I has ADHD as a Child

[Anonymous]

I'm 53 and I believe that, when I was in high school, i had adhd because i physically couldn't sit still long enough to read my homework.
However, 35 years ago, adhd wasn't diagnosed for every ailment the way it is today and I had to just deal with it. I was an awful student in high school and college, but eventually I learned to cope and I picked up several graduate degrees and became a tax lawyer.

All this by way of saying, you (parent) are not the same person you were when you were your junior year of high school, and your DC will change too. It's probably more important that your DC feels supported and loved than that they get an ACT score that will get them into a T25.

[Anonymous]

Thanks

[Anonymous]

I am so glad my DS was able to be diagnosed and helped through the process of coping with ADHD and being the good student that we knew he could be. My siblings were not so fortunate. It takes a toll on a person to have an undiagnosed and seemingly invisible disability. It is terrible to be told by teachers that you are dumb and lazy, especially when you are neither.

[Anonymous]

I love this post. I had adhd and was also not diagnosed.

[Anonymous]

If you're a tax lawyer, have you also been assessed for autism? Kidding, but not entirely kidding. Every tax lawyer I know should be assessed. (Mother of autistic child whose father is a tax lawyer.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you're a tax lawyer, have you also been assessed for autism? Kidding, but not entirely kidding. Every tax lawyer I know should be assessed. (Mother of autistic child whose father is a tax lawyer.)

OP here - a perfect day for me would consist of reading statutes and regulations uninterrupted for 12 hours. So you're probably right, but I'm too old to care now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're a tax lawyer, have you also been assessed for autism? Kidding, but not entirely kidding. Every tax lawyer I know should be assessed. (Mother of autistic child whose father is a tax lawyer.)

OP here - a perfect day for me would consist of reading statutes and regulations uninterrupted for 12 hours. So you're probably right, but I'm too old to care now.

It’s an interesting correlation though, right? Something about tax law feels very good to an autistic brain, I think. I always chuckle when people rail about how many more kids “are getting” autism now than used to. I want those people to meet our friends and colleagues. The kids in our friend group have diagnoses. The parents don’t have diagnoses, but they are no less autistic (plus or minus ADHD and anxiety).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm 53 and I believe that, when I was in high school, i had adhd because i physically couldn't sit still long enough to read my homework.
However, 35 years ago, adhd wasn't diagnosed for every ailment the way it is today and I had to just deal with it. I was an awful student in high school and college, but eventually I learned to cope and I picked up several graduate degrees and became a tax lawyer.

All this by way of saying, you (parent) are not the same person you were when you were your junior year of high school, and your DC will change too. It's probably more important that your DC feels supported and loved than that they get an ACT score that will get them into a T25.

So you "got over" your ADHD, no medication required? What sort of message are you trying to send here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm 53 and I believe that, when I was in high school, i had adhd because i physically couldn't sit still long enough to read my homework.
However, 35 years ago, adhd wasn't diagnosed for every ailment the way it is today and I had to just deal with it. I was an awful student in high school and college, but eventually I learned to cope and I picked up several graduate degrees and became a tax lawyer.

All this by way of saying, you (parent) are not the same person you were when you were your junior year of high school, and your DC will change too. It's probably more important that your DC feels supported and loved than that they get an ACT score that will get them into a T25.

So you "got over" your ADHD, no medication required? What sort of message are you trying to send here?

NP. “Learning to cope” because you have an undiagnosed neurodivergence is NOT the same as “getting over it”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm 53 and I believe that, when I was in high school, i had adhd because i physically couldn't sit still long enough to read my homework.
However, 35 years ago, adhd wasn't diagnosed for every ailment the way it is today and I had to just deal with it. I was an awful student in high school and college, but eventually I learned to cope and I picked up several graduate degrees and became a tax lawyer.

All this by way of saying, you (parent) are not the same person you were when you were your junior year of high school, and your DC will change too. It's probably more important that your DC feels supported and loved than that they get an ACT score that will get them into a T25.

So you "got over" your ADHD, no medication required? What sort of message are you trying to send here?

did you manage to read her 2nd paragraph?

[Anonymous]

Probably half of college kids acquire an adhd diagnosis by the time they graduate. It’s over diagnosed at an astounding rate.

Or maybe uninteresting reading and homework is hard for everyone to maintain focus on for the long hours needed to complete

[Anonymous]

Okay? Not everyone's brain works how yours does. I was diagnosed with ADD/ADHD in the early 80's, my parents refused to give me Ritalin, and I got punished consistently by the school and at home for not doing what I was supposed to, even though I couldn't. I barely graduated from HS, only graduated from a community college because so many courses were waived for me, and have struggled at every single job I've had (and been fired from more than half a dozen). But yay for you being a tax lawyer.

[Anonymous]

Congratulations. I was untreated too. Despite a high IQ, I barely finished college and impulsively married the wrong person who I’ve been dependent on because I’ve never been able to earn enough to support myself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Congratulations. I was untreated too. Despite a high IQ, I barely finished college and impulsively married the wrong person who I’ve been dependent on because I’ve never been able to earn enough to support myself.

you can't blame terrible life decisions on ADHD

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Probably half of college kids acquire an adhd diagnosis by the time they graduate. It’s over diagnosed at an astounding rate.

Or maybe uninteresting reading and homework is hard for everyone to maintain focus on for the long hours needed to complete

Stop spreading hateful disinformation.