Q. When did you first learn you had ADHD? How did you react? 

A. 8th grade. For me, it was the answer to the questions I (as well as my parents and teachers) had been asking for so long, so it was a relief in a way.



Q. How do you personally define ADHD? 

A. When you see kids who are constantly tapping or can't stop moving, it's like that, except it's mental. I think about a bunch of things at once; my brain is always moving.



Q. How do you think people without ADHD define it? 

A. Inability to focus. 



Q. Do you think that people without ADHD look at it as a negative or a positive? 

A. Probably as a negative. 



Q. What are some of the positive characteristics ADHD gives you? 

A. I have the ability to hyperfocus. For me, one of the things this happens on is tests, so I tend to do very well in that area. It also helps me think outside the box. 



Q. Has there ever been a time where someone has misunderstood your learning difference? How so? 

A. Yes. I'm smart, and my teachers always knew that, so when my homework was constantly late, it would sometimes be interpreted as laziness. I couldn't explain why I just couldn't do it, even if I had the skills necessary to.



Q. What kind of accommodations do you use in class? How do they help you?  

A. I take 20 mg of Adderall XR every morning, and sometimes an additional 10 mg. of Aderall in the afternoon before I do my homework. The Adderall often acts as a "blinder" to the stimuli that would normally distract me. 



Q. How do you advocate for your accommodations? 

A. I meet with my school's learning services department and my adviser, and I make sure my teachers know about my ADHD at the beginning of the term. Most teachers can be very accommodating if you do this in advance rather than after you've had trouble with an assignment and it's late. 



Q. Have you ever taken medication for your ADHD? Do you suffer any side from them? 

A. Yes I do, there was a period of a few months where I chose not to take them, just to see what would happen. I definitely have a personality change when I'm on them, which is not the best thing in the world. I get a lot quieter (not as goofy/giggly), I am not as hungry, and it keeps me up if I take it too late in the day. My heart rate also feels quicker. 



Q. Have you ever been able to overcome a challenge because of your ADHD? 

A. I guess knowing that I focus well on certain tasks that people are usually worried about (i.e. SATs, memorization, cramming) makes me more confident. 



Q. What are some of the strategies you use to stay focused in school, on homework, in social settings? 

A. Do homework at a cafe! For me, working at home means I can distract myself by getting up and checking the fridge, going to the bathroom ect. In a cafe, I don't get up unless I'm ACTUALLY hungry/need to pee/ect, rather than just as a form of procrastinating. Also, being in public keeps me from face booking, online shopping, ect. 



Q. What advice do you have for people who have just found out they have ADHD? 

A. Don't let it define you. A lot of the myths are not true at all. For example: "People with ADHD are not smart" (I have an IQ of 143), "People with ADHD can never focus" (the issue for me is not being able to predict WHEN I can or cannot focus), "People with ADHD are always tapping" (I can sit still for hours).

Also, today's school/academic system is the worst for ADHD, so chances are it won't affect you as much once you're out in the real world.