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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]A neurodevelopmental disorder has to actually clinically impact you. So if you’ve been [b]reasonably successful[/b] at school and work, that’s not “masking” - that means you just have normal human struggles. Adult ADHD certainly exists but it’s not “masked.” You see it in people who are always on the edge of getting fired, maybe flunked out of college one or more times, cannot run their personal lives at all. [/quote]

This is a complete misunderstanding of both masking and adult ADHD.  In schools, 504 and IEP plans can't be denied solely because a student is "at grade level" (reasonably successful).  This is also the reason the Dept. of Ed had to issue a letter reminding schools that they can't require students to give up special education/aids and services to participate in gifted/accelerated programs. (https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-20071226.html)

Masking is any concealing of one's true personality or feelings - when the face you present to the outside doesn't match how you feel/think on the inside. Yes, *everybody* does it.  But people with ADHD (and autistic and other ND people) mask far more often, to a far greater extent, and the mental health impact of this level of masking is severe and cumulative.

People with ADHD can reach greater success and accomplish far more when given appropriate support and accommodation - whether they are currently functioning below expectations or are managing to be "reasonably successful" - perhaps they *could* be wildly successful?  You've got the smarts for a PhD but never finished (or started) a Masters because you couldn't manage the workload.  I'd call that a clinical impact.  Many adults with undiagnosed/untreated ADHD chug along doing fine until something tips their very carefully managed balance - a new baby, a promotion or job change, a pandemic, anything requiring them to take on increasing levels of work - and they crash.[/quote]

DP.  The DSM requires significant impairment for ASD: "D. Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning."

[b]And, milder, for ADHD: "D. There is clear evidence that the symptoms interfere with, or reduce the quality of, social, school, or work functioning."[/b]

Reasonable success in all areas of life is an indicator that someone may have autistic traits but is not autistic.  For ADHD, the level of impairment in some areas of life may be lower, according to the DSM. [/quote]

Again I will point out that this does not mean "reasonable success" is incompatible with adult ADHD.  The DSM doesn't give a baseline level of success, and it doesn't require impairment in all categories (for ADHD).  "Clear evidence" doesn't mean "my coworker can tell I'm a mess", it means the clinician can tell.  For example, a B student who improves to an A+ student with treatment, or a middling good employee who's now up for promotion after treatment.  Also note that many many adults with ADHD hold it together at work but fall apart at home (messy/cluttered, forgets to pay bills, always late, avoids social gatherings) until they get treated.  You'd never see that unless you were in their innermost circle. [/quote]

Plenty of NT people underachieve and have messy homes. To claim that we all need to take meds (because that’s what this is about) to move from B to A or get a promotion is a massive distortion of the concept of a “developmental disorder.” I guess, fine, if you have your self-image invested in being “neurospicy.” But please don’t drone on and on about it to people/parents that actually have significant struggles. Your pathological need to get every advantage is not the same. [/quote]

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