Reply To: Did anyone else actually do well in school?

[dizliz]

(OK..this is the longest post ever…my first time online, sorry, it;s really more sort of an essay! ) YES and it’s not only diagnosis that gets tricky: does anyone else find that having some history of past success also blurs the personal decision/risk for taking a serious medication??? …(I have serious ADHD related marital.career.depression issues now but does it merit future permanent medication dependency to “feel normal” considering past success?). I was a top performer at school/university and also in my early (then still interesting) career, but ironically, I think success was partly because of ADHD including lengthy reasons below. I think there is clearly a wide spectrum of mental traits that get affected- some ADHDers are unlucky in that some symptoms which dominate in them might become serious or destructive early on, while others of us can compensate with certain strengths, in my case curiosity. My ADHD success was possible because:

1) Hyperfocus- it’s amazing! I was so fascinated by a sci fi book’s pictures around 3 yrs apparently I demanded my “smart/organized” sister teach me to read it-my reading skills were years ahead by the time i got to school. What a big confidence boost it was when Good (or lazy ?haha) Teacher routinely let me read to other kids in class 1… early success is always an exponential spring board for more success..if only every kid got lucky breaks early in life so…

2) GOOD LUCK: yes, high IQ (i had one, it seems to have gone on a loooong vacation tho :o) and/or the right environment/people really help you learn strategies.. I could see when i was getting into trouble and irritating the hell out of people or family so i tried to find solutions despite the difficulties of constantly adapting (hmm…is that where depression starts…why can’t i just be my dizzy scattered crazy self.)

3) CURIOSITY- another adhd skill- with motivation and curiosity peaked, hyperfocus kicks in… i loved to learn about “a million” things, anything new, so school was a big  candy jar. (despite being told i was “odd/quirky kid”, dizzy, no common sense, constantly bullied, Space cadet and put in the naughty corner for talking too much, drifting off, acting before thinking etc.)  Where else can you do 10 different things in a day as diverse as acting, singing, painting and science- if only adult life could be like this, would we ADHDers be so much happier! who wants to do one sucky job all day, every day, all week… OMG its hurts just thinking about it…I digress..hahahaha..

4) Good schools- enthusiastic encouraging observant teachers! : it only takes a couple of teachers to point out your strengths and encourage you/build you interest. I was working class/uneducated family but very lucky to end up in a decent public school…

5) Keep ADHDers busy–my Fabulous mum (of 5 kids!) helped my interests and arranged my sports activities, music classes etc every day…i never stopped and loved it…i was constantly stimulated and heavily involved in physical activity like sports, acting, performing etc yet luckily didn;’t have to ORGANIZE any of it.

5b) I had a REALLY strong self-motivating factor to do well at school-pleasing above mentioned super mum

6) School and college are usually broken up into structured short periods of activity…and the beauty is you walk from class to class, constantly physically moving between classes and outside for recess/Phys ed with some much needed laughter –all good things for adhd yes, not like a grotty office or lab job where you sit locked in 1 place most of day!

7) So I’m saying if the adhd kid is interested in the first place, lucky and encouraged, yes success is very possible in some.

PS> since this post isn’t long enough already..Good doctors get down into the nitty gritty of who you REALLY are, not just who you’ve learned to be to survive…i went into science where I was forced to be methodical, pay attention to detail etc…my intrinsically adhd personality is now completely SPLIT-subsequently my career coach says i am the most complicated individual she’s ever coached…an artist in a labcoat and completely confused.  SO Glad to be diagnosed and to get such a good laugh on this website- thank you for the info/wonderful sense of humor TOTALLY ADD!

 

 

 

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