About Us

Students for Attention is, at its heart, a story of survival, of fighting, and of hope. Our founder, Aaron, suffered from severe ADHD ever since he was born. He didn’t fit in anywhere; not amongst his family, his school, his “friends”, nobody.

For years, nobody knew what was wrong. His issues were attributed to his personality, to his laziness, to his lack of discipline, to his stubborn and arrogant nature. But his family always had hope that one day, a miracle would happen that would give Aaron a chance to survive independently.

That one miracle that his family always hoped for hasn’t come yet, though. It took 14 years, two diagnoses of ADHD, daily battles, and counting to get Aaron on a course to, not of success, but of mere survival in today’s fast-paced, unforgiving, and subtle world.

Aaron’s story is still lucky; he always had a supportive family who was able to give him plenty of opportunities. However, most neurodivergent people are not so lucky. Studies show a large majority of neurodivergent children are born into families who are unable to shoulder the burdens of costly services that many neurodivergent children need. Raising a neurodivergent child can be more than 5 times as expensive as raising a Neurotypical one; this doesn’t even take into account that upwards of 55% of families with a neurodivergent child also have a neurodivergent adult.

And when these same children grow up to become adults, they will face workplace inaccessibility, loneliness, and social exclusion due to their fundamental difference in their ways of interpreting the world around them.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. This is where Students for Attention comes in. From the story of Aaron and his family, our mission was born: we aim to give that miracle to every single neurodivergent person and their family to make sure that every child doesn’t have to fight every day to live on this planet.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • “What is Neurodiversity?”

    In simple terms, Neurodiversity refers to variation or differences in the human brain. It can include people with ADHD, OCD, ASD, but also people with epilepsy and Tourette’s. Judy Singer first came up with the term “neurodiversity” in the 1990’s with the intention of rejecting the idea that autistic people are disordered or disabled and the stigma that comes with it (Singer was autistic herself).

  • Neurodiversity is important because neurodiversity is diversity. A society with all different people will bring diverse ideas, views, and personalities. Neurodivergent individuals have their talents, abilities, and lots to bring to the world like everybody else.

  • You can start a chapter of SFA in your community! Email us at studentsforattention@gmail.com and go to the “Chapter Page” for more information!

  • You can apply to become a student at SFA here! We have both paid and unpaid positions, so choose whichever one you think best fits your interests!

  • Regular donations are put towards our 5 by 5 Scholarship, which supports 5 neurodivergent students in the areas of Arts, Athletics, Advocacy, Literature, and Science, as well as running our day-to-day operations.

  • Membership proceeds are put towards running our Advo-Teen program and the Powering Our Miracles conference! As a member, you’ll get 4 free tickets to the Powering Our Miracles conference, a monthly merchandise box, an opportunity to be part of our Donor Committee, and a shoutout on our Member’s List!