Dear Giddy,

I have similar issues. I am 35 and was just diagnosed this past September.

I happen to be in a computer field for my studies and do amazingly well at things like networks and programming. I've always had trouble with things like English classes. I was good in school until about Gr. 6 and then it started going downhill. I was bright but unmotivated. I have always had rave reviews at my jobs too, so IQ and intelligence is not a major factor in determining ADHD. Many people with this disorder are very bright! We can also get something called hyper-focus which allows us to concentrate intensely, usually on something we are very interested in and not even realize the time flying by. Something like programming would probably fit that picture.

I also have to be doing something everywhere I go. I just recently got a Smartphone that can luckily read word and PDF documents so I can now do some productive work in transit or so I don't have to take my laptop everywhere I go thinking I have to read this document or do that work. That might help a little if it is possible in your area. To help in controlling my brain when I am waiting, I do tai chi. My brother who also has ADHD (and Tourettes Syndrome and Autism, etc.) is also taking this and it works very well for him also. He can now sit for 10 minutes in meditation not making a sound. I sometimes do this while waiting for the bus. People look at me funny , but I don't care. Another article I read is that karate also helps people with ADHD. I happen to do both.

I had an assessment done by a psychiatrist and he said it was depression. I went back to my family doctor and asked for a second opinion, which I got. I have just had the most successful semester at University in my career and have a better understanding of what and who I am. Keep fighting. Depending on your locale, I might know of someone.

Best of luck and best wishes.

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giddy said: Hi,

I'm an 18 yr old guy, So I was finally diagnosed with "ADHD symptoms" over a month ago, i was also diagnosed with depression and psychotic tendencies (Probably because my father had schizophrenia, paranoia, and a nervous breakdown when he was young) So now the problem is my psychologists say they are not sure I have ADHD because :

1. In three days i would have failed the 12th grade twice, BUT I have an IQ of 121 and I'm freakishly good at computers. I've been studying programming since i was 11 and built advanced software programs since i was 14, i taught computer science at a world recognized institute at 17 and I'm now a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist in Windows Development. So they're saying since i perform well at computers i maybe don't really have ADHD.

2. I'm able to sit or wait quietly, but inside my mind i feel like i may explode! I've just trained myself to sit or wait, but i still shake my legs like crazy or feel like just running or speeding up time. Since the docs SAW i don't seem hyper active they think i'm not, however i FEEL hyper active like crazy, i always think of what i've go to do at the end, i really can't read any other books except computer books.

I'm in India, I've gone to a very simple hospital with trainee psychologists, who've even told me my state is what 99% of teens face!!! So I don't have any hope with them! Also, ADHD/ADD is very rare down here and no one has heard of it!

Could you please tell me if i do indeed have adhd?? I do have a very obsessive mind that races to random things, i can't sleep at night, everytime i watch a movie i think about how long its going to take!!

Thanks

In most of what I've read about ADHD finds that we tend to excel at things like computers and programming (I've been involved with computers since 1981... learned basic then, and with most of the courses I've taken I've finished the course is less than half the time, because I couldn't stay on track and explored.

In addition, above average intelligence is also fairly common. I've got an IQ of 124 - and I took that test while watching TV and finished in 20 minutes, when I was supposed to be taking it in a quiet room with no distractions and allow an hour.

I used to joke my mind raced so fast that it not only caught up with itself, but passed....

You might be best to seek a second opinion if at all possible. There are a lot of conditions like depression, bi-polar, OCD that accommpany ADHD, and one does not necessary preclude the other.

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hi,

both your both give me lots of hope, thank you!!

Unfortunately I have to study math and physics for my next 12th grade LIKE exam, its an alternative exam i found out about (since i've failed my state exam twice)

I deeply want to know math and physics, i've always had an itch for knowing how things work, but i started with the books and i can't really read them. How do you guys read? Everytime i'm reading i start to think of life, the universe and everything but the subject, how do you guys manage finishing books?

I thought i excelled in computers because i studied so many vast random things that i could make connections whenever i learnt something new and thats what kept me stuck to the books?

Thanks

Gideon

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Hi, seriously, as if you are describing wat i've been passing through till this day actually. i was diagnosed with ADHD and OCD just last year through 2nd year uni., my grades strted suffering from 7th grade as i was an A, B+ student becoming then a C, D student. it was very difficult for me as i relied on my notes alone (copied from my teachers notes) were studying from a book was unbearably difficult (my school had a very strict policy for teachers to supply strongly constructed notes to us) . i passed my IB (12th grade) by basically staying at my aunts for a month were thier was nothing much to distract me (although my day dreaming and jumping from one idea to another and another wasnt solved) but i had time were it took me basically a whole day to finish a couple of chapters, but at least i was doing something instead of just giving up. i also find it more helpful sometimes to read while walking (more helpful wen studying notes). I hope i was at least a bit helpful but thats how i coped back then (didnt have a clue back then i had ADHD). Regards.

Note:

Try and understand what your studying rather than memorise (my self, i cant memorise a thing).

When studying math practice as much as u can by solving as many problems as possible, and then learn why you didn't get the answer correctly by revising your work step by step.

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Being an ADD adult iwth an ADHD son at college, my first bit of advice would be to keep looking for answers on how to make your life work. A lot of "professionals" give bad information. A lot just don't understand what is involved in being ADD. I am intelligent, have my masters in Information Technology, am a CPA, and am not hyper. I am, however, ADD. Without medicine, my undergraduate work was difficult. I took notes, read things 3-4 times, recorded lectures so I could re-listen, outlined to prepare for tests, and even made up 3x5 flash cards. I got through (with honors), but it is laborious, to say the least. My masters work was done after getting diagnosed and medicated. It was much easier for me. I only had to read things 1 time, but I do find I need to "actively read" with a highlighter in hand or by taking notes while reading academically.

There are many comorbidities - meaning you could have ADD or ADHD AND something else. Unless you find someone qualified to help (a very good psychologist who deals with brain and medication issues), you are at a disadvantage. Just keep reading and searching for answers until you find that mix of coping skills, habits, and perhaps medication that allow you to live your best life.

Also, I wanted to point out that all people do not have the same learning pattern. Some read and learn well. Others may require "hands on" or may learn better auditorily (by hearing). Almost everyone benefits from a mixture of learning styles. If you are having trouble learning from boks and are interested in a particular subject, ask your university disability awareness services department if they have any books on tape in that subject available. They use them in the US universities for blind or sight-imparied students...and they are often available for ADHD students who have difficulty learning from just the written word. (I'm not sure if they have such departments in other countries, but they are standard in the U.S.)

Good luck though. ADHD can be a blessing -- not just a curse.

jlucas (just another adult ADHDer)

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Hi, Giddy!

I'm glad that you posted your concerns and asked for help.

The reality is that ADHD, like any other disorder, looks different in different people. And in psychology in general, culture plays an EXTREMELY significant role. Unfortunately, people often make the mistake of believing that western descriptions and criterion of mental disorders are the "gold standard" that can simply be taken and transplanted anywhere in the world. Since culture plays a HUGE role in our psychological make-up, this needs to be seriously considered when a person outside of the United States, Canada, or Western Europe is being evaluated for any kind of mental disorder. And I think that this would be especially true in the case of ADHD. Along those lines, I would see if you can find a psychologist who is particularly sensitive to the differences between United States and Indian culture, and the implications for diagnosis.

Based on the description of your struggles, it does sound like attention is an issue for you. (It is true that hyperfocus is also a part of ADHD, and that attentional difficulties are not going to be found in ALL aspects of your life.)

But I also wonder if anxiety is playing any kind of a role in your inattention. Anxiety often can masquerade as ADHD. A well-qualified professional should be able to distinguish between the two for you.

Hope that helps!

Susie

P.S. I wanted to add that I am a 30-year-old Caucasian female from the United States with ADD. I am also a graduate student in Clinical Psychology, which is how I am aware of cultural and diagnostic issues. I hope that my reply makes sense to you, if not, I can clarify.

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I'm one of the lucky ones when it comes to reading. I can and do frequently, unless its reading out loud (i have a temporal deficit that causes me to become almost dyslexic when I try to read out loud). My retention is good, but as someone else pointed out, I think its because I tend to memorize. I once considered taking a speed reading course, but they only guaranteed 250 word per minute - and I was already reading at a 300 word per minute rate.

I also used to curl up with dictonaries, the thesaurus, and encyclopaedias and just bounce from one subject or word or concept to another for hours. This might explain a test I took in grade 8, which showed me to have a first year university level vocabulary.

Math (and physics) on the other hand, I believe is one of my learning disabilities... I failed both in grade eleven and was so frustrated I refused to go to summer school to pick them up, and instead changed from a 5 year stream to a 4 year stream (old Canadian system - 5 yr was university bound, 4 year was college bound). That made all the difference in the world. The base difference? The 4 year stream was practical and I could reinforce the learning with day to day usage. The 5 year stream was more theoretical, and therefore not easily practiced... so it eluded me.

As previously said, it doesn't present the same in everyone, there are so many variants, co-morbidities, and other factors to be taken into consideration, that basically the easiest way to describe it is this, it is as unique as we all are to each other.

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graywolf, what you said is very interesting.

Susie, unfortunately there's not real hope of find a proper psychologist/psychiatrist because i'm in well, India! And even if i do find someone good, the charges are going to be a bomb and there's no way my parents are going to pay for it.

The brunt of living in india is we really are still under developed and not "developing" schools are a complete sham, the teachers don't show up the subjects are horrible, there is no choice whatsover, no simple/advanced classes, and worst of all its just focused in beating a half brained exam at the end. The pattern is "cramp in head, then vomit on paper" no one really cares whether we understand it, we even have books called a "digest" there are mock papers solved and students learn them by heart!!!!

I desperately want to go study abroad, the UK is ridiculously expensive, i don't think the US likes us much, but i'm looking at France (i can speak basic french =P)

Here are my symptoms, i'm hoping you guys could share yours too?

1. If theres an event coming, my mind usually enumerates all possibilities of how that event will take place, for eg. I 've taken up ballroom dancing and we have a ball this saturday and most of the while i keep thinking about how i'm going to look what i should say etc etc. and i mean i do it all the time, at breakfast, while writing my exam, while having a bath and worst of all till 2 -3 AM until i get sleep!!

2. If theres no upcoming event, i think about things that i want in the future, like where i want to study, what i want to do etc etc and its the same i day dream about this 24 X 7

3. Sometimes, if its no the above then its just random stories i make up in my head or random memories playing away like some movie i saw, some place i went to, a tv show etc. i mostly replay the whole thing or replay it then create alternative outcomes.

4. Where hyper activity is concerned, i'm restless and hve been totally restless/reckless when i was a kid. Over the years i've learnt to stay calm. If i don't have music or something to pass the time, waiting, sitting, standing in line will drive me insane, i'll appear completely composed but inside i feel like my head will explode!! The docs are completely in disbelief whether i have hyper activity, but as soon as my mother heard hyper active she said "of course you're hyper active" I also tend to jump to things really quick, like i want to be able to magically whiz through a book in 2 mins, or i plan the end in the begging, like, my mind is already writing essays for university applications when i haven't passed 12th grade.

Do any of you have similar symptoms?

Thanks. Gideon

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Giddy,

I know you have problems reading, but if you can try to find the following two books, and I think you might find they'll help.

The first is a standard, "You mean I'm not lazy, crazy or stupid?", written by Kate Kelly and Peggy Ramundo. One of the easiest reads I know of. Most books for ADHD users (not just clinical texts) are actually designed so we can do what we do naturally - bounce from one thing to another, rather than reading in sequence.

The other book is "Adult AD/HD", by Michele Novotni and Thomas A. Whiteman, and the main reason I recommend this one is the title of once chapter alone - that describes part of the issue you seem to be having (and I know I have it bigtime...) "Ready, Fire, Aim" which deals with impulsivity issues. other chapters to make note of would be Channel Surfing (Inattentiveness) and Dancing to a faster drummer (Hyperactivity).

Both of these books are written for "us", bearing in mind we have different issues, and they try to provide us the information in a way that we can take it in.

Good luck. (And yes, I'm constantly running scenerios through my mind, be it of an upcoming meeting, what I want to do next - or when I'm bored, telling myself stories...)

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You've gotten some excellent replies. To add:

-Taught myself computers as well when I was younger, though I didn't get diagnosed until I wa.s mid-thirties. Went through the same thing of suspecting I was ADHD, but becoming discouraged by being told it couldn't be that because I had a Bachelor's and, later, a Master's degree. However, I knew there was something not right with me and it took more psychologists and psychiatrist becoming more experienced about Adult ADHD to get a better evaluation and a diagnosis.

-While many of your symptoms are similar, your particular environment and life experience makes your ADHD unique to you as mine to me, etc. That means taking suggestions, strategies and the like at a high level and with a grain of salt. The key is finding out what works for you and tailoring it to fit with your particular issues. That's why getting a diagnosis is just a first step. The more difficult part is learning how to make it work for you.

-I'm attracted to Math and Physics as well. I did fairly well at Physics, at least in high school, but have always struggled with Math, with it getting worse in high school and college(university). For me, I can easily grasp the concepts, but hated doing the homework because it was too rote and boring. Then the tests would throw me off because most of the problems would depend on combining earlier material rather than just testing on what was just taught. In my case, having the right teacher is the key. Someone who is patient and flexible in the way they teach. I believe that when it comes to higher level math, my brain doesn't "process" the way it does for most people. So even when I force myself to do the homework and seem to get it, I would still screw up the test. You could be a right-brain visual-spatial learner.

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hi,

You're two cents just got me to something incredibly " You could be a right-brain visual-spatial learner."

I've just spent the last 3 hours researching on right brain visual spatial leaner and WOW! It somehow knows me!

This is everything from the list of identifying "visual-spatial learner" that applies to me completely , also i scored terribly in auditory skill in my IQ?

4. Inattentive and easily distracted

5. Has a poor sense of time and does poorly on timed tests(BIG PROBLEM HERE)

6. Poor short term memory/good long-term memory

7. Has difficulty finishing tasks/school work

8. Has poor handwriting or difficulty keeping in the lines or grips the pen very hard and presses on the paper when writing

9. Has poor listening skills, often seems not to be listening

10. Does not maintain eye contact

11. Has difficulty with spelling and/or reading (I can always tell if i the spelling is wrong by knowing it LOOKS wrong but i can't say what is wrong!!!?)

12. Has difficulty with times tables and/or computation (I fumble with even basic math sometimes)

13. Likes complex ideas and tasks and does well on them yet fails at simple tasks

14. reads well silently but has difficulty with reading aloud

15. Has an abundance of physical energy, fidgets constantly, difficulty sitting still

16. Is very creative (When i was a kid after my technica-set and lego blocks were worn out after playing with them so much, i started using thermocol, cardboard and paper and made about a hundred airplane models!??)

17. Good (and often very different) sense of humour (wierd sarcastic humour?)

8. Is emotionally very sensitive (anything even remotely mean breaks my heart!?)

19. Is extremely sensitive to criticism (Oh yes)

20. Extreme physical sensitivity e.g. acute hearing/intense reactions to loud noises, bright lights, smells, touch

21. Loves Lego, puzzles, jigsaws, computers, computer games, television, making things

22. Is very disorganised (I think im always in an organised mess, i try incredibly hard to be organized and i have to train myself to a particular way or pattern, and i manage someitmes)

23. Likes art and/or music (I play violin guitar and piano?)

24. Has a vivid imagination and/or disturbing dreams (very disturbing dreams)

25. Can remember the way somewhere after going there only once

Does that mean I'm a visual-spatial learner AND have ADHD? Do the two come together well? So how do i use my nowfound skills to learn, are there resources on how WE learn?

Thanks so so much

Gideon

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I am in 9th grade and i feel like that every time you guys say something you are talking about me. i can do just about any thing on a computer (including hacking but i avoid that) and didn't know that that many people go through the exact same thing as me.

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hey tim,

welcome to the club.

Are you a programmer? What languages do you do?

Just wish us people lived closer to each other!!!

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Some Anomalies with my ADHD;

Dear Giddy:

I know how you feel.

Way back when I was diagnosed, I am not even sure when or what year, no one ever heard of ADHD.

I was the only one. My life didn't start until I was out of high school, Back then they just let you graduate.

Good thing too, I had to have a touter come in the house 3 Days a week and I was in the lowest class in my class. I graduated back in 1975. and let go of the ADHD stuff and just lived my life.

I moved to California it took a while before I felt good about myself, but I did. When I moved home back in 1990 met a man, got married, had a daughter.

She is bright, beautiful and as she started 1st grade she would come home crying, saying she can't do what the other kids do.

Any way, It was something else trying to work with her and school and homework, it was truly breaking my heart because I know just how it feels, Really bad.

We had her tested through the school and found she had no learning disability and an average IQ. but still falling behind. After that she was also diagnosed with ADHD by a neurologist.

Someone at our school screened her for Irlen Syndrome, A visual perceptual processing problem that interferes with reading and learning as others do. It also has to do with a sensitivity to light that may cause distortions on a written page. Someone gave me the book "READING by the COLORS," written be Helen Irlen. When I was reading, I was reading about myself. I feel that all my problem was I couldn't see the written page as other do. And caused slow choppy reading with very low comprehension that makes things very tough. when I look at written page I can only see one word at a time in full focus. I learned this about myself at age 50.

It is all about perception. And it is our brains job the interrupt what we see.

So, even though both my daughter and I have Irlen Syndrome we see things differently. For my daughter she see that every letter has a halo and it seems to pulse and move and glow and that gives her headaches and stomachaches and it hurts her eyes as if she is trying to look at an optical allusion all the time when she uses white paper with black letters.

We got our daughter Irlen Filter Glasses from the IRLEN INSTITUTE and they can be found on-line www.irlen.com. there you may be able to fined someone in your area who can help you. The Irlen Method is all over the world.

Sense then I have started a business trying to help others with this issue. I have never been prouder of myself.

Here in Massachusetts there is a State House Bill that has been pending for 12 years so I been lobbying the state to have this available in public schools.

Now after 2 years of catch up, my daughter now has a solid "B" in English and social studies and she is also proud of herself. she would not have been able to do this before. It took time but it happened. You are older so it may not take time, look in to it.

If you would like to read more about our story go to; www.irlenconnection.com

And go to "IN THE NEWS" spot to read our story the local news paper wrote.

I hope this was helpful. We found out that we ask our kids, "What is that word," or "What is that letter," "read this sentence." We never ask what does the page as a whole look to them, we don't ask the right questions.

Also you may enjoy this site as well; www.readingandlight.com watch the video clip he made about Irlen Syndrome.

Good luck, keep up your search,

Tracy

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So you have an almost obsessive preoccupation with computers, right? I bet you have trouble socially too, right? Do you have trouble telling when someone is being sarcastic? Are you very interested in the parts of things? Do you take things very litterally? These are just a few possible symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome. The following website is a good resource to look into it: http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/

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