Reply to Do you consider ADHD "special needs"?

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Reply to "Do you consider ADHD "special needs"?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Your acceptance of the fact that I can easily see how my approach to work, now, and school in the past is very different then my peers is not important to me. Yes, I have been successful and yes I am able to function well in the work place that I have found but it isn’t easy and there are plenty of places I would not fit in well. For example, I figured out quickly that I could not thrive in Academia because of my struggles to stay focused on one or two projects. It is the reason my degree took 8 years instead of the 4 that most of my peers finished in. There are a large number of work environments I would sink in.

There is a world of difference between different issues, which I understand.  I also know that if my Mom hadn’t fought for me in early ES I would not have graduated with a standard diploma. The HS wanted to drop all math and science requirements for me and had already determined I wouldn’t go to college.

I never out grew the needed for academic accommodations, without them I would not have succeeded. I did learn how to compensate in many areas and I did very well in school once that happened. That said, my performance in Grad School was solid and strong enough to earn my PhD but it was still different then my peers. You are crazy if you don’t think there were comments and barbs thrown my way for that.

And my private office is an office with 8 other people instead of the open floor with 100 people. Yes, my work values me because of my degree and because of the work I produce. My team ends up with a lot of the people who struggle with the regular work environment because they know that I can help someone navigate our work area and have success.

Are my LDs a part of how I see myself? Yup. I had Teachers spend a good amount of time commenting that I wasn’t as smart as my brothers or remarking how amazing it was that I got an A or a B on a test. There were conferences to discuss whether I could take honors classes and a debate about taking an AP exam. People were very comfortable with telling me that I was over achieving and that I shouldn’t expect it to last. The Resource Teacher was shocked that I was attending a 4 year college and tried to talk me into taking it slow and going to Community College. Maybe if the people who were teaching me had ever had any confidence in my abilities I would have developed confidence in myself.

I get that there are people with far greater challenges then I had. I get that there are people who had the same challenges I did with less support. That does not change the path I took or the issues that existed along the way. Nor does it change that I struggle with how I interact with folks on a day to day basis.

The question wasn’t whether a kid with ADHD was severely Special Needs but if they had Special Needs. The answer is yes. Those needs might be less then kids with Autism or PANDAs or any number of health issues but they are real. If they are not addressed, they change the course of a persons life. The needs might be different but marginalizing those with ADHD or LDs because their issues seem less extreme is kind of bogus.  [/quote]

Other than a school wanting to drop your science/math requirements for high school graduation, you are mostly describing the average experience of someone pursuing a graduate degree and getting a job. I think your experiences earlier in life have influenced you to think that you are uniquely challenged as an adult and it really sounds like you are not.[/quote]

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