We all have unique talent' says musician with ADHD
Musician Rachel Fuller was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) two years ago but says she was seen as "a bit of a headache" as a child.
Musician Rachel Fuller was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) two years ago but says she was seen as "a bit of a headache" as a child.Realising she had a talent for music at nine-years-old was an outlet for her to channel her differences.
"When I started playing the piano and I had this aptitude for it, I think everyone was relieved: 'well, at least she's really good at something,'" she says."There really was nothing like ADHD. You were just labelled a naughty, disruptive kid. I don't think I came across as someone who had something wrong with me. I think I came across as a child who was naughty, Zoom along to today and her book BEE celebrates people's differences and is based on her ballet that was co-produced with the Royal Ballet and Opera.
"It's very easy to see external differences – hair colour, skin colour, eye colour, how tall you are. But we have these differences on the inside as well," she says.We all have our own unique talent and our own sort of superpower. I love that word: I hear children using it a lot. If they're a little bit different, it's a superpower.So really [BEE is] about how we're all different. I think every child at some point has felt that they're a bit left out or they're a bit different but for neurodiverse children it can feel a lot greater."
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) only officially recognised ADHD in adults 17 years ago and it is thought about 3 to 4% of adults in the UK have it.For Fuller, who lives in Uffington, Oxfordshire, her diagnosis had a significant impact on her life.
