All the Symptoms except Childhood History | ADHD Information

I think different people have different coping skills in the different stages of life. I had very strict parents that were constantly following me around making sure I did everything. To the average eye I was just a typical lazy, average C student. No one would have guessed ADHD. I suppose its possible for symptoms to not show up until later in life, but only a doctor would know for sure. Some of my classes I excelled in because they were taught in a more visual format.

I was never treated by a doctor but I bought over the counter ADD medicine (herbal remedy) and its actually working so I am assuming I have ADHD 8)

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I was not diagnosed ADD until I was 50 years old.

 

I got really good grades almost all the way through school until college, except in math.  If you were spacey and daydreamy as a kid that's also a childhood symptom.  When I was diagnosed my mom went with me ( I was 11 or 12) and she brought up things like me not being able to do my homework because I was missing some of the instructions that the teacher had given verbally and other things like that.  Maybe you can think of some things like that that happened to you as a kid, or if you talk to your parents maybe they could come up with some. I had good grades and good behaviour as a child as well, but my report cards were also full of comments like "daydreams too much, forgets verbal instructions, lacks concentration in her work, great student but could be better if she applied herself, etc... etc...."

Some children with ADD, especially girls, do well grade-wise. That's why I believe ADD is underdiagnosed in females. Here is a good article on AD/HD in girls and women:

http://health.ivillage.com/mentalhealth/mhadhd/0,,nwhrc_75hl sv2v,00.html
bcgirl197838475.3528935185Not all AD/HD people got poor grades or were seeming 'brats' to the outside world.  My Dr asked me a lot of seemingly 'odd' questions about my childhood. Things I never would have thought were irregular or ADD. A great Dr can help you out. Just don't let them drug you after 20 minutes. I'm totally shocked that it works that way in some places...You sound EXACTLY like me!  A good evaluation should take into account:

School history/grades - Only part of the puzzle. I did not have a lot of trouble in school - either behavior-wise or grade-wise.

Behavior at home - My mother had to answer questions for the doctor as well. I was somewhat difficult at home - my parents referred to me as "high strung" because I was cranky and lazy (probably burned out from the stress of ADD).  Let's just say my parents managed me pretty well, but no one else could have really seen this side of me except family.

Work history - It wasn't until I got married and had to work full time that the trouble really started and I had to manage myself, household responsibilities, and a job. Do you have trouble in your jobs? Did you ever get fired or seem not to do as good a job as most people?  That's another thing the tester should be asking.

Other testing - My psychologist also did other testing to confirm the diagnosis and rule out learning disabilities, etc.  I really think it's important to have comprehensive testing if at all possible to cover all the bases.
Hello - I have taken several online Adhd questionaires and all of the symptoms fit me exactly except the poor performance in school, etc as a child. I have always been a disorganized mess, easily distracted and short attention span, etc, but I was a relatively good student, and never had any behavioral problems in school. I was a slow reader though and had a hard time with reading comprehension but my grades were always fine. I have not been diagnosed yet, because I am in the process of finding health insurance and I don't want to go until I get on a plan. I have read that the childhood part is crucial to diagnosis. If I wasn't a discipline problem and didn't get bad grades etc, can I still have ADHD? I will tell you some of my adult symptoms. I lose everything, I am chronically late, I am often moving my leg or fidgeting, every aspect of my life is a total disorganized mess, I can not organize for anything, I have a hard time focusing and am easily distracted by noises, I have a hard time sitting through a movie or anything long that I am not interested in, my thought pattern goes from one thing to the next quickly, I am constantly interupting people when they talk, when I am really interested in something - I hyperfocus on it, I am a very impatient driver. The list goes on and on. Most of these symptoms I had as a child, but they just seem to have gotten a lot worse as an adult. If the Dr. determines that it is not ADHD because I had no school record of it, then what do I have?? HELP!!!