Hi Coco,

Many of us take for granted that we can “look back” on something we’ve done in the past and learn from our “mistakes” or gain a new perspective to make a better decision in the future. Hence the adage “Hindsight is 20/20.” 

Unfortunately, for kiddos with ADHD, this is not the case. Hindsight and Foresight are developed through visual imagery or non-verbal working memory—a key component of the Executive Functions that are impaired in ADHD.

According to Dr. Russell Barkley, we use these visual mental maps to help us guide our behavior, but if we can’t produce or access these mental maps, we don’t have a template to fall back on.

In other words, learning from our mistakes is hard if we can’t remember making them. The memory of the event  “disappears” and is no longer “retrievable.”

This also applies to future behavior. Just like it’s difficult to look back and not repeat the same mistakes. It’s also challenging to look into the future to keep doing what we do well.

Watching our kids make the same mistakes over and over can be disheartening. Especially if we think they are doing it on purpose! 

Find out what you can do if your kiddo struggles with this by watching our fourth video, “HIndsight and Foresight.”

Click here to access the video; you have 24 hours to watch it!

Warmly,

Coco and Vicky

P.S. We’d love to hear your thoughts. What’s been your greatest “aha” moment?