A mother claims her daughter’s drawings became ‘absolutely crazy’ after she started taking ADHD medications.
Harlie, a musician in Tennessee, said that her nine-year-old daughter started drawing and painting two years ago to improve her ‘rough’ handwriting and motor skills.
But this year, after four days of taking a low dose of the drug Vyvanse for ADHD, her daughter’s drawing skills drastically improved.
While she was drawing basic scribbles and shapes just days earlier, Harlie’s daughter is now drawing portraits of her favorite anime characters with stunning finesse.
Harlie also noted that her daughter’s handwriting has become ‘so neat,’ and her spelling has improved.
In a recent TikTok video with 1.1million views, Harlie said: ‘My jaw dropped. This is like a switch flipped in her brain. You don’t just go from that to this. Is this normal?’
Though Harlie was confused by the sudden change, experts note that the elementary schooler’s art may have improved due to increased focus and attention from the medications.
Harlie (pictured here), a musician in Tennessee, said in a TikTok video that her nine-year-old started drawing ‘absolutely crazy’ pictures after starting medication for ADHD
On the left is a drawing Harlie’s daughter made right after starting Vyvanse for ADHD. On the right is another drawing made two days later
Dr Allycin Powell-Hicks, a clinical psychologist who goes by Dr Ally on social media, stitched Harlie’s video and said: ‘It is focus and attention.’
She said that for many patients with ADHD, parts of their brains responsible for focus and motor function are inactive.
Medications then increase the brain’s levels of dopamine and norepinephrine, which pass messages between brain cells to improve concentration.
Dr Ally said: ‘The medication comes in to create more activity in these areas, so now these areas can do what it is they’re intended to do.’
Danielle Dumont, an art therapist in Florida, commented on Harlie’s video: ‘It appears as though her drawings look more organized because her brain is able to actually focus.’
A review in the journal Research in Developmental Disabilities found that half of children with ADHD who have impaired motor skills show improvements with medication.
And another study showed that children with ADHD had be more rushed with their drawing and handwriting.
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects focus, impulse control, and energy levels.
The left image shows the typical art Harlie’s daughter would draw before starting ADHD medication. The right image is one drawn just days after starting the drugs
Harlie also said her daughter’s handwriting has improved. The left image shows her handwriting before starting ADHD medication, and the right image is four days after
The CDC estimates one in 10 children in the US have been diagnosed with ADHD, totaling about 7million, according to the latest data available.
Vyvanse, the brain name for lisdexamfetamine, is one of the most common stimulants prescribed for ADHD.
Harlie said her daughter takes 10 milligrams, the lowest dose available.
Other social media users with ADHD said they had similar improvements after starting medication.
On Reddit, one user said they went from a scribbled, more rushed style to neatly drawing in lines.
And another said they were able to focus more on details like shading once they were medicated.
