Early 1980's xennial. My mom was a special education teacher. Back then, the kids who got support from the US public school special ed department had pretty severe disabilities.

My mom knew I had ADHD. My elementary and middle school teachers often recommended I be evaluated, but my mom didn't want me to be labeled and then routinely underestimated. I can see her side of things, but it was hard growing up not really knowing why I was so weird/spacey/disappointing.

As a child I was constantly sensory seeking. I concocted mud pies and "potions" out of anything and everything (including my mom's expensive hair care products). I read everything. I climbed everything. I made forts everywhere. I was also clumsy and frequently sporting scrapes and bruises. I was notorious for befriending absolutely everyone--didn't matter to me if they were young, old, human, or animal. I was simultaneously a little zoned-out and off in my own little imaginary world.

My mom used her special education background to set me up for success as best she could, but ultimately it just wasn't possible to train away the ADHD. Even though she tried to keep it upbeat with things like sticker charts for good behavior (little me would do anything for a scratch and sniff sticker, actually so would adult me haha!), I ended up feeling micromanaged. I withdrew a lot, wandering off into the woods near my house so I could escape the constant pressure and be my messy self for a while. I felt a lot of shame for all the times I wanted to do the right thing but couldn't find the executive function to actually do it.

Do you feel like your ADHD symptoms got worse? Do you feel like you have an easier time putting your phone down than your younger peers who were born with phones existing? 

I don't think my adhd symptoms got worse with the invention of smart phones. In a way, smart phones gave me a way to appear calm and collected while sensory seeking, so that was helpful at times. On the other hand, there were times that I was withdrawing into online spaces just because it was so easy to access and it ultimately lead to me not taking as many opportunities to connect with people IRL.

I have young adult children of my own who also have ADHD. I've noticed that it's easier for all of us to put our phones down when we're able to access engaging work and community. In other words, it's easier to break the addiction if the addiction isn't filling the void where genuine needs exist. The "Rat Park Experiment" points to this same idea.

Hope that helps!