He knows that he should pay attention and face the front; he knows that he should work on his assignment. He knows that he needs to keep his mouth shut, but he also knows that it would be a struggle for him to do so.

For Ivan Cabezas, sr., almost every class period is spent with these thoughts running through his head. For Ivan, diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) at the beginning of this year, it has always been a struggle

“[ADHD] definitely affects your life,” Ivan said. “Being hyper makes life go by quickly and you miss a lot of things. But on an off day, it seems to never end.”

Unlike many others who struggle with the disease, Ivan cannot take medication because he was diagnosed too late.

Whether or not it is okay for students with ADHD to be medicated has been a source of much debate in recent years.

Ivan disagrees with medicating children.

“I don’t think kids should be medicated like they are,” he said.

Some parents think that medication is key in helping students with ADHD succeed in school.

Others are not so sure if the benefits of medication outweigh the negative side-effects.

Because he is unable to take medication to regulate his ADHD, Ivan has learned to control the disease by himself.

According to Ivan, there are days when he is able to regulate his ADHD easily. On others he struggles to stay focused.

“Some days I can’t regulate it because I am around certain people,” Ivan said.

Some of his teachers can also notice a difference in Ivan’s behavior on days when he cannot focus.

Ivan plans to attend DeVry University in Kansas City next year. Ivan hopes that since DeVry focuses more on learning than social activities he will be successful in college and his future career.

“[ADHD] won’t affect me when I get to college,” Ivan said. “I am going to a non-social school.”