The rise of ADHD on elite campuses

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Once you start taking it, then stop taking it, of course you feel sluggish and you feel like you need it. Of course you have some disorder and need drugs.

It's just drug companies figuring out a way to make money selling formerly illegal drugs.

Adhd stimulant drugs are illegal in most of europe. It will eventually stop here. Another drug company caused opiate crisis. They are terrible dangerous drugs that the vast majority of people with adhd diagnoses should not take. Furthermore the vast majority with the diagnosis would not even get that diagnosis in Europe.

Really? I had zero trouble getting ADHD meds when we lived there so that’s news to our family.

You were probably fine if it was Ritalin. Adderal is more challenging. Luckily foe people with ADHD the Nordic countries have come around and access is growing contrary to the post before yours.

[Anonymous]

My older adhd kid was diagnosed since age 4. He is not on medication, and he has not used any academic accomdation yet because he has high IQ to get him all As in school. He has high anxiety and other disabilities. IEP keeps his accommodation on IEP plan just in case one day he uses it. He is putting in a lot of effort to stay focus at school and his teacher knows that he tries really hard at school. He sometimes tears up at school due to his high anxiety to demand himself to be a perfectionist. He pushes himself too much.

My younger adhd kid has academic accommodation as well which she has not used yet. She is on the border of failing classes. The school teacher has been encouraging her to use accomondation but she finds giving her more time is not useful because she cannot stay focus and she struggles in answering questions (learning disability). If she can graduate high school and go to community College, I would be really really happy for her. We will try med soon on her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My older adhd kid was diagnosed since age 4. He is not on medication, and he has not used any academic accomdation yet because he has high IQ to get him all As in school. He has high anxiety and other disabilities. IEP keeps his accommodation on IEP plan just in case one day he uses it. He is putting in a lot of effort to stay focus at school and his teacher knows that he tries really hard at school. He sometimes tears up at school due to his high anxiety to demand himself to be a perfectionist. He pushes himself too much.

My younger adhd kid has academic accommodation as well which she has not used yet. She is on the border of failing classes. The school teacher has been encouraging her to use accomondation but she finds giving her more time is not useful because she cannot stay focus and she struggles in answering questions (learning disability). If she can graduate high school and go to community College, I would be really really happy for her. We will try med soon on her.

To add, the younger kid was diagnosed adhd at age 5. Both have anxiety and considered high functioning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid, a TJ graduate who attends an elite college without any test prep or college counseling, was diagnosed with ADHD in college. Their high IQ masked their executive function deficits all along. They never need extra time for any tests, in fact, they think so fast that they always finish tests earlier than others. They struggled with big projects or paper that need planning and execution over several weeks or months. ADHD meds helped tremendously. It’s such a relief to get diagnosed now that they understand why they are different from other students.

This is my kid exactly. Diagnosed with ADHD in high school and a stimulant changed their life. Without meds they FLY through tests. Medication with a stimulant SLOWS THEIR BRAIN DOWN. This is a hallmark of actually having ADHD brain chemistry. A stimulant slows you down. My kid will tell you "my medication allows me to actually think. Without it my brain is just flipping through things at lightening speed. With it I can finally focus"

My kid also never had or asked for extra time (although of course the psychologist offered to recommend it in their write-up) My kid needed to fill the time they had. It's always bothered me that so many kids with ADHD are given extra time because if they truly have ADHD they shouldn't need it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid, a TJ graduate who attends an elite college without any test prep or college counseling, was diagnosed with ADHD in college. Their high IQ masked their executive function deficits all along. They never need extra time for any tests, in fact, they think so fast that they always finish tests earlier than others. They struggled with big projects or paper that need planning and execution over several weeks or months. ADHD meds helped tremendously. It’s such a relief to get diagnosed now that they understand why they are different from other students.

This is my kid exactly. Diagnosed with ADHD in high school and a stimulant changed their life. Without meds they FLY through tests. Medication with a stimulant SLOWS THEIR BRAIN DOWN. This is a hallmark of actually having ADHD brain chemistry. A stimulant slows you down. My kid will tell you "my medication allows me to actually think. Without it my brain is just flipping through things at lightening speed. With it I can finally focus"

My kid also never had or asked for extra time (although of course the psychologist offered to recommend it in their write-up) My kid needed to fill the time they had. It's always bothered me that so many kids with ADHD are given extra time because if they truly have ADHD they shouldn't need it.

Wrong. That is only one type of ADHD. I have inattentive ADHD and stimulants don’t have any effect on me. My problem isn’t that my brain works too fast or too slow— it’s that it can’t focus so I keep forgetting what I’m doing and start thinking about something else. If you have this kind of ADHD extra time is critical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid, a TJ graduate who attends an elite college without any test prep or college counseling, was diagnosed with ADHD in college. Their high IQ masked their executive function deficits all along. They never need extra time for any tests, in fact, they think so fast that they always finish tests earlier than others. They struggled with big projects or paper that need planning and execution over several weeks or months. ADHD meds helped tremendously. It’s such a relief to get diagnosed now that they understand why they are different from other students.

This is my kid exactly. Diagnosed with ADHD in high school and a stimulant changed their life. Without meds they FLY through tests. Medication with a stimulant SLOWS THEIR BRAIN DOWN. This is a hallmark of actually having ADHD brain chemistry. A stimulant slows you down. My kid will tell you "my medication allows me to actually think. Without it my brain is just flipping through things at lightening speed. With it I can finally focus"

My kid also never had or asked for extra time (although of course the psychologist offered to recommend it in their write-up) My kid needed to fill the time they had. It's always bothered me that so many kids with ADHD are given extra time because if they truly have ADHD they shouldn't need it.

Wrong. That is only one type of ADHD. I have inattentive ADHD and stimulants don’t have any effect on me. My problem isn’t that my brain works too fast or too slow— it’s that it can’t focus so I keep forgetting what I’m doing and start thinking about something else. If you have this kind of ADHD extra time is critical.

+1. Having inattentive ADHD is like trying to take an exam while watching TikTok at the same time. Stimulants don’t help this situation at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid, a TJ graduate who attends an elite college without any test prep or college counseling, was diagnosed with ADHD in college. Their high IQ masked their executive function deficits all along. They never need extra time for any tests, in fact, they think so fast that they always finish tests earlier than others. They struggled with big projects or paper that need planning and execution over several weeks or months. ADHD meds helped tremendously. It’s such a relief to get diagnosed now that they understand why they are different from other students.

This is my kid exactly. Diagnosed with ADHD in high school and a stimulant changed their life. Without meds they FLY through tests. Medication with a stimulant SLOWS THEIR BRAIN DOWN. This is a hallmark of actually having ADHD brain chemistry. A stimulant slows you down. My kid will tell you "my medication allows me to actually think. Without it my brain is just flipping through things at lightening speed. With it I can finally focus"

My kid also never had or asked for extra time (although of course the psychologist offered to recommend it in their write-up) My kid needed to fill the time they had. It's always bothered me that so many kids with ADHD are given extra time because if they truly have ADHD they shouldn't need it.

Wrong. That is only one type of ADHD. I have inattentive ADHD and stimulants don’t have any effect on me. My problem isn’t that my brain works too fast or too slow— it’s that it can’t focus so I keep forgetting what I’m doing and start thinking about something else. If you have this kind of ADHD extra time is critical.

+1. Having inattentive ADHD is like trying to take an exam while watching TikTok at the same time. Stimulants don’t help this situation at all.

This is exactly what it’s like. My mind is constantly distracting me from the real world. It’s continually creating content that’s far more interesting to watch than anything in real life.

[Anonymous]

I 100% believe that ADHD was under diagnosed in the past and that many high-achieving people have it. The ability to hyper focus on school/career is a super power.

[Anonymous]

I am the pp with older kid having ADHD, high IQ and hyper focus on school (due to his autism) does well at school without using extra time. His brain works so fast that I don't think it needs to rest. He could forgets where he puts his things a few minutes ago, but he could remember mostly what he has learned from school. I rarely see him study for anything even before test or exam. He is just a smart kid for now masking a lot of his weakness. For the younger kid suffering from mainly ADHD inattentive, she forgets mostly what she has learned from school. She is in daydreaming mode at school even though she is trying her best to pay attention. We are planning to put her on medication. Some pp says there is no med to help her to stay focus on learning, is it for real?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I 100% believe that ADHD was under diagnosed in the past and that many high-achieving people have it. The ability to hyper focus on school/career is a super power.

Then why would people need accommodations? Why would the school even need to know they have a DISorder at all?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s not just ADHD. The diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder in high school for accommodations is out of control. Section 504 is being completely abused at the high school and college level.

This one really burns me up because accommodations are generally the opposite of what is needed for anxiety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I 100% believe that ADHD was under diagnosed in the past and that many high-achieving people have it. The ability to hyper focus on school/career is a super power.

That sure sounds like a disability.

[Anonymous]

What kind of pisses me off about all the parents who claim their kid has severe ADHD and got all As and a 1600 SAT and admission to an elite school where they are doing great! … is that they pick and choose how disabled their kid is. There’s no way they are going to call their kid disabled when it doesn’t advantage them. The second they perceive a disadvantage they will assert that their kid actually needs no supports. And of course they won’t tolerate my actually autistic kid’s quirks if they are in any way inconvenient or even just different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not surprised. Lots of these kids had mommy and daddy prop them up all through HS so this would be the next logical step.

One of my kids (still in HS). actually has ADHD so I find this particularly disgusting. Despite multiple diagnoses over 10+ years, it is already hard enough to get teachers to believe they have a disability.

Btw this is not happening as far as I know at state flagship where my kid with similar stats attends. Way less cut throat culture.

DC is at state flagship; it happens there and everywhere. Turns into more time on MCAT and LSAT, then more time on Bar exam, etc.

AFAIK, U.S. service academies still require testing without accommodations, as medicated ADHD is disqualifying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not just ADHD. The diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder in high school for accommodations is out of control. Section 504 is being completely abused at the high school and college level.

This one really burns me up because accommodations are generally the opposite of what is needed for anxiety.

Exactly!!!