British musician Loyle Carner says that life as a child with ADHD left him feeling alienated. He states that he was seen as disruptive, stupid- he couldn’t spell well and couldn’t focus. Other children were not allowed to sit near him out of fear that he would distract them from schoolwork.
Hindered by ADHD as a child; Energized by ADHD as an adult
Coming terms with it as an adult, Carner recollects that he didn’t know what to expect for his future because he didn’t know anyone older with ADHD. Medication did not work for him so he had to figure out on his own that having ADHD wasn’t necessarily a bad thing and contributes to who he is. Without ADHD he believes, he would not be able to make comedy or music. Carner has come to see ADHD as a “superpower” in fact, which charges him emotionally and creatively.
Medication didn’t work for me. I was a zombie. I didn’t eat and I couldn’t socialize or make music. For me, it was about figuring out that [having ADHD] wasn’t a bad thing. I was good at having ADHD. It makes me who I am — it’s the only reason I can make music, play shows, and make people laugh.
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
Key takeaways
- Students with dyslexia and ADHD can be viewed as disruptive in the classroom.
- Loyle Carner said that what him overcome his ADHD was realizing that it was not a bad thing.
- The British musician says that ADHD is his superpower.
Explore Focus Foundations
Is your child struggling in school?
Get your free personalized learning roadmap
You describe what you see at home. We turn it into a plan you start this week.
- Answer 5 short questionnaires about what you already notice, 30–45 minutes at your own kitchen table
- Your child sits no test and gets no score: nothing to schedule, nothing for them to dread
- You do the answering, the AI does the writing, and a person reviews it before it reaches you
- Access all 40+ courses instantly: reading, math, focus, processing and more, with new ones added regularly
Why we use AI, plainly: it writes from a knowledge base our team maintains and audits. We work through it line by line and pull anything the evidence stops supporting. The roadmap you get on Tuesday reflects what we corrected on Monday, and a human still reads it before you do.
Your school district must evaluate your child free of charge if you ask in writing, whatever your income and whatever the outcome (US, 34 CFR 300.111 and 300.301(b)). That route takes time and answers a different question than you do. This one starts today, from what you already know.
Your answers stay yours. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not hand identifiable assessment data to outside AI companies to train their models.
A screener is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If your child might need formal accommodations (an IEP or 504 plan), or you suspect a vision, hearing or medical cause, pursue a professional evaluation too. That is the only route to those supports.
