Posts Tagged ‘ADD’

Catchy title, huh? After all, if you believe that ADD is fake, then you need to be reading this. You may believe that ADD is a total myth in the sense that it is a created disorder or is an excuse for society’s lack in other ways such as education and leadership. I am a gold medal conspiracy theorist, and it’s easy for me to buy into the thought that ADD was created to sell drugs or as some type of social control. However, having personal experience, I know it exists…under the wrong name as I am still searching for the “deficit” part. Not to mention, the “disorder”.

Just The Facts

History

The first mention of the symptoms of ADD under different terminology occur 212 years ago as of the time of this writing. Sir Alexander Crichton, a medical doctor from Scotland, first described “mental restlessness” in 1798. The symptoms have seen quite an evolution over the years which have included “minimal brain damage”, “minimal brain dysfunction”, “learning disabled” and “hyperactivity”. The term, Attention Deficit Disorder, with or without hyperactivity was introduced in 1968 by the DSM II criteria. The terminology changed again in 1987 to exclude “ADD”. All attention disorders now fall under the umbrella of ADHD. Stimulants were used to treat ADD as early as 1935.

Interesting Statistics

• ADD affects 3 to 5% of children worldwide
• 80% of individuals with ADD are male
• 30 to 50% of individuals diagnosed with ADD in childhood continue to have symptoms into adulthood
• Genetics are a factor in 75% of ADD cases
• 37% of individuals with ADD do not get a high school diploma
• Less than 5% of individuals with ADD get a college degree
• 1/10 suffer from Anti-Social Personality Disorder

Developmental Delays

There are some proven developmental delays in individuals with ADD. A 2005 review of studies pertaining to ADD showed that children with ADD have a delay in the development of certain brain structures by an average of 3 years. Through magnetic resonance imaging on a test group, a developmental lag was discovered in the prefrontal cortex with a range of 3 to 5 years. (I testify to this. I always felt like I was behind everyone else well into adulthood.)

Treatment Methods

Behavior Modifications

Attempting to modify the behavior of a child with ADD is a formidable task. I submit that the innate qualities of the ADD mind equip the ADD individual with everything they need to maintain the “disorder”. Modifying this instinctive behavior is a mistake. ADD is a difference, not a disorder. It is a unique way of thinking, not a deficit. It should be embraced rather than modified. Studies should concentrate on helping the ADD individual use this difference to their advantage rather than modifying it. Research on behavior modifications yield studies that show both positive and negative results.

Medications

Several types of strong medication are used to “treat” ADD. Stimulant medications are the most popular for individuals with ADD. Clinical trials show that 70% of children improved when using stimulants. (I did.) Stimulants are a viable treatment method. The problem with stimulants is the addictive attribute of them all.

ADD coupled with many of the other disorders that accompany it make for a bunch of drug-addicted individuals.

It is an altered state of mind and cannot be cramped and fit into a general mold under a label.

Stimulants

Stimulants are the most widely prescribed type of drug for ADD. It sounds crazy…prescribing a stimulant for an individual who is already hyperactive, but the stimulants often have the opposite effect on ADDers. An analysis of clinical trials found that 70% of children approved after being prescribed stimulants.

However, the controversy with the drugs associated with ADD has always been the side effects and after effects that often occur later in life. Higher rates of schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder occur in individuals with ADD, especially those who were prescribed stimulants.

Ritalin

Some facts about the most commonly used medication for ADD:

• The common name is methylphenidate
• Use has increased as much as 250% since 1990
• 10 to 12% of American boys take Ritalin
• 8 and a half tons of Ritalin are produced each year
• 90% of that 8 and half tons is used in the United States

Antipsychotics

The prescription of atypical antipsychotic drugs is on the rise for individuals with ADD. Caution should be expressed as these drugs have not undergone any sort of clinical trials for use in this manner. Antipsychotics work the opposite of stimulants. Where as stimulants promote and induce the release of dopamine, antipsychotics supress it.

Non-Stimulants

Some non-stimulant medications have also been prescribed for ADD. These medications, like antipsychotics, lack the research given to stimulants. Some of the non-stimulants used to treat ADD are not even suggested for use in children. Again, caution should be shown with these drugs…as with ANY prescription drugs.

So Is It Real Or What?

There are many people who argue both sides. One popular argument is that ADD is created by physicians and drug companies for profit. The “Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology” says the following:

“Societies invent the concept of mental illness so that they can better control or change people whose patterns of functioning upset or threaten the social order.” p. 6

Prior to researching to write these articles, I was adamant that ADD was indeed real based on my own experiences. I am still adamant that it exists, but my opinion of its existence has somewhat changed. I do not think it should be classified as a disorder. I do not think that people who fall under a wide umbrella of different degrees of symptoms should be grouped under one heading. I feel this is often a problem in our society: we always seek to stereotype and generalize people who are unique individuals. We are taught from birth that none of us are the same, yet mentally we are conditioned to fit in groups our entire lives.

Until society changes to make room for the individual rather than the cookie cutter mold, these things will never change. We will always seek to place people who are different in groups under negative terms. From the “Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology” again:

“Culture plays a role in the definition of abnormality. Our society hold that it is important to carry out daily activities in an effective manner.”

Individuals with ADD have minds that work brilliantly different from their “normal” counterparts. This is not to say that so-called normal people are stupid or less intellectually endowed than those with ADD, but to merely state the truth about ADD.

Conclusion

The bottom line truth is that ADD is overdiagnosed in the United States. Quote again from the “Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology”:

“ADHD can only be reliably diagnosed after a battery of observations, interviews, psychological tests, and physical exams. One study found that only 50% percent of children who received this diagnosis from pediatricians had undergone any psychological or educational testing to support the conclusion.”

Shame on you pediatricians.

Sources:

http://www.thomasarmstrong.com/articles/does_add_exist.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_deficit_disorder

http://www.wcool.com/mo96/0226.html

http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/871.html

“Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology Second Edition”; Ronald J. Comer Princeton University; 1998, 1996

Photo by wallygSome of the most well-known and talented people of our time were labeled with Attention Deficit Disorder. These individuals are a further testament that ADD is is a blessing rather than a curse. The list is surprising. Use it to encourage someone close to you with ADD or to motivate yourself. There are people on this list from all walks of life, all backgrounds and who chose a myriad of paths for their lives. You will find yourself amongst these trades and ambitions.

This is a comprehensive list. Most of these people have been officially diagnosed with ADD while others prior to the early 1900′s are suspected to have had ADD based on evidence of apparent traits.

Architect

Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959)

Artists

August Rodin (1840-1917)
Salvador Dali (1904-1989)
Pablo Picasso (1882-1973)
Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890)
Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519)
Salvador Dali (1904-1989)

Athletes

Terry Bradshaw (1948-Present) Quarterback
Babe Ruth (1895-1948) Baseball
Bruce Jenner (1949-Present) Track and Field
Carl Lewis (1961-Present) Olympic Gold Medalist in Track and Field
Greg Louganis (1960-Present) Olympic Gold Medal Diver
Magic Johnson (1959-Present) Basketball
Michael Jordan (1963-Present) Basketball
Nolan Ryan (1947-Present) Baseball
Jason Kidd (1973-Present) Basketball
Michael Phelps  Olympic Gold Medal Swimmer
Pete Rose (1941-Present) Baseball
Alberto Tomba (1966-Present) Alpine Skier

Authors

Agatha Christie (1890-1976)
Charlotte and Emily Bronte
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)
Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)
F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940)
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
Hans Christian Anderson (1805-1875)
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
Jules Verne (1828-1905)
Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)
Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)
Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)
Samuel Clemens
Emily Dickenson
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Virginia Woolf
William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)

Composer

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Beethoven (1770-1827)
Georg Frederic Handel (1685-1759)

Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders

Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919)
Malcolm Forbes (1919-1990) Publisher
Henry Ford (1863-1947) Automobile Manufacturer
John D. Rockefeller (1839-1037)
F.W. Woolworth (1852-1919) Department Store Owner
Milton Hershey (1857-1945) Chocolate
William Randolf Hearst (1863-1951) Newspaper Magnate
William Wrigley, Jr. (1933-1999) Chewing Gum

Explorers

Christopher Columbus
Lewis and Clark
Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890)

Entertainers

Ann Bancroft (1931-Present) Actress
Cher (1946-Present) Actress, Singer
Danny Glover (1947-Present) Actor
Dustin Hoffman (1937-Present) Actor
Jim Carrey (1962-Present) Actor, Comedian
Steve McQueen (1920-1980) Actor
Suzanne Somers (1946-Present) Actress
Stevie Wonder (1950-Present) Singer, Musician
Tom Smothers (1937-Present) Actor, Singer
Tracy Gold (1969-Present) Actress
John Denver (1043-1997) Singer, Muscian
Bill Cosby (1937-Present) Actor
George Burns (1896-1996) Actor
George C. Scott (1927-Present) Actor
Harry Belafonte (1927-Present) Actor, Singer
Henry Winkler (1945-Present) Actor, Producer
John Lennon (1940-1980) Singer, Musician
Kirk Douglas (1916-Present) Actor
Lindsay Wagoner (1949-Present) Actress
Mariel Hemingway (1961-Present) Actress
Ozzy Osbourne (1948-Present) Singer
Sylvester Stallone (1946-Present) Actor
Walt Disney (1901-1971) Producer, Screenwriter, Director, Animator
Whoopi Goldberg (1955-Present) Actress, Comedienne
Will Smith (1968-Present) Actor, Rapper
Jack Nicholson
Ty Pennington
Elvis Presley
Evil and Robbie Knievel
Justin Timberlake
Robin Williams (1952-Present) Actor, Comedian

Inventors

Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922)
Thomas Edison (1847-1931)
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) Politican and Elder Statesman

Photographer

Ansel Adams (1902-1984)

Physicist

Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Political Figures

James Carville
John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) U.S. President
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) U.S. President
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969) U.S. President, General
Eleanor Roosevelt (1844-1962) First Lady
Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat (1918-1981) Egyptian President
Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1873) Emperor
Nelson Rockefeller (1908-1979) U.S. Vice President
Prince Charles (1948-Present) Prince of Wales
Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968) U.S. Attorney General
Winston Churchill (1874-1065) British Prime Minister
Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) U.S. President

Science

Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727)
Galileo (1564-1642) Astronomer, Mathematician
Harvey Cushing M.D. (1869-1939) Neurosurgeon
Louis Pasteur (1822-1895)
Nostradamus (1503-1566) Physician
Werner von Braun (1912-1977) Rocket Scientist

Military Figures

Gen. William C. Westmoreland (1914-Present) Vietnam era General
General George Patton (1885-1945) World War II General
Eddie Rickenbacker (1890-1973) World War I Ace

Conclusion

Speaking of ADD…mine is getting the best of me after this post…all those names and dates. I had all kinds of plans for Wikipedia links, and I just…can’t….do it. I’m not a huge fan of Wikipedia as a source anyway. I have some interesting details and stories regarding a few of these people as well, but that will have to be another post. Whew. Enjoy.

Sources:

http://www.thecreativelearninginstitute.com/famouspeople.htm
http://add.about.com/od/famouspeoplewithadhd/a/famouspeople.htm

Attention Deficit Disorder as defined by The Free Dictionary:

attention deficit disorder

Put away everything you know or don’t know about ADD. Begin anew right here, right now and consider the gift of thinking fast.

Something New

ADD has been renamed. It now falls under the umbrella of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Individuals classified with ADHD/ADD must meet the DSM IV criteria for impulsivity, hyperactivity and/or inattention. See a simple breakdown of these criteria HERE. The new name for ADD is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Inattentive Type. I like just plan ol’ ADD better.

Symptoms

A person with ADHD may have some or all of the following symptoms:

• Difficulty with attention to detail which results in careless mistakes and work that is messy
• Distracted by “white noise” and normal din that is usually ignored by others
• Unable to stay on task or engage in activities
• Difficulty completing tasks that can be defined as “busy work” or performing tasks that require prolonged concentration
• Shifting from one incomplete task to another
• Procrastination
• Disorganization
• Forgetful
• Fails to complete tasks and chores
• Frequently changes the subject of conversation, doesn’t pay attention to conversation, and doesn’t follow the norm during social situations.

Hyper-Focusing

While individuals with ADD are notorious for their wandering minds, their ability to hyper-focus is often overlooked. Hyper-focus refers to the ability of individuals with ADD to focus so intently on subjects that engage them that they become oblivious to their surroundings. It could be a video game for a child or surfing the Internet for an adult. This hyper-focus ability is often puzzling to the parents of the ADD child or to others involved with the ADD individual. How can someone who has a disorder that effects their ability to focus be able to focus so intently on subjects of interest? The common belief that ADD = a short attention span is a terrible misconception. Kathleen Nadeau, Ph.D., is a psychologist in Silver Spring, Maryland, who says, “A better way to look at it is that people with ADD have a disregulated attention system.”

What If?

What if ADD isn’t a disorder at all, but yet the natural evolution of the human brain to be better? The ADD brain is known for its attention problems, but there are some very important attributes that go hand in hand with that inattentiveness:

• Creativity
• Spontaneity
• Openness
• Imagination
• Intensity
• Tirelessness
• Flexibility
• Independence

The Positive Spin

Attention Deficit Disorder is ultimately a label used to generalize a group of individuals into a narrow set of negative connotations. This is insanely wrong. It is high time that Society and Medical Science recognize ADD for the gift that it actually is rather than analyzing it into the ground. Accept it and encourage those blessed with it to learn how to use it to their advantage rather than as a crutch. Individuals with so-called “disorders” cannot be defined by fact sheets and textbooks, but rather by their ability to be different; to add something unique to the mix. Different does not equal bad.

Quotes

“More and more, the concept of ADD as a disorder is being qualified by inclusion of a string of positive qualities — such as creativity, high intelligence, ability to do many things at once, and aptitude for small business entrepreneurship, and a powerful intuitive sense.” – Susan Burgess from Think Fast! The ADD Experience (Hartmann, Bownman, and Burgess)

“ADD people are high-energy and incredibly good brainstormers. They will often happily work 12 to 15 hours by choice. The business community should not fear ADD. Instead, they should see that they have a potential gold mine here.” – Dr. Kathleen Nadeau, a psychologist with ADD herself (from an ABC News Report)

“Think of an absentminded professor who can find a cure for cancer, but not his glasses in the mess on his desk. These are the inventors, creators, poets — the people who think creative thoughts because they don’t think like everyone else.” – Martha Denckla, M.D., Director of the Department of Developmental Cognitive Neurology at the Kennedy-Drieger Institute at John Hopkins

“The same right-brained children who are being labeled and shamed in our schools are the very individuals who have the skills necessary to lead us into the twenty-first century. These children process visually and randomly, and think holistically. They are intuitive problem solvers who get the big picture.” – Jeffrey Freed and Laurie Parsons from Right-Brained Children in a Left-Brained World

“These children are not disordered. They may have a different style of thinking, attending, and behaving, but it’s the broader social and educational influences that create the disorder, not the children.” – Thomas Armstron, Ph.D, from Myth of the A.D.D. Child – 50 Ways to Improve Your Child’s Behavior and Attention Span Without Drugs, Labels or Coercion

“I’m alarmed to think that modern science may be turning creativity into a medical disorder.” – Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D., from The Myth of the ADD Child

“In my opinion, the ADD brain structure is not truly an abnormality. In fact, I believe a very good case can be made that it is not only normal, though in the minority, but may well be a superior brain structure. However, the talents of the person with the ADD brains structure are not those rewarded by our society at its current stage of development. In other words, the problems of the person with ADD are cause as much by the way we have our society, educational system, and business methods as by other factors more directly related to the ADD itself.” -

ADD as an Adaptive Trait

The following table was developed by Thom Hartmann from his book, Attention Deficit Disorder – A Different Perspective.

Sources

http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/adhd-symptoms
http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/612.html

http://www.borntoexplore.org/addquo~1.htm

The fourth installment of my series on ADD. Don’t miss tomorrow’s post about Famous People with ADD. Please consider subscribing to my RSS Feed.

Read Part 1 and Part 2

I spent the first three years of my college experience at a local community college. I attended classes part-time and never realized that I should be doing more. Because my grades were decent, my parents were pleased, and I was pleased with my progress, trying to do and be more never registered. After three years, I decided it was time to work full-time and see if I could save some money. At 21, I was ready to do something for myself. So, I quit college and began working. I worked for the next three years and never managed to save a penny.

Back to college I went. This time, I went to a University and I chose to study Graphic Design. I did fairly well. I attended that University for 2.5 years until a hitch was thrown in my gitalong. Over the summer of 2001, the Graphic Design instructor quit. The small school only had one, so by the second semester of my Senior year, I needed 2 credits and only had time to get one. There was no way that I was going to pay an extra $20000 for the time to get the credit. Transferring out seemed like an easier choice than figuring out how to fight this out with the school.

Individuals with ADD seek the easy way and will take it given half the chance. The easy way is instant resolution and gratification to a potentially stressful situation. I speak from experience as I did this more than once. I transferred to a local state school where I was sure they had the resources to handle instructors who quit. I went in as a Computer Graphics major…and second semester SOPHOMORE. That’s right…I was a first semester Senior. The curriculum between the two schools differed enough that many of my credits did not transfer.

I put my head down and my chin in my chest. I excelled at this school…but I burned out 2.5 years in. Who wouldn’t burn out after 8 years of college? I could have been a doctor…if I didn’t have such an aimless drive and a lacking in the ability to make reasonable decisions. I dropped out again and went to work…again. I”ve been in the workforce for six years now. In those six years, I have had 5 jobs. In my defense, I was laid off from 2 of those jobs; however, individuals with ADD are notorious for having problems keeping jobs. They get bored and need change…often. Personally, I don’t feel that I struggle with this. I would still have my last job, which I’d had 2.5 of those years, had I not been laid off.

I am not a doctor, lawyer, or Indian Chief. I am a writer and dabbling artist who is still trying to figure out the best way to manage this disorder.

Please consider subscribing to my RSS feed as I plan to write some fact-packed posts on how you can help yourself or a loved one excel with ADD.

Click here to read Part 1.

Photo by stuartpilbrowMy parents moved me to a Christian school beginning in 7th grade. Back in 1987, my doctor cautioned my mom against my taking Ritalin past puberty as it was believed it would have the opposite effect. It would begin acting as a stimulant rather than helping me focus. So…I went off of it. I took Prozac for a month, but the controversy surrounding that drug also urged my mom to take me off of that as well. I haven’t been on medication for ADD since save for a month about a year and a half ago. I’ll write more about that later.

I have mixed emotions about being taken off medication. On one hand, I learned to deal with ADD without being dependent on medication. On the other, my lack of focus has made it difficult to take things through to completion throughout my life. In 7th grade, I fell back into my old habit of bad grades. I spent the majority of junior high barely getting by. My overall performance grades were terrible, but I would somehow manage to pull it off come exam time. My Math deficiencies became apparent during this time as well. Whereas I had received awards early on in school for Mathematics, I could barely comprehend basic Algebra.

I faced some pretty intense ridicule at the Christian school which opened a lot of old wounds. The social problems related to ADD began to manifest themselves during this time. I don’t have very many fond memories of that war zone. Right about the time when things finally seemed to be getting better for me there, I was dismissed from the school for tuition non-payment. That was one of the worse days of my life. It also led to one of my biggest regrets, which is not urging my parents to put me back in public school.

I was home-schooled my 10th grade year. That same year we moved from a bustling neighborhood full of kids my age to a rural country road. Looking back, it was a terrible set of circumstances for a young girl with ADD. I didn’t realize it at the time because I wasn’t capable of that level of critical thinking. There was no way I could look to the future and see how this was ultimately a setback. At the same time, I began to excel academically once again and passed the 10th grade with flying colors. Home school is a very viable option for children with ADD for the following reasons:

• Shorter school hours
• Less repetition
• Teaches independent study

Today, there are all kinds of social programs and groups for children who are home schooled. These resources weren’t available or were just unknown, so I spent many lonely hours at home not really looking forward to much. When I turned 18, I started a program at the local community college to graduate high school in three months. It was and Adult High School program, I finished it with flying colors in late 1993. I completed high school one day and began college courses the next. I lacked any real guidance with college. I wasn’t sure what my options were or really what I should do for a career.

Art was my talent, but I knew nothings of what kind of jobs and paths I could take with that. I didn’t realize that I might want to pursue a career in something else to avoid hating art because I did it for a living. I just took transfer courses. Community college suited me. It was independent enough to be what I had become used to with home school, but there was enough teacher support to get me through the rough spots. I went to college long enough to be a doctor, lawyer, AND Indian Chief.

To Be Continued

I’m doing a series on my experiences with ADD and some interesting facts that maybe you didn’t know. Please consider subscribing to my RSS feed.

Fourth grade was hell. There is no other way to put it. Early on in school, I had displayed signs of academic excellence. In the second and third grades, I received awards in Math, produced an award winning Science project, received incentives for reading, memorized poetry, and got recognition for many other things. By fourth grade, I excelled at nothing except convincing my teacher that I was the spawn of Satan. My behavior wasn’t evil, it was just obstinate. I found it necessary to walk aimlessly about the classroom because my mind was so dulled by boredom. This didn’t fair well with my teacher… I will refer to her as Mrs. Mendenhall.

I often found myself isolated from the other students in my class. Mrs. Mendenhall liked to put my desk off in the corner where I sat alone while the other kids enjoyed their desks in various clumps around the room. She also fancied putting me in a small room that joined two classrooms which was referred to as the conference room. There was never anyone to confer with for me. That was the year I lost my self confidence. That was the year that I became an introvert trapped in an extrovert’s body.

Fourth grade was the first year that I remember being expected to do a lot of work independently. This obviously wasn’t ideal for me. That year we learned about the Election (1984), and state history. We had to fill binders with information about both. This entailed a lot of copying information out of World Book encyclopedias, filling out work sheets, and copying pertinent lists of information. All of which is not very conducive to the ADD mind. The ADD mind is never content with or engaged by “busy work”. Completing mundane exercises is like watching grass grow. Individuals with ADD are notorious for being brilliantly creative and bright. Hand copying a list of the 100 counties and county seats of North Carolina was the equivalent to Chinese water torture for me.

I still have those crinkled pages with eraser holes in them. The handwriting begins neatly and by the end the proper names are so wildly scrawled that they are barely readable. Those pages are a symbol to what that entire year was like to my body, mind, and soul. Mrs. Mendenhall was fond of notes as well. She liked to write snarky notes home to my mom about me. A note home meant a spanking. Spankings sparked fear and dread in me. I remember one day well into the school year, when I was well worn from the struggle, five minutes before school was out, Mrs. Mendenhall began a note. “Ava stood ready to leave at 2:10 (we were dismissed at 2:18) with her work incomplete…” I began to cry. Mrs. Mendenhall called me a “baby” in front of the class.

The year dragged on. Both my parents and I were well and truly frayed by the end. They had run the gamut of punishments trying to get me in line. I had run the gamut of doing everything I could to do what I was supposed to do to no avail. What was wrong with me!?! Everyone wanted the answer to that question.

I moved on to Fifth grade and to more independent work. This year we learned about Egypt, the Civil War and the Solar System. Again, we compiled binders full of information on the topics. I picked up where I left off the year before fumbling my way through, but this years was as different as night is from day. My mom mentioned the problems I was having to my doctor both mental and physical. I was under such stress from everything going on in my life at the time that I was throwing up almost every night. I would go to bed, wake up an hour later, and hurl. My doctor told my mom that perhaps I was learning disabled to which she became very defensive, “She’s not retarded!” (Little did she know. )

My doctor went on to explain what learning disabled really meant and suggested that my parents allow him to refer me to a psychologist who could do some tests to find out what my deficits were and then they could treat them. I was given a battery of psychological tests. It was mostly IQ test type stuff on paper where I had to draw things, write stuff, and answer questions. I was told to perform the tests to the best of my ability. These tests yielded my diagnosis with Attention Deficit Disorder. In addition, I was diagnosed with an Auditory Deficit that effects the way that I hear numbers. I was prescribed Ritalin.

Ritalin transformed my life. It allowed me to focus in school. It allowed me to excel at academics again and my grades went from B’s and C’s to mostly A’s with a couple B’s. I began receiving accolades at school again. I was praised by my teachers for my work. What a relief! It was my greatest triumph. I proceeded to excel for the duration of elementary school. It seemed the problem and solution had been identified and my struggle was over with the help of a little yellow pill that I took twice a day. It was only the beginning of a very colorful education.

To Be Continued

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