Before Opal Harris was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, there wasn’t much information out there about it.

Then she read Driven To Distraction by Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey.

“With every page, I’m going, ‘That’s me,’” said Harris, a Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities teacher at Hodges Elementary in Balch Springs. “My doctor agreed and I felt a relief because now I had a name for it.”

ADHD is a disorder in which those affected by it have trouble focusing and controlling impulsive behaviors, along with hyperactivity. Harris said 75 percent of ADHD cases are genetic.

Harris, who takes medication for her ADHD, is a support group leader for the Mesquite chapter of the Attention Deficit Disorders Association-Southern Region, along with Mesquite ISD behavior specialist Kelly Smith. Smith has worked for MISD for 14 years, assisting with behavior management issues of students that occur in and out of the classroom, or at home.

Smith, whose husband has “severe” ADHD, said, “Individuals with ADHD are truly heroes. They struggle with being misunderstood and often negatively labeled when the truth is that these individuals are usually above average in intelligence and great leaders.”

For a disorder that may seem complex to some, the ADHD support group has a simple goal.

“We want to increase awareness and empathy for those individuals with ADHD,” Smith said.

Harris and Smith hosted their second support group meeting for parents May 12 on the topic “Surviving Summer with Your ADHD Child.” The main goal during the summer months, they said, is to keep ADHD children busy and motivated.

Computer exercises, swimming, martial arts and service projects are some of the activities they suggested for ADHD children, along with bridging books and summer camps. Sold at local bookstores, bridging books have assignments that children can study to review the previous school year and prep for the upcoming one. Enrolling ADHD children in summer camps is good for them as well.

“Individuals with ADHD often have moderate to severe social skill deficits, and summer camps help these kids practice social skills in a supervised setting while having fun,” Smith said.

Many parents go through denial and guilt before they seek help, because they’re often judged by others as not having good parenting skills, or their children are seen as “spoiled.” But once parents come to a meeting, Harris said, they realize they’re not alone.

“It’s definitely passed time to have [this group],” said Kay Morris, who attends the ADHD support group meetings. “I’ve been dealing with this since my son was 6 – it’s been nine years – but I’m still learning something new.”

The Mesquite chapter of the ADDA – SR hosts its support group meetings on the second Tuesday of each month – with no meetings in June, July and December – at St. Stephen United Methodist Church in Mesquite.

For more information, visit adda-sr.org/.

I am the Mesquite editor for neighborsgo and can be reached at 469-977-3687 or via e-mail at ncomeaux@neighborsgo.com. Got a story, photo or video you'd like to share? Post them directly on neighborsgo.com. Got a story idea? Send it to me directly. For more about how neighborsgo.com works with our neighborsgo print editions, please visit neighborsgo.com/help.