The Imaginative Gifts of ADHD: How Fantasy Leads to Reality

Many of the symptoms of ADHD can be seen as the side effects of deep imagination. The single most important factor in creating something new is imagination. In order to bring something new into the world, it first has to be imagined. Fantasies have a truth of their own. Some people think fantasies are by definition false, but fantasies aren’t concerned with true or false. Fantasies create something that doesn’t yet exist rather than reflecting reality. ADHD gives students lots of fantasies. These can be a distraction, but can also give students the power to create a new world. Participants will explore how to re-direct fantasies of escape toward evolution. The distinct functions of studying, thinking and imagination in the classroom will be explored.