If You Can Read This, You Do Not Have Problems With Object Permanence
That term does not mean what you think it means
Fellow neurodivergents, lend me your…
eyes.
I have an announcement.
We have ADHD. We are not infants.
I have seen, heard, and read a lot of ADHD-related content perpetuating the misconception that we struggle with object permanence. Let me assure you: if you can read this blog post, you do not.
Object permanence is the concept that objects continue to exist even when they are not visible, and in typically developing babies, this ability emerges between six months and two years of age.
I’m neurodivergent, so I’m not typically developing… but even when you apply the estimate that some parts of ADHD brains develop approximately 30% later than typical brains, then we’d still have the concept of object permanence down pat between the ripe old ages of 8 months to 2 1/2 years.
This lack of object permanence is why babies get so excited when their caregiver uncovers their eyes and magically re-appears while playing a game of peek-a-boo, or when they become distressed because their parent has left the room, even when they’re just around the corner.
