How Do You Deal With ADHD Naysayers?

My husband and I often try to take the educational approach but realize that it just won't work with some people. The one thing we try to remember is that there was a time when we, too, didn't believe that ADHD was real and were "naysayers" ourselves. Depending on who the "naysayer" is and their individual approachability, we find that often we get pretty far with "you know, I used to feel that exact same way but then I started to really learn about this disorder and..." that sort of thing.

However, the most important thing I've found is remembering where I am and where my kids are. Both of our boys struggle with ADHD and if there is someone criticizing their behavior or the validity of this disorder in front of them, I make sure that I address it in front of the boys. ADHD is not a dirty little secret that we hide from anyone. We remain polite and respectful to the naysayers in our lives - especially when the boys are present - but we firmly do not allow anyone to make the boys feel inferior. The times that the boys have been made to feel this way, we have talked openly with each other as a family about their thoughts, the realities of ADHD and how other people don't always understand.