[gnicholas]

Interesting perspective, and definitely possible that benefits of ADHD do not dissipate with treatments.

This CEO attributed some of his leadership strengths to his dyslexia (aversion to email, method of running board and other meetings). If there were a treatment that allowed him to read better, what would happen to these benefits? And perhaps the question isn't so much what would happen to this CEO, who is all grown up and has developed his management style, but rather what would happen to kids with dyslexia who could be treated at a younger age. Would they miss out on benefits that he has developed?

If a parent had to choose between enabling their child to read better (which helps with schooling and many jobs) or having the opportunity to develop skills that could help with leadership, how would they choose? There seems to be a cognitive dissonance in the dyslexia community — where parents fiercely advocate for every treatment for their child, and simultaneously also tout the benefits of having dyslexia. If the latter is true, is the former necessary or even desirable?

[mindentropy]

The problem is that people should learn to accept that there are differences in the personalities and it cannot be homogeneous. They should be encouraged to cope or help them in coping.

[anon182429]

I'd like to re-iterate, there are NO benefits to ADHD. It is a medical condition.

If I sawed off your arm, you wouldn't say "Oh well it's possible that the benefits of sawing your arm off didn't disappear with treatments." There are no benefits. I'd rather have my freaking arm, just like I'd rather not be ADHD.

Trust me, there are _no_ benefits to consistently requiring powerful stimulant drugs to even begin to resemble someone who can keep a simple schedule. This disease destroys peoples' lives. You have been sold a false good by the media, hollywood, and people who write trash articles that describe the "benefits" of things such as ADHD, Aspergers, and Dyslexia.

[gnicholas]

Appreciate your sharing this perspective. Some folks, like @jdormit (on a different thread) indicated an upside in some cases, and an overall net benefit. I wonder if this could just be an issue of magnitude of ADHD? That is, perhaps severe ADHD is more likely to be net negative, whereas mild/moderate ADHD could go either way?

I am certainly aware that the media like to tell feel-good stories, and that this is part of the reason for the positive coverage of dyslexia, ADHD, and other conditions.