Can you have ADHD but still excel scholastically?

[jenr]

Laffman,

I was wondering the exact same thing.

I want you to know that the distinction between Asperger’s Syndrome and ADHD seems to be very subtle.  Myself, I was looking into ADHD and instead got a diagnosis of AS.  I think one of the reasons was because of how ADHD showed up in me; I was a quiet and hard-working student who daydreamed.  I didn’t know why I had to do the reading ten times or spent much longer on an assignment than everyone else to get the good grades that I had.  Also I was diagnosed at the beginning of university, when my marks started to plummet.  There were also times that I had friends and times that I didn’t.

Thanks for your post.  I’m going to the dotor’s soon to talk about having ADHD.  After finding more about the social problems present in ADHD, I am convinced that this is what I have.  But still, it’s not the typical case since my marks have been so high.  I hope that my doctor can see that I had to work hard and stick to a strict schedule to get those marks.  I’m also painfully aware of the lost opportunities and lack of reaching my potential that I have.  My friends are way ahead of me career-wise and wonder why I make such irrational decisions.

Anyways, let me know how it goes.  I’d love to have more information to present to my doctor if needed.

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[mm579677]

So I had to register for this site after a search for whether or not one could have add and excel academically, brought me to this post. I rarely struggled in school w any subject and when I did it wasn’t until midway through high school when I began to runaway from home and wasn’t really in attendance. I was rarely energetic and socially awkward but came from a home w a lot of domestic abuse that was incredibly complex and resulted in being isolated from most/all of my immediate family and at a very early age I was able to psychoanalyze my parents and siblings. I now know it was my defense mechanism against abuse that otherwise would have been too painful to w stand emotionally/psychologically. Ok so I should have explained that I tend to get way off track attempting to convey a sentiment😉 Anyways, as far back as I recall, I was praised for my grades but teased or berated for my “lack of common sense.” I have always been a mess when it came to forgetting, losing, screwing up, procrastinating, or just never hearing, EVERYTHING! Im annoying as hell to some people because a convo w me is taxing for all involved. Half the time I’m even absorbing a damn thing being said because I can’t wait to spit out whatever I’m thinking, then I feel bad, make u repeat yourself only to forget what the hell i wanted to say. It’s terrible now that I’m a mother of 5. Im always having the same arguments w my kids, fiance, and parents and because I’m not “stupid,” I’m just a lazy airhead that wont let you talk but won’t shut up. I started to wonder if I was add as more became known but you never hear honor student when someone refers to a kid w add/adhd so I have never been diagnosed. Long story long, thanks for sharing. Definitely has me feeling better about maybe seeking a medical ddiagnosis and maybe learning to function at a level that isn’t constant chaos.😄
MM

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[mm579677]

Wow, I have never heard anyone describe theirselves as closely as I would myself before as on this post. I’m very awkward around people I’ve just met and it only gets worse if attention is directed at me(real or perceived) but in certain situations, I learned to thrive on it. I have never danced in public but am a first string violinist. Sometimes in social settings I come across as either a bitch, arrogant, or an airhead if I feel the people are intellectually equal to myself and seem confident. I try not to interact too much so as to avoid the feeling of being judged and inferior but after I started bartending I think the constant barrage of compliments being an attractive female in a bar, I became comfortable w knowing that I was being judged by something that wasn’t dependent on my anxiety level and in turn my interactions werent forced. In my element, Im a loud, opinionated, ditzy smartass but when teacher conferences roll around I’m resigned to being the bitchy or awkward chic that people dont think they like for the first while(its always nice when people decide they like me and are so surprised by it that they fill me in on their initial dislikes of me). Now that i dont feel alone you cant crush my spirit with how annoying my rambling may be😉

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