one day
We will be able to say
It's finally over

Well, We..
Can see..
What else we need..
Just a little attention
People..
Don't see..
What we need...
So they don't offer

Here we are
The misunderstood children

You stop to stare..
Can you spare.. us

Here we are
The misunderstood children

You won't be are friends
Because were different
Just a little bit awkward

Here we are
The misunderstood children

Put all the things a side
It's time to realize
That were finally the same

An Email from James

I am 8 I live in Glasgow I take ritalin for my adhd I was happy to find your website as I thought I was the only one you can print this on the site.


The following email is from Frank who is now 19, he hopes this will encourage other young people with ADHD:

My name is Frank I have had ADHD for about as long as I can remember when I was younger I was on ritalin but now I am on no medications, but would like all the kids know it is possible to excel even though they have ADHD I have.

I am 19 now and am getting ready to leave for collage majoring in music and I am in a band that is doing well. We are just releasing our first cd. This has been a dream of mine for ever.

My advice to other kids with ADHD is to set goals and have your dream don't give up you can do it too!

Sincerely

Frank G.

An Email from Ben

I used to be a lonely boy I had no friends I felt terrible, I just wanted someone to be there as a friend, because I didn't like talking to my mum about my problems thats why I wanted a friend. I was diagnosed with ADD when I was only six (I'm eleven now) now I have a lot of friends........ I am actually quite popular.

I enjoy dance and drama. I was the pharoah in my school production of JOSEPH AND HIS AMAZING TECHNICOLOUR DREAMCOAT I had a solo song aswell.

When I took Ritalin I felt left out because I didn't know anyone else who took it. I know it made me concentrate but still who would want to take pills everyday.

I stopped taking Ritalin July 2001.

I am also a black belt in karate and a European karate champion.

If you like you can publish this letter on your Web Site.

yours sincerely
Ben

A poem from Dominic aged 13½

The Skool Day

The skool is a prison locking the children in the building
Like dangerous criminals from 9 till 3:50

The teachers eyes moving through the children shiftily

The children made to work
Like slaves treated like dirt

Across the barran playground flys a lone seagull
Circles the children the way a vulture circles its prey
Waiting for it to die

And then a trio of beeps breaks the silence
As the children walk wearily to the inevitable doom of their next class

But then as the skool seems to be a ghost skool
The trio of beeps comes back again

And then out flock the children in herds
To their 20 minute freedom

As the 20 minutes end the children are rounded up
And taken to their next class

1 hour later the children charge out of the classrooms
Some running as far away from the skool as possible
Trying to get out

As they near the fence they notice a teacher
One of the mindless emotionless drones
Controlled by their headmaster catching up fast

Then the teacher catches one of them and takes him to the office,
The room where people go in but never come out

The rest of the children are led back into skool

2 hours later the children are free from the shackles of skool
But only until tomorrow
When the skool day will start all over again

Sending the children to work like slaves all over again
But no one can save them now

Because in skool no one can hear you scream.


My name is Annika Adder and I have a poem for you

I Am Running On My Skis

I am runnig on my skis,
White and silver are the trees.
You are runnig after me.
Try to catch me,
One, two, three

Hi Richard,

My name is LUKE and I am 8 years old how old are you.
I've got the same as you've got.
I know what youve got A.D.D. Ive seen what you said you got it in 1996.
I like swimming and tennis and motor sport max and football.
I dont like having A.D.H.D because it makes me confused somtimes


My name is Dominic & I really hate having AD/HD because I sometimes get into a lot of trouble at school when I forget to take my ritalin (it taste's horrible if you keep it in your mouth for too long) I sometimes get teased at school for having AD/HD


Poem
I had this email from Alan he is a teacher and he sent me a poem which I thought I would add here, I haven't given it a title yet

Hi Richard,

I've just surfed through your website. You'll probably find my wet footprints all over the place. Sorry, but I'm definitely not under 18 . . . heck! I can remember a time when dinosaur toe-prints were still fresh in the mud! I'm a teacher (Aarrghhhh!) and I often look at the Grey Olltwit site to see what software has been put there. I really like a lot of it. You obviously have a Mum and Dad and brothers who care for you a lot and are helping you live with A.D.D.

On your site, I noticed Nicol's 'spring flower' poem. You might notice that my email name is 'rhymebod' - this is because I love writing serious and silly poems (well - 'pomes') for children. I wondered if you might like this one. I tried to think of the different ways in which adults and children look at the world. I haven't given it a title - that's up to you.

The scientist spoke of freezing point;
of water turned to ice;
of magnifying atoms
in a microscopic slice.
He spoke of frozen wastelands;
of permafrost and snow;
of glaciated landscapes;
of avalanche, crevasse and floe.

But despite his obvious knowledge,
nothing I'd been told
made me any wiser.
It left me feeling cold.

"In all probability",
the mathematician claimed,
"Never have two snowflakes
ever been the same.
Though hexagonal symmetry
by every one is shared,
the infinity of variation
prevents identical pairs.
How can I be sure
when so very few are seen? -
Mathematics convince me.
What else do I need?"

But despite his obvious knowledge,
nothing I'd been told
made me any wiser.
It left me feeling cold.

The child stood at the window
breathing on the pane;
watching confetti snowflakes
(the scientist's frozen rain).
A few came towards her
as if wishing to be near.
Beautiful for a moment,
she watched them turn to tears.

She went into the garden
and built a man of snow;
a million billion snowflakes
squashed together and shaped like dough.

And all the time the landscape
was magically turning white -
a fantastic transformation.
A scene of pure delight.

And despite her obvious frailty
in the face of the coming dark,
the child's sense of wonder
flickered bright as any spark.


Dear Richard

I have a.d.d and it drives me crazy!!! + i used to have a best mate with add but lucky for him he got off the pills.I can't stick taking pills. (if you keep them in your mouth for to long they taste disgusting!!) I do not think think anybody likes it. if i had a magic wand i would wish to get rid of add. (and wouldn't that be nice.) i find it hard to discribe what and how to explan add.

Now 2 jokes

1 why did the dinosaur eat a light a lightbulb because he was in need of a LIGHT refresment.

2 Why did the dinosur make a loud noise all night after eating maddona.He tried to sing!

JKL JAMES WILEMAN AGE 8


Joke
This joke came from a mum with a child with ADD, I liked it so she said I could put it here

(hold your hand upside down like a claw so the palm of your hand faces up)
Then say WHATS THIS?
(turn your hand down like a spider and make the spider run towards your friend and shout)
A DEAD ONE OF THESE!

Dear Richard,

I suffer from ADHD a simalar disease I've had it since I was 8 or atleast thats when I was diagnosed actualy symtoms were shown when I was 6. Im almost 12 now. I do excellent in school and take Ritalin. My parents are realy supportive and I guess your parents are too. I know it was realy hard to live with ADHD and I have read about 50 books on it. I know its not a very rare disease since 1 in every 20 people have it but I still don't think its normal. I would realy like to know your opinion about it. So if you could please write back to me thanks and good luck,
Nicole Mancini

 Nicole also wrote this poem

A New Spring Flower

By Nicole Mancini (Aged 11)

As lovely as the stars that shine
As simple as a ball of twine
As alive as him or you or me
As health as an oak tree
As colorful as the rainbow
As natrual as the river flow
They are very small and have little power
Enjoy the mistery of a new spring flower


Dear Richard,
I hope you print this on your kids page because I think that many other kids with AD/HD like us could find it helpful.
Me and my brother have AD/HD and although we dont have any real problems with learning subjects at school, we find it really difficult to concentrate and HATE school. Like lots of AD/HD kids, we are pretty good at concentrating when we are on the computer. My mum is pestering me to try hard with my SATS this year in May. She was going to get me extra help with a tutor but realised that I would make a bit of fuss!! She is really understanding though and even though she doesnt push us too hard, she wants us to do well at school if we can. This she says is cos her and dad (who also have AD/HD) have jobs that only people without exams can do - and they dont pay too good. She says she doesnt really mind what we do when we are grown up providing it is not against the law, we try our best at what we do and we are happy. My mum is trying to do better too and she wants to be a teacher and is hoping to go to Uni next year if she works hard.
Anyway, we have been trying to find good ways for us to learn without boring us to tears or shoving even MORE books infront of us. Anyway, I think that I have to work twice as hard as everyone else just to keep up. Even though there is some good stuff on the net, I always found learning boring and hard work. Mum says if I could just get myself going, it would help.That is until my mum found something that is 'interactive' (whatever that means) and REALLY good fun. She says the BBC dont know how much they have helped us AD/HD kids!!!!!! I think it would be good for kids of lots of ages and for kids from America or Austrailia because if they can understand English, they will need to know these things too. BBC BITESIZE : www.bbc.co.uk/education/revision do pages of learning for kids from 10'ish to 16 in the important subjects of Maths English and Science. Its a really good site and has activities on screen, tests and factsheets that you can print off. Its good fun - I have tried it, and I HATE learning!!!!

Come on all you AD/HD kids on the net, get learning the fun way. And THANKS BBC!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Scott Curry, aged 11
Sussex, England

Hello Richard,

My name is Matthew and I live in Sydney NSW Australia. I have been diagnosed with ADHD too. I used to go to a special school, but now that I have tablets I am able to go to an ordinary school. My hobbies are: chess (I represent my school), reading, sega/nintendo games and gymnastics. My favorite food is chocolate and salads. My favorite television programs are cartoons, the simpsons, documentaries. I also like science and I like to read about it and watch programs on TV about it. My favourite animals are cats.

Here's an Aussie joke for you ....

Q. What do you get when you cross a kangaroo with a sheep?

A. A woolly jumper. :)))))

Matthew, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Hello Richard,

My name is Mitchel Vidler, I am 8 years old and I also suffer from ADD. I find it difficult to combine fast and neat together when I am writing, I have found it a great help to use paper with lines drawn on it for upper and lower case letters. Also when reading I find it useful to follow the words with a penlight torch, this just acts as a travelling highlighter and makes things much easier and reading becomes more enjoyable. I thought these points may be of use to you or your friends in your Web page.

Regards,
Mitchel Vidler, Christchurch, Bournemouth, England.

The following poem is by Chris Brummitt (15), depicting just how he feels. Chris obviously has a talent for writing and particularly likes scary stories. You can find some of his collection on his own web site at www.stories.co.uk

Life

Depressed, lost and messed in the head,
Every morning I've come to dread,
Waking up in pain,
Pain of the brain,
Never knowing when I'm going to be sane,
Watching my life slowly p*****g down the drain,
The good moments outnumbered by bad,
Outside I'm cool, but inside I'm sad,
The problems and worries can't drag me down,
I'm wishing this is true, but I'm starting to drown,
The sea of insanity taking me away,
I don't want to go, I just want to stay,
Trying to keep the same,
But I'm out of the game,
Knowing where I'm going I'm out in the rain,
Pushing my hassles to the back of my mind,
But they keep popping up, time after time,
Knowing what to do,
But haven't got the power,
Regretting all my life hour after hour,
I'm not like the rest,
I could be the best,
To the life of enjoyment I'm only a guest.

Down memory lane,
Trying to push it on others, giving them the blame,
It's all my fault and I'm trying to put it right,
Going against the system, putting up a fight,
I could never win,
Living in sin,
I just can't deal with it,
Keep turning it in,
The old times were great,
Where laughs came cheap,
But the hills back to those days are steeper than steep.

Looking to the future,
Hoping it will change,
But I've got to put the effort in,
My dreams are in range,
Help myself out,
Instead of sitting there oblivious,
Trying to laugh the problems out,
Determined to win,
Good overriding sin,
Putting bad times in the bin,
It'll all get better, I know it in my heart,
The only thing I could determine,
Is when it's going to start,
Please lend a hand,
I can't do it alone,
Still got a foot in the 'Bad Boy Zone',
Help me pull it out,
It'll be like a dream,
Life will be a bath full of strawberries and cream!

Chris Brummitt (You can email him at Scribe@stories.co.uk)

Dear Richard,

I am not under 18 and I hope you don't mind me writing. I am a 49 year old mom who has a learning disability and did not know until I went to college in 1991. All my elementary school years I struggled and through high school. I was always disappointed in my grades because I knew I had studied so hard but couldn't get A's.My mother was always comparing me to my sister, "you know," "YOUR SISTER GETS A's WHY DON'T YOU?" I hated it and to this day my sister and I are not close! When I was young they did not know about all these disorders and we suffered greatly because of it. Even my son who is now 23, suffered in school, because ADD was not a well known disorder when he attended school and poor thing was always in trouble for disrupting classes, learned very little, spending most of his time in detention or the principals office.We had outside psychiatric help off and on from the age of 5 until his last time in Juvenile Hall( which is where he ended up alot because of his poor attendance in school) He learned more about how to get out of class and learning, because he hated school. It was never diagnosed so he could be helped in the right way. The shame of it all was he was so bright and could do anything he set his mind to do. At age 9 he was taking things apart electronically and making something else from the parts that would work and he had no teachings on this.At 12 he reworked my carburetor on my Ford Pinto . I bought a kit and he read the instructions and went to the garage by himself and took it all apart and put all the new parts into it and put it back together and it ran! I was amazed, but because his disorder made him hate to go to school he failed all the time. One day I asked him how he could be failing electronics when he loved it so much at home and he said to me "Mom just because I know what to do in my head doesn't mean I understand what is in the book." Because he was such a poor reader and speller it was too much for him to try to understand and get through the book. Consequently he dropped out of high school. Now he is 23 and wished he could go back to school but can't manage working and going to school, it is too much on him.He did go to the college for an assessment exam and he has an 8th grade reading level! and he went to 4 years of high school before he dropped out. So Richard look at it as a blessing that if you have to have some sort of a problem it is recognized and fixable!! I hope this letter helps you to know you are not alone.

Judy W.

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