Did you do well in school? | ADHD Information

I did quite ok in school, at least the first 9 years (Barneskolen("Children school" from age 7 to 13) and Ungdomskolen ("Youth school" from age 13 to 16)) but that was mostly because in norwegian schools every one get the same education regardless of ability and the "weak" children get extra education but the children thats average or above than average get no extra attention; wich means they don't really have to work much to succed. What I really learned these years was to be bored.

At "videregående" (highschool I guess? age 16 yo 19) my grades got worse, cause I never really learned to work and then I suddenly had to practice to succed. But I got through without failing any classes.

The firs year on the "høyskole" (University level) I failed miserably in several classes, esp Math. But on the second attempt I had at last been diagnosed and started taking Ritalin, and I managed to get through a Bachelor with an average of C (one A, three B's (including a B on my Main Project) a lot of C's and D's and two E's). I actually got a B (!) on the exam in math (wich i previosly failed) even without using my extra hour wich I was allowed because of my ADD, but because I "forgot" to answer a few compulsory tests during the year (mostly because the lectures in math collided with other classes) the final grade was only C; wich annoys me a bit...

So yes it is possible to do ok in school, with ADD, at least if your IQ somewhat above 100. In fact my doctor say it's typical for inteligent ADHD/ADD'ers to go unnoticed through school. ADHD/ADD'ers are often quite creative and may develop good coping skills wich might even be advantageous in some subjects at scool..

Allthough my parents was told once at a parents meeting with my teacher the "One good new is that he's stopped falling of his chair all the time..." (That's just because I finally perfected the skill of balancing on the chair while tilting it, hehe), and that I constantly disturbed others with my chatting, they never thought I might have ADHD/ADD since I did quite well on tests and exams.

I guess I could have even better grades if I've been treated earlier, but I don't like to think about "what if's"..
Is there such thing as a person who has adhd and did fantastic in school? (be it consistently or in bursts) I'm talking straight A's or close to it?

I suffered through elementary school till I was diagnosed and medicated. Junior high and High school i did well enough to not study and still pass (most everything.) In college I couldn't get past the feeling that sitting in these classes was almost physically painful. After 3 attempts at college I went for specialized computer training elsewhere. Which ironically I have heard is harder than regular college, but I guess it's easier if your interested in it.

I won't take anything away from college, but it just seems so much like a living hell for my ADHD (sitting still for long periods, listening attentively, self motivation to complete work, deadlines.) I have the greatest respect for anyone ADHD that can get through college. Although my personal opinion is that most ADHD people would benefit more from a more specialized training. Maybe something that we can Hyperfocus on. Or maybe I feel that way becasue I couldn't cut it.

Sorry to ramble I just really like this question.

P.S. I did get an B+ in high school english, but my best friend was sleeping with the teacher. Man was she fugly!

I was an honor roll student till my senior year of high school, and then it was still As and Bs in everything except trigonometry. I sort of seemed to hit the figurative brick wall with math, luckily I did not need that credit to graduate. I started college and did well in the couple of courses I took, but then got pregnant and dropped out. I'm heading back in a couple of weeks though- wish me luck!

I have adhd and I am a cardiologist.

I did very well at school and in university I went through hell but never gave up.

So I supose when there is a will there must be a way - I was only diagnosed and medicated 3 months ago.

I have severe ADHD and my grades were great until 6th grade they started turning to B's and C's. I had true interest and curiosity (that helped, although the sitting still was torture) 7th grade it really got bad. I started daydreaming about the boy I had a crush on and couldn't concentrate well. I got stuck in a certain level of math and american history bored me to death. I hated sports and was lousy at them. I always did well in the sciences and arts. I was always very tired as a child (MENTALLY) but my body was nervous and hyper.In my childhhod pictures I am very pale,very bony,dark circles under my eyes and very sad looking.

i look near death really. That's a good poem. It reminds me of my situation when returning to school. The question was to pursue computer science or not. The easier road for me would have been to continue graphic arts. Because of five years without math or science i've forgotten it all and would have to work my way back up through 5 semesters worth of math! I think the icing on the cake to pursue CS was how many of my friends from HS had dropped out of CS because they said it was too hard or required too much math.

So after six years i still haven't given up and i'm throwing everything i have at graduating with an AA this spring and transferring to a four year after i take some summer courses.
willpower10139092.8536574074I just thought of something else. I think the reason why i may have done better this semester is that i had a harder course load. For some reason, the cure to my disorder seems to be to put me in challenging, high stress, high tension situations. Then i'm fine; but in normal everyday interaction, i can't remember a damn thing.
(has this been explored more on this board as a natural cure?)

I guess i'm just hoping there is some magic drug that will put me in that same state of mind all the time.
The Quitter

by Edgar A. Guest

Fate handed the quitter a bump, and he dropped
The road seemed too rough to go, so he stopped
He thought of his hurt, and there came to his mind
The easier path he was leaving behind

It's all much too hard, said the quitter right then
I'll stop where I am and not try it again
He sat by the road and he made up his tale
To tell when men asked why he happened to fail

A thousand excuses flew up to his tongue
And these on the thread of his story he strung
But the truth of the matter he didn't admit
He never once said, I was frightened and quit

Whenever the quitter sits down by the road
And drops from the struggle to lighten his load
He can always recall to his own peace of mind
A string of excuses for falling behind

But somehow or other he can't think of one
Good reason for battling and going right on
So, when the bump comes and fate hands you a jar
Don't baby yourself, boy, whoever you are

Don't pity yourself and talk over your woes
Don't think up excuses for dodging the blows
But stick to the battle and see the thing through
And don't be a quitter, whatever you do

that is a very stupid question just because peple have adhd it does not mean they cannot get a's in les its a american thing

in the uk a few adhd sufferers get a's and good graedesGO VOLS!!!I did great until my Freshman year, taking Honors classes (except math) Then I got bored and started drinking and partying.. and ended up quitting school and running away when I was 14 1/2.

Now that I look back on my past I was Severely ADHD and went undiagnosed. (I've been tested 3 weeks ago and still waiting on the results, I'm to call them back again tomorrow).

Wow, thanks for all the replies! I'll share my bit now.

I haven't actually been diagnosed with adhd, but all the sympoms fit, and that's another story entirely. My main concern is that maybe i've got something else besides adhd (I haven't the slightest what it could be though) and i don't want to get misdiagnosed. So i've been trying to collect as much information as possible which, thankfully, i'm addicted to doing anyway. :)

In a nutshell, i did really really good through the 7th grade, (although displaying most of the symptoms of adhd), and then below average in high school. When the freedom of college rolled around in spring of 01' i kept screwing up over and over because of stupid things like homework or attendance. Years later i still don't have an associates degree. Every couple semesters i would go back to school and try again, and do poorly.

This last semester, I decided that it'd been too long and i needed to try to do SOMETHING. I went back to school again, took a strong course load, and made straight A's.

So i ask myself this; how can i have adhd and make straight A's by just trying to? I always hear of adhd majorly affecting people's education more than anything else. So does this mean that i'm juts plain LAZY, and i finally "buckled down"???

All i know, is that it's getting worse. I'm just so confused right now. I'm seeking professional help through UTK's psychology department this week to see if i can get scheduled for an adhd test. (if i ever get around to it, lol!)

willpower10139092.6199074074Yes I did spend hours in my books.
I remember as a child pretending I was the teacher.
Would go through the books and make up my own tests that I would give. This helped.
I always learned at my own pace (which was rather slow)
hence more time with my face in the books than others.
I had no friends anyways and my books kept me distracted from my misery. So actually I wasn't really that smart.
The teachers always liked me and felt sorry for me.
Thank god we didn't have computer games because I would have escaped into that instead, I am sure of it.

I don't remember anything about elementary school. My mom recently commented that they just thought I was a 'spirited' child. Junior and senior high school were B's, C's and some D's, mostly C's.

Then came college. The first time- B's and C's. The second time- at age 25, A's and only the occasional B. Dean's list 90% of the time. My husband says it was just cause I studied all the time. Thanks for the vote of confidence hunny!

Being under presure is when I excel. That is not to say that I enjoy being taxed by someone else to stand and deliver, for that gives me a sense that 'someone' don't think I'm uh... putting out enough. Though I'd have to admit that I prefer to set my own pace in all I things I do, I benifit greatly when my abillity to produce is challenged... whether for real or only in my twisted imagination. The greater the presure, the greater the tresure. Look what all that presure does to coal.... Shine on you crazy diamond!

I did poorly in school from the get go. Always day dreaming in class and totally uninterested. Almost uniformally all of my reports stated I had great potential if I would only apply myself. I dropped out in 10th grade, and later got a GED and chose to get into several different trades, loosing interest before I could grab hold of something. However, when I took a shot at Climate Control Technology I got so hungry for knowledge its a wonder I didn't eat the books. I am a firm believer that uh, that Idle hands and Idle minds gather moss.... even the devil would have trouble getting me to suffer so I'd suck at the devil's workshop.

K_R44

[QUOTE=Benji]that is a very stupid question just because peple have adhd it does not mean they cannot get a's inless its a american thing

in the uk a few adhd sufferers get a's and good grades[/QUOTE] Y'all have heard of A & D ointment? Legend has it they named it after looking at my report cards ... a steady stream of A's with a handful of D's sprinkled in; not much of anything else. If the subject was interesting and the teacher was cool I'd ace the class; otherwise my butt would be filling a seat but my mind would be in Hawaii. Was always a top pressure performer; milked this in high school (where I have the distinction of getting an A in one class after having already received a failure notice).

Pretty much made all A's in college, then dropped out about a semester short of getting a degree.

I always need a kick in the butt . [QUOTE=willpower101]

[/QUOTE]

That's allmost excactly what I was thinking when I decided I needed to get diagnosed; I thought that "Either I'm ADHD or else I'm lazy without knowing it" wich I thought was strange. Luckily I was ADD, though I may still be a bit "lazy" when it comes to starting something (but with meds. I'm actually able to complete tasks I have started, without having to harness all my willpower to keep me focused).

But doing great when you "try" (on exams and tests) and not so good otherwise (like homework etc) is one of the typical childhood "symptoms" in many ADHD checklists.

( BTW, I've noticed many of you write very long sentences, with several commas (and parantheses

); like I do. Do you allso talk that way? With deeply nested parantheses and subsentences and sometimes even "footnotes"? I do, is that a "ADD thing"? )qvasi39093.1627777778I run my own Graphic Design/Web Design business and I must say that I'm the exact same as you in the aspect that the only way I cope well is to have 10 + projects going on at once and have insanly short deadlines (even if I give the deadlines to myself) I too do much better in very challenging and highly stressful situations. I've always said to my bosses that I'm Best under pressure LOL! Now I am my own boss (aside from my clients that is).

I had thought about going to school for CS.. and actually started one semester, but I couldn't cope with the boring classes that I had to take in order to get to the ones that mattered most.

You'll do just fine, where there's a will there's a way and if you have that and the drive you'll succeed.
We got you the first time benji.

I don't think it's a stupid question because, while i may have phrased it poorly, it is something that i'm truly curious. The only stupid questions are the ones that aren't asked.

[quote]Do you allso talk that way? With deeply nested parantheses and subsentences and sometimes even "footnotes"? I do, is that a "ADD thing"?[/quote]

It really depends. For the most part, yes, if i am allowed to i will talk like that. I tend to have a problem staying on topic or remembering what i wanted to say. I always try to have a pen and paper handy whenever i go to any important meetings and i take notes on what the other person is saying. This is because it's a HUGE effort for me to hold on to even one elaborated idea as opposed to the several that i think of while they are talking. They just tend to push each other out. This is another thing that could have an entire paper dedicated to it.

I have noticed that a certain style of scatterbrained writing tends to persist throughout this board. :) I'm guilty of it myself.
I actually did really well in school. I was a straight A student all through high school and had a 3.8 in college. For some reason I was great at studying. I am finding it harder now to cope with ADHD now that I'm in the working world...

I was a chronic underachiever until I went to college. I had no friends there and it was ultrareligious, so the only thing to stim on was....studying! Started getting a real sense of power and pride from academic success. Graduated top 10 from dental school. So I think its totally possible, its just a question of channelling your energy.

First, you have to be studying something that you're actually interested in. There's no way I could hyperfocus on something I found intrinsically boring. Second, you have to eliminate or diminish competing distractions: TV, video games, skydiving, whatever your stim of choice is, you have to tell your brain to stim on studying instead and withold other stimulating activities. Third, it may help to have a certain personality......a little obssessive streak can really help during those late study sessions.

[QUOTE=willpower101]

[/QUOTE]

What you described is often in the very nature of ADHD. I was the typical daydreaming ADHD child 50 years ago and it was never diagnosed. I was always told that I could do much better if I would only pay attention and not disrupt the class.

I have been diagnosed as having severe ADHD.

In high school, I did well in the subjects I liked and failed the others. I was always struggling to get things in on time. I was always loosing things. I never graduated from high school but managed to get into college as a mature student a year late.

The Admittance Officer looked at my grades and told me 'You are wasting your time here.' He challenged me by that and I was determined to prove him wrong.

I was interested in the courses I took so I applied my self for the first time in my life. At Christmas time in my first year, I topped the Business division of the college with the highest average "Straight A's". My marks stayed that way until graduation. I went on to university and did well and graduated with a four year degree taken at an accelerated rate.

However for much of my life, it is a hit and miss thing. At work I might do very well on one project but find it impossible to even start the next similar one etc. Later on I might do a great job on another similar or much different project. I have never been consistent.

Try and get the book "Driven To Distraction". It helped me to understand myself and get a diagnosis.Marmalade_man39197.4766666667

I did well in elementary school, probably due to the luck of getting fabulous teachers. I was in the Gifted and Talented program until 7th grade and I believe my IQ was measured at 135.

At seventh grade I was put on self study in math and science (two of my weaker subjects) and, though I love English, I had a teacher who I didn't like and I started to act out for the first time in my academic career. In order to get me out of this personality clash, I was removed from both Gifted and Talented English and Social Studies in the "normal" kids class. Things went downhill from there. I was told I could get back into Gifted and Talented once I got into High School, but I was bored in the normal classes, so I got "B"s and "C"s and never made it into the AP classes.

Had a 3.5 GPA in Junior College and in college. I got a B.A. in Drama from a mediocre state university.

As soon as I go on Ritalin, I think I'm going to go back and get a masters

Hi, Im new to the board and was never diagnosed with Adhd/Anxiety inattentive until age 28. At that time I was in school for nursing. Unfortunatley when I hit my 3rd year school got tougher and my adhd was not diagnosed till the end of the school year so didn't make it. But, Haven't given up!!! Now enrolled in an associate nursing program and have been getting As up until 2 weeks ago.

Unfortunatley 2 weeks ago I had a very bad morning and was rushing and went off without taking my meds before school and had and exam that day ~ without getting into the whole ordeal ended up I got dismissed ----- does anyone know if I have an legal rights cause I had not taken my meds and this played huge part. Was not given opportunity to retake exam, take different exam, or even take failing grade for that exam and cont. on they just dismissed me --- so frustrated and bummed out.

I was just diagnosed with Inattentive ADHD at 33. It always bothered me that I did not do as well in school as I should have. I was above average. Always got B's and C's in Math. Yuck. Except geometry/trigonometry with I loved and aced. English was OK, but I loved science, Spanish class or anything remotely artistic. Ended up graduating high school with a 3.5 GPA.

When I was very young my other had me "tested" because she was afraid I was mentally handicapped. I would not speak, or rather, all I would say was "yaya", even though I was completely capable of talking. I have no idea what sort of battery of assessment tests I went through, but after it was done, I had measured in the 99th percentile and my mother was told that I was gifted and therefore probably just bored. I would talk when I felt like it. Later on my IQ was measured at 170. I learn very quickly. However, if I am not engaged by something, it is a real battle for me, no matter how much discipline I try to muster. My mother was constantly trying to find me new hobbies and activities to keep me engaged. However, because I was never hyperactive and a girl (in addition to performing OK in school) no one ever suspected a problem. I however, knew I was not like other kids, and not just because I was gifted.

College was a nightmare because I was now required to regulate myself. I am very impulsive and so if something sounded like more fun than going to math class, I wouldn't go. I think I dropped math about 4 times. Ditto for some other classes. I was a music major and loved my music classes, but some of the other required stuff was the problem. I wasn't interested and no one was there to kick me in the butt. This eventually caught up with me and I dropped out. I switched gears and now am fairly successful in my new career choice. I will go back to college once I find the right medication to help me be able to stay on task (and not be so subject to running with every whim and distraction!). Like you, I figured that I was just lazy and undisciplined and needed to "buckle down". I feel much better now that I have figured out that this is not the case. It isn't like I don't try, and my life is full of contrasts. I have done extremely well in some things, but poorly in others.

My current psychiatrist told me that I would never have been diagnosed as a kid because back then, you HAD to be hyperactive and ADHD was always ruled out if you were over the age of 7. He said in my case (and he also said this is typical) problems did not manifest until college. Even when I was in college and was going to a psychiatrist (I developed panic disorder), it would never have been considered since I was not hyperactive, and it was still a very new idea that ADHD could persist into adulthood. Besides, I was most obviously suffering from panic disorder.

And I do not know whether the writing style is "typical ADHD", but I certainly do it (as you can see). I do talk this way a lot too. People get lost listening to me sometimes....

"Driven to Distraction" is an excellent book. I also like "Delivered from Distraction" since it is somewhat updated and discusses some of the more modern therapies for ADHD.

Best of luck to you.

[QUOTE=seldomseen] Y'all have heard of A & D ointment? Legend has it
they named it after looking at my report cards ... a steady stream of A's
with a handful of D's sprinkled in; not much of anything else. If the
subject was interesting and the teacher was cool I'd ace the class;
otherwise my butt would be filling a seat but my mind would be in Hawaii.
Was always a top pressure performer; milked this in high school (where I
have the distinction of getting an A in one class after having already
received a failure notice). Pretty much made all A's in college, then
dropped out about a semester short of getting a degree.
[/QUOTE]

Yes, that was my situation. Through high school I was an acceptable
student (good enough to get into the University of CA), mostly due to my
parents keeping a watchful eye over me and getting me tutors.

Once I got into college my grades were either A's or D's/F's. In fact, I had
to repeat multiple courses that I had failed (mostly in the social sciences,
all introductory courses). However, I excelled in courses like calculus and
physics. I was also invited into graduate-level seminars in cultural/
women's studies, simply because I was very intersted in the subject.

I actually lied to my parents and told them that I was having trouble
choosing a major, just to explain why it took SIX YEARS to get through
college......

To the original poster, I haven't recently been diagnosed with ADHD (I
was in junior high), so I understand your concern about mis-diagnosis. I
figure the best bet is to get in to see a professional :-)