Learning Different Is Not A Disability

If a kid spaces out or doesn’t complete all of his work, does that mean they have a learning disability? Or are they just being a kid? I’ve been a tutor to my friend’s little brother for half a year now. Like any other nine year old, he prefers playing than sitting down to do his homework. His method for telling stories is through drawings. One time, he drew lines with small dots. At first I didn’t know what to make of it. But when I asked what it was, he said it was a bear scratching at a blueberry bush. Recently, his teacher suggested he may have ADHD. But it never crossed my mind that his behaviors could be signs of a learning disability. This raised a question for me, how can you tell if a kid has ADHD? and why are so many American kids, an estimated 6.4 million, diagnosed with it? I can see how just working patiently with the 9-year-old I tutor gets results. And I know teachers don’t always have that luxury. But I wish there wasn’t such a rush to concluding that so many kids have ADHD.