We are the ADHD resource for Charleston, South Carolina

 

Charleston CHADD is an affiliate of the national nonprofit CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder). Our purpose is to help improve the lives of people in our community impacted by ADHD. We serve the greater Charleston area including Mount Pleasant, West Ashley, Summerville, James Island and Johns Island.

 

We serve all communities impacted by ADHD including parents and caregivers of children with ADHD, adults and teens with ADHD, partners of ADHD adults, and educators working with ADHD students.

 

ADHD is a lifelong neurobiological condition and many individuals with ADHD experience functional impairments in areas like academic and professional achievement, interpersonal relationships and daily functioning. ADHD symptoms can manifest differently in children and adults and challenges can also be different for boys and girls and further impacted by genetic and environmental factors. Individuals with ADHD often face stigma including misconception, lack of understanding and negative stereotypes which can lead to social exclusion, discrimination and internalized shame. This stigma can hinder access to treatment, support, social acceptance and can also impact their families. This chapter was founded to help break barriers by addressing the ADHD stigma through education and awareness, encouraging open dialogue, and offering a support system to help individuals and their families so they can reach their full potential and thrive at school, work and in their community. 

 

We are here to help by providing peer support, education, and advocacy through our donation based support group.  We want those impacted by ADHD to be understood and have a sense of belonging through this chapter. 

 

If given support, statistics show that those with ADHD can be high achievers, have thriving careers, advanced degrees and successful businesses. Many have achieved incredible success despite or even as a result of having ADHD, demonstrating that the condition does not defines one's ability to thrive. There is hope and we are here to help!

 

 

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."   Albert Einstein

 

 

The importance of Differentiating Differentiation Advocacy: notice that the animals in the cartoon are all asked to climb the tree, a closed ended task. What if, instead, the task is to find a NEW way to get to the top of the tree. They can work alone by following the one-size fits all traditional learning approach with closed ended tasks OR they can collaborate together, for example, through open-ended project based learning.  Each of the animals can contribute to the task using their own skills, (technical, social, organizational, practical, etc.).  We can then stop propagating the myth of equality to mean that everyone is getting the exact same treatment. This requires a cultural shift and our goal is to lead in educating the public about the concept of equity (fairness), which may give different levels of support to different individuals based on their needs so no one is left behind. 

 

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SUMMER MEETING SCHEDULE

 

We will meet virtually during the summer on the following dates:

 

June 26  5:30 - 6:30

 

Aug 28   5:30 - 6:30

 

Please email us to receive the online meeting invite. Meetings are FREE to attend.

 

We hope to see you virtually to stay connected during the summer months. 

 

Ready to join the CHADD ADHD community? JOIN HERE!