Yancy Academy, a school for troubled kids, houses many students. Attending Yancy, is a special twelve-year-old boy, Percy Jackson. In the book, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lighting Thief, Percy Jackson is a dyslexic twelve-year-old boy with ADHD. Percy’s ADHD has affected his attitude about school and the decisions he makes at school, but once he learns that there are positive factors about ADHD, he will have a more positive attitude to himself and his education. In addition, Percy can have more control over his emotions and make better decisions if he allows himself to stop and think before doing anything.

Percy Jackson’s ADHD impacts Percy’s attitude and choices, but if he learns about the positives about ADHD, he will have a more positive attitude towards school and himself. According to the article Neurodiversity: A Different View of ADHD, “…avoiding activities that require focus is also a symptom.” In the book, Percy is in his dorm studying for a test. “One evening before my final, I got so frustrated that I threw my Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology across my dorm room.” (Riordan, p.18) Studying is an activity that does require a lot of focus. Since Percy is also dyslexic, studying can be extremely frustrating for him. As you can see, Percy got so frustrated he didn’t know how else to express himself, so he threw the book across the room. In addition, people with ADHD often blurt things out. On page 5, when Nancy Bobofit was whispering and laughing about the stele in the museum, while Mr. Brunner was talking. Percy had enough. “ ‘Will you shut up!?’ It came out louder than I thought.” He immediately regretted saying that so loudly because the whole class heard him, and he realized it sounded like he was talking to Mr. Brunner. The article suggests that a symptom of ADHD is “…making careless mistakes in school,” (Gibson, 2018) He clearly did not intend to interrupt the whole class and get himself into trouble with Mr. Brunner. Percy needs to have a more positive view of himself having ADHD. “What’s so great about me? A dyslexic, hyperactive boy with a D+ report card, kicked out of school for the sixth time in six years.” (Riordan, p.38) Having a more positive thought about himself will help him understand why he does certain things and how he can make himself the best that he can be. For instance, “Some careers even require this ability.” (Gibson, 2018) Learning about how his ADHD can help him improve Percy’s attitude about himself and school.

Percy will become better at managing his emotions if he allows himself time to stop and think before immediately rushing to do something he will regret later. On page 18 of the book, The Lighting Thief, Percy couldn’t contain his emotions and snapped at his English teacher. “Finally, when our English teacher, Mr. Nicoll, asked me for the millionth time why I was too lazy to study for spelling tests, I snapped. I called him an old sot. I wasn’t even sure what it meant, but it sounded good.” In the article Self-Management/Managing Emotions, it states that “The best decisions are made by using both logic and emotion.” If Percy had given himself some more time to think before he called his teacher an old sot, he would’ve had a different response that wouldn’t get him into trouble. In the book after Percy and Grover saw the three old women, Grover started acting weird. “I ditched Grover as soon as we got off the bus terminal.” (Riordan, p.19) Percy says he ditched Grover as soon as they got off, therefore it implements that he didn’t even think about staying and talking to Grover. The article suggests, “Stopping before you decide, to give yourself a chance to think.” (Self-Management/Managing Emotions, 2019) If Percy had stopped to think about why Grover had been acting weird, and how he could talk it through with Grover, he wouldn’t have ditched Grover, or caused Grover to worry about him. Percy will make better choices and improve his ability to control his feelings if he gives himself some time to stop and think.

In conclusion, even though Percy’s ADHD has affected his attitude and decisions in the past, but there are beneficial elements of ADHD that will help Percy thrive in the future and have a more positive attitude towards himself and his studies. Furthermore, when Percy starts to allow himself time to stop and think before rushing to do or say something, it’ll be less likely for him to do something that will get him in trouble, or for him to do something he will regret.