--- title: Metaphors to explain ADHD description: Explaining ADHD is no easy task. Find out what creative metaphors How to ADHD and the Understood Facebook community use to explain ADHD, including a “race car brain” and a “hamster wheel you can’t ever get off.” slug: how-to-explain-adhd author: Tara Drinks published: '2019-10-16T12:10:08.581Z' thumbnail: https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/DED129A8B00C4140A8BAE456BAE5571B/636aa61a72f28cf5952380af85b0448a/070518_Community_Weighs_In_What_Metaphor_Do_You_or_Your_Child_Have_for_ADHD.jpg source_url: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/how-to-explain-adhd lang: en --- # Metaphors to explain ADHD Understood collaborated with YouTube influencer Jessica McCabe of [How to ADHD](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-nPM1_kSZf91ZGkcgy_95Q) on a video that gives her fans ideas on how to explain ADHD to others. We [asked our Facebook community](https://www.facebook.com/Understood/posts/2395968130429539:0) to tell us what metaphors they use to describe ADHD. Here are some of the great examples they shared: “Our 7-year-old calls it his Race Car Brain. It moves fast, is well engineered, and capable of more than your average vehicle. We talk about how people can’t just jump into a race car and drive it well and safely without practice. So, all the strategies and support and medication are helping him learn how to drive and stay in control of the race car.” *—⁠⁠Colleen Hall Marxer* “A hamster wheel that you can’t ever get off.” *—⁠Diana DeVader Murray* “A pinball machine with the ball constantly hitting and bouncing between all the bumpers.” *—⁠⁠Deborah Kratovil* “ADHD and executive function deficits are like a battery on a cell phone. Depending on how many apps you use and leave open, the faster your battery drains. This happens at different rates just like a make or model or age of a cell phone.” *—⁠⁠Renee Mink Ysais* “Fireworks of ideas exploding in her brain some brilliant and bright, some loud and occasionally a few duds.” *—⁠⁠Jill Ellenson* “Trying to find the upside-down mirror in a mirror maze while playing musical chairs.” *—⁠⁠Sharen Crouch Allen* “Having a computer with every window open and trying to read them all at once.” *—⁠⁠Brittany Hattrem* “A squirrel carrying something shiny to put on a pile of shiny objects until the pile toppled over on him. An accurate description of getting my kids out the door for school [when we all have ADHD](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/adhd-explained-a-28-minute-primer).” *—⁠⁠Jeanine Lebsack* “Imagine you have a monkey in your brain and he has turned on a light. Now he has left the room and started turning on all the lights and he won’t come back and turn the first one off.” *—⁠⁠Lisa Rae Adcock* “…I describe it as putting together five jigsaw puzzles at the same time and the pieces are all mixed together. And the boxes have no pictures.” *—⁠⁠Katharine Ellis Tapley* “A train without a conductor. Hard drive glitches. Speaks on full blast Indy race, with no finish line.” *—⁠⁠Stephanie L. Sheets* “A Ferrari brain with bicycle brakes. I read this in an article about ADHD, and it really was an ‘aha’ moment in [understanding my son](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/now-i-get-what-its-like-to-have-adhd).” *—⁠Sandra Wicks * Watch the How to ADHD video to see animated versions of these and other engaging ADHD metaphors. [![Video](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/jhcn1_qsYmg/sddefault.webp)](https://www.youtube.com/embed/jhcn1_qsYmg) --- - Hear more from our [Facebook community](https://www.facebook.com/Understood). - Learn about [ADHD and the brain](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/adhd-and-the-brain). - Watch [videos of kids explaining what it’s like to have ADHD](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/through-your-childs-eyes). --- ## Explore related topics and articles - [Our community weighs in: Explaining ADHD to your child](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/explaining-adhd-to-your-child) - If youve recently found out your child has ADHD, it may be helpful to hear from other parents whove also been there. We asked our Facebook community to share how and when they talked to their kids about ADHD. Heres what they said. As soon as we began testing with the psychologist, we talked about i - [Jessica McCabe \(!!\) on motherhood, social anxiety, and ADHD medication](https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/adhd-aha/jessica-mccabe-motherhood-social-anxiety-adhd-medication) - How to ADHD creator Jessica McCabe has been the source of many ADHD aha moments so what were her ADHD aha moments? How to ADHD creator Jessica McCabe has been the source of many ADHD aha moments so what were her ADHD aha moments? Jessica was diagnosed when she was 12 years old but didnt start to - [ADHD and dating: Why breakups feel like withdrawal](https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/missunderstood/adhd-and-dating-breakups) - Breakups hit harder with ADHD. Learn why heartbreak feels so intense, how your brain reacts, and practical ways to heal without losing yourself. Breakups are hard for everyone. But for women with ADHD, they can feel all-consuming. Dr. J unpacks why heartbreak hits harder when you have ADHD and ho --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/how-to-explain-adhd#webpage","url":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/how-to-explain-adhd","description":"Explaining ADHD is no easy task. Find out what creative metaphors How to ADHD and the Understood Facebook community use to explain ADHD, including a “race car brain” and a “hamster wheel you can’t ever get off.”"},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/how-to-explain-adhd","name":"Metaphors to explain ADHD"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","datePublished":"2019-10-16T12:10:08.581Z","description":"Explaining ADHD is no easy task. 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