According to CHADD the authority on all things ADHD recognizes October as National Awareness Month (everyone else says it September…but whatever) so I want to share my story as some of you have requested…so I guess here goes…
The whole thing really started when I was born because ADHD is hereditary (thanks Dad!) But the issues really became apparent in middle school. In middle school homework should only take what? 2 or 3 hours tops? Well I was taking more like 5-6 hours. So that was the first major problem. Also I was having severe mood swings. Mom calls them my Jekyll-Hyde moments. I was a little terror! BIG issue! So my parents were at their breaking point. First, they dealt with my mood, I went to see Dr. F. His office was in an old converted mill building. He took me into the back room. The room was a fair size and he gestured for me to sit on the brown couch. He talked to me about why I was becoming so mad and turning into a little monster. After a few of these sessions my behavior was getting better but I was still having issues like homework was still taking all hours of the night to get done. So my parents talked with my teachers, and my doctor, Dr. M, and they suggested my parents talk to the School Systems to have me evaluated.
Later on the school system sent a woman to analyze my behavior during class and after have me take some tests.She sat in the back of the classroom taking notes in a yellow-paged notebook. She was polite to me and acted very professional. After math class she took me down to the language lab to do the tests. She showed me pictures of things and asked me what was in the pictures. I remember feeling nervous that I wasn’t going to pass the test because of the looks she was unable to hide while I was answering. I also felt like this was insulting my intelligence because the questions were super easy and sounded like they were meant for first graders.
“Thank you for your time, miss” She said courteously and with that she left without telling me how I did on the test.
Only a few days later I was going with my mom to the school system’s office to meet a new person who was also going to give me some tests. The man stood about five feet six inches. He had grey hair and a tan face. He led me into a big room with red walls and florescent lights on the ceiling.
“Hi, today we are going to have fun together. We are going to play lots of games so don’t be nervous at all.” He said to me kindly.
“Okay” I replied still a little unsure of what was going on.
“Here are some blocks, I am going to show you a picture and I want you to make the picture with those blocks, okay?” He said.
“Sure” I replied a little bit more confidently.
I looked down at the square blocks he gave me. Some were diagonally white and black, some all-white, some all black. He then showed me geometric pictures and I arranged then blocks the match the shape he gave me. We did this over and over. I don’t think I did one single one wrong. He congratulated me and we moved on to the next activity; he would say a word and I had to tell him what it meant.
“Can you tell me the meaning of the word, zenith?”
“Sure, it means the top of something.”
“Good. You know you have a very well-developed vocabulary”
“Thanks”
That day I played lots of games with him like jig saw puzzles and other games. But now I realize they weren’t just games; he was testing my problem-solving and strategizing skills. After a couple hours, Mom took me home and I still at this point had no clue what was going on. Weeks later I got a new primary doctor, Dr. For. At the time I met her for the first time I had no clue how big a part of my life she would become.
Months later I went back to see Dr. F in the old mill building. He took us into the room where he talked to me before and gestured for us to take a seat on the light brown couch. I could tell by his body language and facial expression something big was up. He began breaking the news to us slowly, but all I caught was that I had something called ADHD. He continued talking but I was no longer paying attention, I was thinking about what ADHD could possibly be. After he was done talking we left. Mom and Dad talked to me on the way home but again I wasn’t listening, I had so many questions. What was ADHD? Does it have a cure? Is it just temporary? One of my most desired qualities in life was to be normal. Now I definitely wasn’t normal and it shook me up.
Now, looking back on that day I can not even express the joy and gratitude I have to the team of doctors and specialists that I met with and helped me get diagnosed with ADHD. But, you see, it was a huge relief to know that what was wrong with me was an actual things and that I wasn’t the only one. Now that I know there is an issue it is easy to cope. Much has happened since that day and it has been a tiring journey that, even now, continues on with new challenges presented every day. The biggest that was most recent was my diagnosis with Anxiety Disorder. 1/3 of people with ADHD have another disorder as well. I guess I am one of those. But through medicine and therapy I have been able to combat my ADHD and live my life how I want to. Sure, I stumble along the way, but you don’t need ADHD to mess up in life.
Now I have become a huge advocate for ADHD and all Learning Disorders. I think it is hugely important to spread awareness because it is something that affects us all. It is VERY likely you know someone with a disorder and know even know it! I always say that “Ignorance leads to prejudice” so I try to crush ignorance. I encourage other people with disorders to speak up about their experiences so that we can learn from them. I have learned that my ADHD is nothing to be ashamed of because it is a part of who I am but it is Not who I am. I have learned to embrace the challenge of ADHD and make the most of it. I encourage everyone to do the same!
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Love you all!
~WHN
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Random Thoughts of a Girl with ADHD 