What Is My Children’s Hope?

One night I passed the door to my daughter’s bedroom and overheard her saying her prayers, “Heavenly Father, please help me to not be a bad kid anymore.” Immediately my heart sank as I realized how she saw herself. My daughter had been diagnosed with Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) when she was five years old.

A few years later I was diagnosed with ADHD. While my diagnosis has been a blessing for me, I originally grieved for the girl and woman that I was in the past, who spent many years feeling broken, bad, and was discouraged because no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t fit into the mold others expected of her.

Through many discussions with friends, co-workers, strangers in the store, foster parents, and others I have discovered that many do not understand ADHD and the unique way those who have it see and navigate the world. My daughter shared with me her desire for others to see her and accept her just the way she was. I desire to grant this wish. With the help of some friends and those who are willing to join our efforts, we want to educate the world about ADHD and share ways that individuals with ADHD enhance our world. We are here as educators, parents, and advocates to help open doors of communication and understanding of neurodiversity.

I invite you to walk the path with us … please, take a moment and invite your friends to our page and spread the word … because this hope starts with one person at a time. By following our social media, visiting our website, and telling others about it you can help us make my children’s hope a reality.

Allison Sherman
Founder
My Children’s Hope
Founded: September 24, 2021

Our Mission

My Children’s Hope is an educational advocacy group comprised of parents, professionals, educators, and community members whose primary goal is to raise awareness of the prominence of neurodiversity and eliminate barriers to resources for neurodiverse individuals. Through advocacy, education, policy, and legislative changes, and early intervention in educational and community settings, we seek to increase the accessibility of quality support services in order to assist the neurodiverse population and their families to achieve and maintain a satisfactory level of daily functioning.

What Do You Know About ADHD?

Are you picturing a little boy who can’t sit still, who always seems like he is in motion? A little girl who is easily distracted and can’t seem to finish a sentence without having her attention caught by something in the room? Currently, there are many misconceptions about ADHD, and a lot of false information being spread around. The official name of ADHD is Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. The name is a mouthful, so most people just call it ADHD. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts the way the brain works and develops. This disorder is usually first diagnosed in childhood, but also impacts individuals during their adolescent years and into adulthood.

Let’s Talk About Neurodiversity

Do you want to understand what Neurodiversity is? Let’s start first with the word itself:

Neuro: relating to the brain or nervous system (the command center of the brain)
Diversity: the state of being diverse; variety
Diverse: showing a great deal of variety; very different

Neurodiversity means the diversity of human brains and minds – the view that not all human brains are the same, and the differences should be valued and considered normal.

The term neurodivergent is defined as differing in mental or neurological function from what is considered typical or normal. Some of the conditions/labels that are considered Neurodivergent are:

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Dyscalculia
Dysgraphia
Dyslexia
Dysnomia
Dyspraxia
Hyperlexia
Meares-Irlen Syndrome
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Sensory Processing Disorder
Synesthesia
Tourette’s Syndrome