ADHD ÇLD - treatement, suggestions from personal experience

Submitted by an LD OnLine user on

I am interested to hear from anyone who is willing to share his or her experience.

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 07/11/2002 - 1:56 PM

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I recently turned 23 and have been diagnosed as ADHD, LD and gifted. I know that that this sounds like an unusual combination, but it is actually pretty common, and all three categories share similar characteristics.

I was diagnosed as ADHD at the age of two. I didn’t sleep as a child and was very active. My mother was and still is in the field of special education so she knew that I had some characteristics that she should be concerned about. I was placed on Ritalin, but it changed my personality completely and my parents decided to try other methods such as behavior modification, etc. When I began school my teachers found it very difficult to keep me interested in school work. I was reading before I entered school so I was not interested in leraning my letters, and I couldn’t sit still or stay quiet long enough to complete a lesson. Eventually, the teachers had to allow me to do my work under the table, on the floor, as I walked around the room or any other way necessary. I was tested by a school psychologist in kindergarten because of the forementioned behaviors and I qualified for the gifted program. My parents thought that this was a blessing because they thought that the challenging programs of study would interest me. I would leave my school a couple of times a week to go to another school for gifted services. I loved the gifted class and was interested in the work, but I got frustrated easily because of my ADHD and LD. This type of schedule continued until jr. high when I went to the gifted class everyday. I also began having difficulty with my school work in the areas of math and science. I was once again place on Ritalin to help with my concentration but begged to not take it and again was taken off of it. I got extra help from teachers, parents a tutors with my school work and toughed out the jr. high and most of high school years.

When I was in 11th grade I began taking the SAT and performing poorly on the test. I was not performing to my ability and was becoming more and more frustrated with the fact that I knew that I had the intelligence to perform well, but not the ability. I was placed on a newer medicine to help with concentration (Dexidrine), and loved the reslults. I was able to concentrate long enough to finish an assignement and felt more confident in my work. Though my SAT score didn’t improve drastically it did improve well enough.

My college years were trying, but I was able to complete my bachelor’s degree in special education and am currently finishing my master’s in LD. It has been a difficult path at times, but I have been able to overcome and compensate for my disabilities. I know that I am an exceptin to the rule, but I do believe, as an eucator and as an adult and former student with ADHD and LD that with support from family, the right modifications, and the proper learning environment that a child or adult can gain the skills needed to be successful in life.

www.about.com is a great website to find proper modifications for student with LD and ADHD.

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 07/23/2002 - 9:30 PM

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Hey JAB (?)

Thanks for writing your story.
For the past year I was collecting “life stories” of people with LD and ADHD
Many of these people found their way and turned into successfull adults.I think that this is very encouraging.
Through their stories I was trying to find out what each one thought was helpfull to him or her.
So thanks again
Ariela

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