The LD Advantage
Q. When did you first learn you had ADHD? How did you react?
A. Just recently.
Everything had a lot more clarity to it, having known I had ADHD in the past would have helped me a lot more through school. It helped me understand why I can't focus, and why it was so difficult to apply myself.
Q. How do you personally define ADHD?
A. Impulsive and frustrating.
I don't really know how to define it, I wish I could. It would be easier telling my friends how my mind works and I don't think the way they do about things.
Q. How do you think people without ADHD define it?
A. As hyperactive and bullshit. I have primarily inattentive, temporal lobe ADHD. I don't bring it up ever, bevause people think it's stupid and doesn't exist.
Meet Faith -17
Q. Do you think that people without ADHD look at it as a negative or positive?
A. Everyone I know with ADHD was diagnosed later in life, and wish they were diagnosed sooner because they could have made a lot more out of their lifes.
People without ADHD think we are making up excuses for being lazy, and it really frustrates me because we are not.
So, more negative. I have never had any positive experiences from ADHD.
It has made learning hard for me, because I can not focus or retain information. I know I am very smart, but because of un-diagnosed ADHD I have felt like a stupid airhead all of my highschool life.
Q. what are some of the positive characteristics ADHD gives you?
A. The flip side of not being able to focus, is being able to hyperfocus when something you find interesting stimulates you.
However, it only lasts for a few hours. And you tend to forget about it afterwards and never touch the subject or hobby again.
Which I also find very frustrating, because I love to read and draw. I just can't finish a paragraph or stick with anything ever in my life.
Q. Has there ever been a time where someone has misunderstood your learning difference? How so?
A. Yes. All the time. It's impossible to explain because all my life I have had a different view of things, so people misinterpret you or don't believe you or think you are lying and ADHD is not a disorder.
Q. How does ADHD affect you socially?
A. Antisocial. Before I was a butterfly. I love people, I love being outside. ADHD has made me a shell of myself and I hate it. I hate not being able to apply myself and make the most. Meet new people and be happy just for the moment.