Literally my parents. And teachers. I was “such a quiet kid” who did well in school. Never mind the fact that I would chatter to my parents and brother to the point where they’d actually get rather upset with me interrupting everything.
Turns out I excelled on tests solely because it was quiet. The doodling and daydreaming I did managed to keep just enough information flowing into my brain that when it came to tests, I just worked through them like puzzles.
I remember classes after I started taking Ritalin in highschool. Holy crap. I actually remembered learning. It was incredible. I didn’t have to figure out things on my own. Tests were even easier because I had the answers beforehand.
Really feeling myself seen in this. I didn’t get diagnosed until this year and I’m 41. I did texts just like you and I excelled at school until college hit me like a brick wall. Puzzling through tests got a lot harder when you have to write answers that demonstrate your knowledge of the material I never read. I would procrastinate so hard that I would set an alarm for 3AM the day a paper was due at 9AM and write it in those six hours.
BUT, that skill of working through tests like a puzzle is a good one to have. I’ve never heard it put that way but you’re exactly right in calling it like that.
Right now there’s no regular work in my job, but you can go online and take classes from the parent company and get paid. I picked one that I will literally never have to know anything about, which was estimated at 8 hours. I skimmed the material for half an hour then puzzled through the four tests in half an hour. One hour for eight hours pay. Yeah I can do that.
Heh, one of the other things I’ve gotten really good at since I was a kid is describing what it’s like in my mind.
One of the best ones recently was a spiderweb. Every thought is connected to every other thought. Even on my meds, I’m capable of connecting extremely dissimilar things - the ocean and blueberries are linked because of the color blue. The difference is on my meds I can choose the strand of the web to follow, rather than diverge from talking about the ocean to talking about fruits.
Meanwhile I’m trying to get diagnosed as an adult but because I got good grades as a kid and didn’t actively commit crimes all the time I’m being told that it’s impossible that I have ADHD
I was told over the phone that my job was too difficult for me to have ADHD. Shit clinic. They even billed me for a bunch of overtime and fees that of course insurance denied coverage on. I got a much better, and cheaper, second opinion and was evaluated top 7% for ADHD symptoms.
An ADHD diagnosis as an adult is hard. If it’s impacting work (which if you have ADHD I don’t see how it couldn’t), your best bet is starting off with a licensed therapist. They can at least help you get things started, and help get you a recommendation to a psychiatrist. If the current clamp down on ADHD meds is any indication, it probably will have to be a specialized psychiatrist to get you diagnosed.
One of the things about ADHD is that the symptoms are life long, so there would be some indication that you had it as a kid. Your parents and siblings or close cousins are your best bet on that. You don’t want to fish for the information, but get a general idea of what they know. It will help in your diagnosis, or at least get you into testing.
Yes it is critical to mention things from your childhood and how you masked and passed as typical. You may not think you were masking, but if you have ADHD you absolutely were. Think long and hard about this and don’t forget to mention it in your interview.
Literally my parents. And teachers. I was “such a quiet kid” who did well in school. Never mind the fact that I would chatter to my parents and brother to the point where they’d actually get rather upset with me interrupting everything.
Turns out I excelled on tests solely because it was quiet. The doodling and daydreaming I did managed to keep just enough information flowing into my brain that when it came to tests, I just worked through them like puzzles.
I remember classes after I started taking Ritalin in highschool. Holy crap. I actually remembered learning. It was incredible. I didn’t have to figure out things on my own. Tests were even easier because I had the answers beforehand.
Really feeling myself seen in this. I didn’t get diagnosed until this year and I’m 41. I did texts just like you and I excelled at school until college hit me like a brick wall. Puzzling through tests got a lot harder when you have to write answers that demonstrate your knowledge of the material I never read. I would procrastinate so hard that I would set an alarm for 3AM the day a paper was due at 9AM and write it in those six hours.
BUT, that skill of working through tests like a puzzle is a good one to have. I’ve never heard it put that way but you’re exactly right in calling it like that.
Right now there’s no regular work in my job, but you can go online and take classes from the parent company and get paid. I picked one that I will literally never have to know anything about, which was estimated at 8 hours. I skimmed the material for half an hour then puzzled through the four tests in half an hour. One hour for eight hours pay. Yeah I can do that.
Heh, one of the other things I’ve gotten really good at since I was a kid is describing what it’s like in my mind.
One of the best ones recently was a spiderweb. Every thought is connected to every other thought. Even on my meds, I’m capable of connecting extremely dissimilar things - the ocean and blueberries are linked because of the color blue. The difference is on my meds I can choose the strand of the web to follow, rather than diverge from talking about the ocean to talking about fruits.
Meanwhile I’m trying to get diagnosed as an adult but because I got good grades as a kid and didn’t actively commit crimes all the time I’m being told that it’s impossible that I have ADHD
It’s so frustrating
Yep, I have a successful career and had… Ehh ok grades and I graduated college and everything.
The problem was I was basically in overdrive all the time and miserable just to get everything done.
I finally got a diagnosis. It’s a lot easier than in the past. They tested me years ago and basically said I am very intelligent I’m just lazy.
Getting meds has been a challenge though. Not sure when that will happen for me…
I was told over the phone that my job was too difficult for me to have ADHD. Shit clinic. They even billed me for a bunch of overtime and fees that of course insurance denied coverage on. I got a much better, and cheaper, second opinion and was evaluated top 7% for ADHD symptoms.
nah my friend you “didn’t get caught” next time they ask.
An ADHD diagnosis as an adult is hard. If it’s impacting work (which if you have ADHD I don’t see how it couldn’t), your best bet is starting off with a licensed therapist. They can at least help you get things started, and help get you a recommendation to a psychiatrist. If the current clamp down on ADHD meds is any indication, it probably will have to be a specialized psychiatrist to get you diagnosed.
One of the things about ADHD is that the symptoms are life long, so there would be some indication that you had it as a kid. Your parents and siblings or close cousins are your best bet on that. You don’t want to fish for the information, but get a general idea of what they know. It will help in your diagnosis, or at least get you into testing.
Yes it is critical to mention things from your childhood and how you masked and passed as typical. You may not think you were masking, but if you have ADHD you absolutely were. Think long and hard about this and don’t forget to mention it in your interview.