My Daughter Was Exhibiting Concerning Behaviors At School. No One Knew Why — Until Her Teacher Shared An Unexpected Observation.

In the Fall of 2022, I stood barefoot on my deck, phone in my ear, brown leaves gathered around my feet, listening to my daughter’s fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Barlow.

“I think there’s something going on with Ella,” she said gently.

My stomach dropped, as I’d had my own suspicions for years. I’d often seen her staring blankly at the lengthy math equations, unsure of what to do. She frequently doodled in the column of her spiral notebook and complained that she didn’t know how to do her assig nments.

I flashed back to the draining late nights we’d spent sitting at the dining table, sorting through her homework assignments, which became a long list of unchecked boxes on her iPad to-do list. Her grades had been rapidly declining, going from B’s to C’s and D’s. No one knew how to fix or how to help her. Whatever “it” was, I’d felt helpless for so long, wanting to repair the invisible problem she’d been battling in silence behind swollen, tired eyes.

“She’s been distracted in class. I’m not a doctor, but you may want to consider having her evaluated.”

Until that moment, for the last six years, I’d felt as though it would always be this way. That my daughter would never be like me and enjoy going to school, or writing, or doing math, and that she’d always have a hard time keeping up. It had become our dark reality. I was desperate for change, for her to not feel so lost and worn down. It had taken a toll on me, too.

This conversation was an unexpected gift from a caring and observant teacher. She was able to recognize behaviors that she also saw in students who’d been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). It had occurred to me that Ella might have an issue, but I didn’t even consider it could be