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iQuestions Faculty, Dr. Tim Kimmel 
 
 
Question: 
 
Our son's teacher is certain he has a learning disability. She wants our 
doctor to put him on medication and she doesn't have much patience 
with him. What should we do? 
 
Answer: 
 
So many parents are finding out when they take their kids to school, 
especially their sons, that teachers are very quick to label these kids 
as being ADD—some kind of “deficit” disorder. 
 
Let me weigh in on this from a personal point of view.  
 
I would like to find whoever it was who decided to put the word 
“deficit” in the diagnoses of kids that have a hard time paying 
attention, and throttle the guy. 
 
I know all about ADD. I was a poster child for ADD when I was in 
school. I took this stuff to an extreme level. I was always anxious. My 
knees were constantly moving. Plus, I’m a bit dyslexic, so I read 
slowly. I didn’t reward my parents on report card day. I struggled in 
school. 
 
But I want to tell you something, Mom and Dad. If somebody is trying 
to tell you that your kids have ADD, let me tell you what your kids 
have. They have a gift. 
 
And it’s an extraordinary gift. 
 
 
 
Sure, it makes it a little tougher for them to learn and study, but they 
have a gift. They say, “Well, they have Attention Deficit Disorder.” It’s 
not that they don’t pay attention. They pay attention to everything! 
They have a sophisticated level of being able to pay attention. That’s 
why it is very tough. 
 
Now, when I was a kid, it was a little easier, because we had quiet 
classrooms, they only talked on one subject at a time, and you had to 
raise your hand. But now it’s not uncommon to have classrooms with 
working groups all around, a lot of movement, two or three subjects 
out there at once.  Well, that’s a perfect storm for a kid with ADD. 
 
But I want to tell you something. When they do decide to lock in and 
concentrate, we can lock in like the surface-to-air missile. I’m telling 
you, it’s a gift. We can stay on point when it’s something we are really 
interested in, long after all the other kids have fallen by the wayside.  
 
I do worry about your kids getting a label, because it’s a label they can 
use as an excuse not to try or to give up. No, no, no. They have a gift. 
 
Now, if you are going to get them examined, just don’t got to any 
doctor, go to a specialist on this. Take them to a neural specialist. Let 
them map that kid’s brain. See if they really have something like that. 
 
And if so, OK. Maybe you could help them out. Maybe a prescription 
will help. But don’t let that kid think that he is going to fall behind. He 
may not make great grades, but he is going to be a great success. 
 
Some of the highest-paid people in our country are ADD. A lot of our 
CEOs are ADD. The bulk of the deck of millionaires are ADD.  
 
There’s plenty of future for your kids. Don’t let anyone tell them 
otherwise. 
 
 
 
Hey, I already like your kid. I like the fact that he is like my childhood, 
and I had a great one. 
 
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