{"id":1811,"date":"2025-10-29T10:12:47","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T15:12:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/?p=1811"},"modified":"2025-11-14T08:47:37","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T14:47:37","slug":"beyond-distraction-shining-a-light-on-adhd-strengths-struggles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/2025\/10\/29\/beyond-distraction-shining-a-light-on-adhd-strengths-struggles\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond Distraction &#8211; Shining a Light on ADHD Strengths &amp; Struggles"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span>As we wrap up <a href=\"https:\/\/caddac.ca\/adhd-awareness-month\/\">ADHD Awareness Month<\/a> this October 2025, we\u2019re taking a moment to spotlight some excellent resources and champions who are helping to grow self-awareness and broader understanding\u2014highlighting both the challenges that individuals with ADHD face and the unique strengths they bring to the world.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span>How to ADHD? with Jessica McCabe<\/span><\/h2>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/files\/71JtquzXFKL._SY522_-1-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"Book cover for How to ADHD. Royal blue background with a white line art image of a brain in the foreground. The title is featured in a yellow block background. \" width=\"175\" height=\"263\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1818\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/files\/71JtquzXFKL._SY522_-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/files\/71JtquzXFKL._SY522_-1.jpg 348w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 175px) 100vw, 175px\" \/>\n<blockquote><p><span>Those of us with ADHD have brains that work differently, which means we need to work differently.\u00a0 \u2013 <em>Jessica McCabe<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span>In her popular YouTube video series and her best-selling book, <a href=\"https:\/\/howtoadhdbook.com\/\"><em>How to ADHD: An Insider\u2019s Guide to Working with Your Brain (Not Against It)<\/em><\/a>, Jessica McCabe shares personal stories, tools, and insights for navigating a world that isn\u2019t designed for the neurodivergent brain (HOWTOADHD, 2025).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Diagnosed with ADHD at the age of twelve, Jessica experienced many related setbacks into adulthood. Over time, she realized that instead of trying to \u201cfix\u201d or fight her brain\u2019s natural tendencies, she needed to understand and work with them (HOWTOADHD, 2025).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Determined to make sense of her experiences\u2014and supported by an incredibly generous ADHD community (affectionately known as \u201cBrains\u201d and \u201cHearts\u201d)\u2014Jessica provides straightforward tools and tips delivered with humour and heart.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In her ADHD-friendly book, she explores how ADHD affects everyday life and offers practical advice on \u201cHow to\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>ADD\/ADHD<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>(Hyper)focus<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>(Executive)function<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>Sleep<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>Remember stuff<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>Motivate your brain<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><strong>How to Homework Strategies<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span>With Reading Week around the corner, students with ADHD may find Jessica\u2019s eight-minute video on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?list=PLvq9Tp5JZ8oB2NvHXDz_f4lYMHKmkjMyL&amp;time_continue=3&amp;v=-3QCaVC1Igc&amp;embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fhowtoadhd.com%2F&amp;source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY\"><em>How To Homework: Top 10 Tips for ADHD Success<\/em><\/a> a worthwhile watch. She highlights that students with ADHD are interest-based learners \u2013 it\u2019s not about being \u201cnot smart\u201d or \u201cunable to do the work\u201d. Rather, unless an assignment feels interesting or exciting, it often isn\u2019t stimulating enough for ADHD brains to stay focused.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In her short video, McCabe highlights simple, yet effective strategies that can help ADHD brains navigate homework and studying struggles. Your homework this week &#8211; try out one or two strategies and see if they make a difference for you. Want the written version? Check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/2025\/10\/30\/top-10-adhd-friendly-homework-tips\/\">summary guide<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><span>The Many Faces of ADHD, Centre for ADHD Awareness Canada<\/span><\/h2>\n<blockquote><p><span>ADHD doesn\u2019t look the same for everyone. &#8211; The Centre for ADHD Awareness Canada<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/files\/awareness25square-1-300x269.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"178\" class=\"wp-image-1823 alignleft\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/files\/awareness25square-1-300x269.png 300w, https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/files\/awareness25square-1.png 314w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/>\n<p><span>Inspired by th<\/span>is year\u2019s ADHD Awareness Month theme \u2013 <em>The Many Faces of ADHD<\/em> &#8211; the <a href=\"https:\/\/caddac.ca\/\">CADDAC<\/a> amplifies the stories of Canada\u2019s diverse ADHD community, helping to breakdown stigma, challenge myths, and celebrate the unique strengths that those with ADHD contribute to the world \u2013 in school, the workplace, and with family and friends.<\/p>\n<p><span><a href=\"https:\/\/caddac.ca\/adhd-awareness-month\/\">Canada\u2019s ADHD Speaks \u2013 Stories from Across the Country<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><span>ADDitude eNewsletter &amp; Magazine<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span>For some, ADHD shows up in childhood, and for others, it is recognized much later in life. (CADDAC, 2025) As awareness around ADHD continues to evolve, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.additudemag.com\/category\/manage-adhd-life\/\">ADDitude<\/a> is a leading digital network that provides expert guidance in support of living better with ADHD and its related mental health conditions. In collaboration with medical experts, scientific research, and community members with lived experience, ADDitude has become a valued resource for learning \u2013 offering access to free webinars, articles, downloads, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><span>Sources:<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><span><a href=\"https:\/\/caddac.ca\/\">Centre for ADHD Awareness Canada (CADDAC)<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.additudemag.com\/category\/manage-adhd-life\/\">ADDitude: ADHD Science &amp; Strategies<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span><a href=\"https:\/\/howtoadhd.com\/\">How to ADHD<\/a> <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"flex-row \" data-column-group=\"1\"><\/div><!-- .flex-row -->\n<div class=\"new-column-box  1-DENOM count-1\">\n<h3>About the Author<\/h3>\n<p><em data-start=\"431\" data-end=\"480\">This post is part of our staff-authored series.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div><!-- .new-column-box -->\n<div class=\"new-column-box  1-DENOM count-2\"><\/div><!-- .new-column-box -->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As we wrap up ADHD Awareness Month this October 2025, we\u2019re taking a moment to spotlight some excellent resources and champions who are helping to grow self-awareness and broader understanding\u2014highlighting both the challenges that individuals with ADHD face and the unique strengths they bring to the world. How to ADHD? with Jessica McCabe Those of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":561,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/561"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1811"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1811\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1885,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1811\/revisions\/1885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}