totally identifie with you .i am 45 with 2 boys one also has adhd as an adult no one takes me seriously which is realy frustrating as my adhd affects every thing i do but am just thought of as dizzy. my husband gets realy annoided with me but i just can not help what i do just do not know what to do feel very isolated

Quote

I let my counselors know after i had my evaluation from a doctor gave me accomindations. After the fact it may sound like an excuse so you are in a sticky situation . I WOULD SEEK OUT THE add/adhd COUNSELOR AND LET IT BE THEIR JOB TO LET YOUR TEACHERS KNOW,

Quote

As far as your instructor goes: my policy is almost always complete honesty and full disclosure. Just tell them what is going on and your feelings on this matter. Next time when you first notice an issue bring it up. No one else will stick up for you if you don't.

ADHD Skeptics: People who are skeptical are ignorant, stubborn, and uninformed. Use the resources you have and gather all the information you can. If you come across a skeptic, give them your information and facts freely, if they refuse to see the facts presented to them, then it just makes them look stupid and you informed. Knowledge is power!

Quote

I am always late. no matter what. or, so i convinced myself. i began to realize, incrementally, i could do some things to get my fanny where it belonged, when it belonged there. it isn't easy for me. in fact, i can't get over how nearly impossible it is, especially compared with others. and i don't like that at all. like you, i am very good at some things, but i hate to admit i am close to dodo bird status in other ways, even though i realize my add is crippling at times. you r bright, hard working and conscientious. depending on its severity, add is a learning disorder.

Quote

It appears that those who succeed in higher education often dismiss ADHD because it is often their exact strengths that we struggle with. My ADHD continually exposed itself in college because it required a lot of reading, sitting quietly to study, memorization, getting things done on schedule, and activities that required sustained attention and self-management.

You have to keep in mind that many, but certainly not all, people who succeed in an academic environment have traits that are on the other spectrum. I find it very interesting that the college I went to in the late 80s, to this date, does not have any information about ADHD on their Health Services web site.

I feel it's important to tell your teachers of your situation and to use it as a sign that you are accepting responsibility for your situation. I would also talk to your doctor if medications haven't significantly helped improve the management of your symptoms.

Quote

There are two responses that I have, but one will not be very popular.

#1 - If you are in college, make sure that you are properly diagnosed and registered with your college's Disabled Student Services Office. They can help you navigate your particular college and make sure your rights are enforced.

But...

#2 - In the career world no one cares about your diagnosis or challenges. This may vary from major -to-major, or career-to-career. In this regard, you really need to do your research and find a career that matches your learning and work-style. For example, if you are in a competitive sale environment, no one cares. Either you made your target numbers, or you did not. Period.

Customers definitely do not care. You either give them the product they want at a better (price, quality, convenience, etc) than the competition, or they are no longer your customer.

I do psychological assessments with deadlines. I have never had a parent of a student with ADHD show any sympathy or care if I cannot meet my deadline. They never asked me what accommodations I had in school. They only ask one thing... did I give them a quality product within the time I was supposed to? They care about their child, but they don't care about me.

I say this not to be negative, but to focus your effort. It is not their job to understand you. 1 - You need to find the resources and assistance to help you understand your strengths and challenges. 2 - You need to use those resources to help you use your strength's to over come your challenges. 3 - Find a career/major that matches your personal style and profile of strengths and challenges. 4 - You need to find a way to produce the expected results to a boss or customer who does not care about your diagnosis or problems.

One things that I believe does not get enough attention in career counseling is personality matches. People may have the skills for a particular career, but do they have the personality. Korn-Ferry has a great measure of career motivations (entrepreneurial, learning, competitive, expert). I chose a career where 90% of the jobs require an "expert" mentality. That is, doing the same thing over and over, but better and better. This is a HUGE mistake for people with ADHD - the job description never changes, there is no new stimulation or challenges, etc. On the other hand, I know some people that are perfectly content with having the same exact job description for a 35-year career.

http://askdreric-schoolpsychologist.blogspot.com/

Quote

The more I read your original post, the more it sounds like that you are not registered with Student Services for an accommodation plan.

I can tell you with 99.999% confidence that, in an American University, the student handbook or rules will say that for any consideration of accommodation you must follow their specific guidelines and procedures.

Those guidelines always say... #1 - You must file with Student Services and meet their burden of proof for diagnsosis. #2 - The professor is only accountable for the official plan.

In fact, in the Universities that I have worked at, there are specific policies FORBIDDING faculty to acknowledge any disability that has not been properly registered because it prevents Student Services from being able to track legal compliance and liability. http://askdreric-schoolpsychologist.blogspot.com/

Quote

Unfortunately, I think this issue is pretty common at the college level (and really at all levels). Even as a psych major who was registered with student services, there were professors who thought that it's a card people pull when the grade isn't going as planned. Even though I was registered, I found that it was counterproductive to ask for longer test time or other requests that the teachers viewed as "special treatment."

My advice would be to get to know the teachers without mentioning your ADHD diagnosis. Go to them after class with specific questions from the lectures you didn't understand, take very thorough notes and sit in the front so they see that you are making an effort, go once and a while during office hours to discuss sections of the text that you need clarified. That way, if at some point you run into an issue such as not answering an entire page of a test (this actually happened to me), they know that you weren't slacking off because they have seen you trying in class; they know you care about your grade and just made a mistake.

SIDE NOTE: It seems to me that people everywhere have their own opinions about ADHD, even if their background is that they read an article about it once in 1995...doesn't matter. I feel like this makes it so difficult to have a conversation with someone because they have their mind set before you even go in. It's so frustrating. Even now I struggle all the time with whether I should discuss my diagnosis with my supervisor. Does anyone have any advice about workplace issues and ADHD? I mentioned it briefly to one of my coworkers and her response was, "Yea, we all have ADHD now adays." I worry that my supervisor would have a similar brush it off attitude.

Quote