All kids have superpowers. All kids have strengths or passions that can help them thrive. What revs you up and keeps you going?
A superpower can be a special talent. It can also be a personality trait or frame of mind.
Many people who learn and think differently have grown to see their challenges as superpowers. Dav Pilkey is a great example. “I encourage all of you to find your superpowers,” Pilkey says.
“I think one of the reasons why ‘Captain Underpants’ has resonated with so many children is because of the two boys that star in the books, George and Harold,” Pilkey told Reading Rockets, an Understood founding partner. “They’re always using their imagination… That’s kind of an attainable superpower that we can all have.”
Video: Dav Pilkey on Growing Up With ADHD and Dyslexia
As a child, Pilkey’s hyperactivity got him in trouble a lot at school: “My teacher would just point to the classroom door and say, ‘Mr. Pilkey, out!,’ and I’d have to go sit out in the hallway.” But he used that time to work on his drawing and storytelling. He created Captain Underpants and Dog Man in second grade!
Watch this Reading Rockets video to learn more about Pilkey’s experiences growing up with ADHD and dyslexia.
How Other Celebrities See Their Differences as Strengths
There are so many adults who are thriving because they learn and think differently—not in spite of these differences. Here are three examples of people who see their differences as strengths:
- Director Steve McQueen says his dyslexia has helped fuel his creativity. “Image and sound,” he says, “were much more heightened because my oral reading wasn’t as good.”
- Actor Bex Taylor-Klaus says their brain has “different wiring,” but “it’s not faulty. It’s special. It makes me who I am. It gives me my drive. It gives me my passion.”
- Gymnast Simone Biles was diagnosed with ADHD at age 9, and she knows the important role adults play in shaping the way kids think about their differences: “If you make it seem like a problem, then they think they have a problem. But if you make it just seem a little bit different, and be like ‘It’s OK to be different,’ then that’s how they’ll process it.”
How to Help Kids Find Their Strengths
When kids are struggling in school, they may have a tough time identifying strengths or superpowers. These tips and activities can help: