The LD Advantage
Q. When did you first learn you had ADHD? If you remember, how did you react to finding out about your ADHD?
A. It was either 3rd or 6th grade... Sorry, my memory is fuzzy on that. My mom always says that she was really surprised when I was first diagnosed, since she never considered it. She always thought I had aspergers.
Q. How do you personally define ADHD?
A. The way that the official psychiatric's diagnose ADHD. Science!
Q. Are you proud to have ADHD?
A. Yes
Q. How do you think people without ADHD define it?
A. I would hope that they would define it the way that the official scientists define it, but I know a lot of people believe ADHD is a catch-all for "Let's give this kid pills so they do better in school".
Q. Do you think that people without ADHD look at it as a negative or positive?
A. Depends on the person. Most people without it probably see it more negatively, but that's the same way that I see deafness. A lot of deaf people don't consider themselves handicapped, very similar to how I view ADHD.
Q. What are some of the positive characteristics ADHD gives you?
A. Empathetic, friendly, able to hyperfocus, and I think the ability to run on less sleep but I'm not entirely sure if that's ADHD, since I hear lots of ADHD people have trouble /not/ sleeping.
Q. Has there ever been a time where someone has misunderstood your learning difference? and how so?
A. The first example that sprang to mind was my mom calling my ADHD a "disease", but I think that's just her not understanding it fully. She only really gets to see when my ADHD is a bad thing.
Q. WHat kind of accommodations do you use in class?
A. 50% extra time and the use of a computer.
Q. How do your accommodations help you?
A. I rarely think to take the extra time accommodations, so usually I'm scrambling to finish an assignment at the last minute.
Q. Have the majority of your teachers been good at making sure you get your accommodations?
A. Yes
Q. How do you advocate for your accommodations?
A. I usually go up to a teacher after class if I think that an assignment is too much and I'll need an extension.