Unlocking ADHD contributor Chong Ing Kai who is pursuing his studies in Engineering and Business at a polytechnic, shares about growing up with ADHD and how he is using his unique strengths to make a difference in Singapore
My ADHD condition only started to show in Primary school, where I was expected to sit still for many hours. In kindergarten, you’re still allowed to walk around during classes. I was getting sent to the principal’s office every other week and having severe problems with concentrating in class. My family doctor suggested that maybe I was “gifted”, which explained why I was so bored in class.
I went for behavioural therapy, and occupational therapy to help with my sensory processing disorder. I don’t think either of them helped, because I was never open minded enough to listen. My psychiatrist at the Child Guidance Clinic actually discharged me because I was giving her the answers she wanted to hear, instead of making progress. However, online resources like reddit group “r/ADHD” and blogs were much more helpful down the road, since these were personal stories I could relate to. I was able to find people with the exact same problems I was facing, and hundreds of comments by others on what helped them and what didn’t
It was only through understanding how my mind worked that I was able to harness its potential.
Finding my Strengths and Doing Meaningful Work
Over the years, I learned to channel all the hyperactivity and inattentiveness to work on projects that benefited society, combining my technical skills in tinkering with a unique problem-solving mindset. I started to take part in engineering competitions, with pretty good success.
I also began volunteering at Engineering Good in Primary 5, where I learned how the things I had made could actually be for good instead of wasting time making tasers and air cannons.
My attitude towards having ADHD has remained the same since my diagnosis. I was interviewed at the age of 11 and I recounted how my classmates teased me for having ADHD. “It’s okay, I don’t want to push this matter further…because I am a homo superior. I won’t be bothered by what they say.”
I never saw my ADHD as a disability, but as dis ability to create better things than others. When the topic comes up, I think my nonchalant attitude towards it also influences that person’s immediate impression of ADHD, which I think is great!
Consistently throughout my education journey, teachers either really hated me, or really loved my personality. One of my teachers said that I would either grow up to be a gang leader, or a CEO.
In lower primary, I was frequently punished by being made to stand outside the Principal’s office during recess. My mother told the teacher it was not constructive, as all the pent up energy I had would stay pent up and might explode in class after recess. My teacher changed the punishment to picking trash around the school, and subsequently complained to my mother that I turned it into a game, mobilising my entire friend group to pick up trash with me as a competition.
Starting my Company
Looking back, I’m glad I went down the CEO path, harnessing my resourcefulness and “people skills” to work on my startup, Stick ‘Em. I created Stick ‘Em to make STEAM education accessible to anyone wherever they are.
Growing up, my dad would bring me to Sim Lim Electronics Tower to buy components and build cool things. When I was older, I joined the School of Science and Technology’s robotics club and really fell in love with making things. I wanted to share my love of making things with others, so I started working as a robotics teacher and a science camp instructor. It was at this point that I realised every single lesson, my students would ask me if they could bring the robots home. The answer would always be “No”, since the robot kits cost more than $600. Learning shouldn’t be limited to those that can afford it, and even the ones who could afford robotics/coding classes could only learn during lesson times.
I created a STEAM learning kit that allows anyone to build robots and crazy machines, using chopsticks! I roped in 3 of my friends – Aida, Kai Jie and Jing An, two of which I had known since primary school. I knew I didn’t have the skills to do it alone, and I knew that they were great at what they did. I remember messaging Kai Jie saying I needed help with designing something and it would take him 10 minutes. Ten months later, we have impacted over 170 kids, conducted multiple workshops, and even met Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and five other ministers. It turns out that 3D printed geometric connectors and chopsticks allow for a pretty wide range of creations – from a simple cube to a complex robot that could do tasks. My parents would keep on quoting Dr Edward Hallowell to me – “Having ADHD is like having a Ferrari engine for a brain, but with bicycle brakes. The trick is to strengthen those brakes, to take control of the enormous and unusual power of your mind.” I used to brush it off as a generic quote.
Now that I’m older, the quote actually makes perfect sense. With awareness of ADHD and other mental conditions increasing, I’m excited for other neurodivergent kids out there who might think there’s no hope for them.
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