Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps has put a positive face on the condition.

Often presented as a disability, some are wondering whether children with ADHD should be re-labeled as having a “gift.” By focusing on inspiring stories, like Phelps and other successful people with the condition, can the disease-focused stigma be removed?

Some wonder whether this is a good thing, arguing that you can’t have it both ways: “You can’t have a disability that needs to be accommodated in the classroom, and also have this special gift. There are a lot of people out there “” not only do their kids not have gifts, but their kids are really struggling.”

Indeed, those that present ADHD as a gift may minimize “how real it is.”

topics: adhd, hyperactivity