Welcome to our behavior intervention and coaching series. Today, we are exploring how ADHD affects a student’s self-perception, which in turn shapes how they relate to others and the decisions they make on a day-to-day basis. We will examine this through the lens of schema therapy, a framework for how individuals view themselves, which is built by early life experiences but adjusts over time as they have new experiences.
Let’s anchor this in a practical scenario: a student who consistently gives up on assignments before even trying. While this often looks like defiance, it is frequently tied to one of three common schemas, or core beliefs, found in individuals with ADHD, even if they were never diagnosed as a child.
The first schema is feeling defective; the individual feels inadequate at all levels, which can make them hypersensitive to criticism and rejection, and keeps them in a constant state of comparing themselves to others. The second is a basic sense of failure, where individuals feel they haven’t met their potential, feeling inept, lacking talent, or doomed to be less successful than everyone else, causing them to give up easily or not even try.
The third schema is insufficient self-control, characterized by an inability to rely on oneself to accomplish tasks or tolerate the frustration of waiting for a desired outcome.
Through this schema, individuals avoid uncomfortable responsibilities, even if it means missing out on something that could advance them.
Call to Action:
For your next step, reflect on your most recent interaction with a struggling student or your own child, and identify if their task avoidance aligns with one of these three core
