An observation, a rant, and a brag...

[The Captain]

We had our semi-annual parent teacher conference with all of DD's teachers yesterday.

She is still having issues getting organized and making it to class on time (as in every teacher stated she was one of two kids who could be counted on to always be the last, or second to last in class).  I describe her as scatterbrained and this has been an issue since forever.  We don't know how to fix this but when I have teachers telling me it's disruptive to class, it has to stop.  Any suggestions are appreciated.  There's the rant.

Now the brag - we also got her IOWA results.  She scored a composite 98 percentile.  DH and I knew the stinker was smart, but we were not expecting this.  Yes, of course we are pleased - just need to get the behavior in line.  We are not going to let her know the results.

On to the observation - the IOWA summary sheet also has a section which measures expected apptitude in the tested areas.  She averaged between 70 - 80 percentile in these areas.  The summary went on to say she far exceeded what her ability measured.  This is the part I'm honestly not too keen on.  Is this used to see if a student is reaching their potential?  If so, then there is obviously a major flaw on how it's designed if there is such a large disconnect between results and expectations.

She's in 5th grade and tested at grade 7.  This is consistent with how her entire class overall has been testing since 2nd grade (according to her 3rd grade teacher the class overall is brighter then average) so I think it helps the kids push and challenge each other.  DH and I don't want to put too much pressure on her, but we think she needs a bit more of a challenge academically.  Any suggestions in this area are appreciated as well (we have her taking online typing lessons and math lessons via the Kahn academy).

 

[Deleted]

Disorganization and underachievement are two classic signs of ADD in girls. You may want to get her tested. I'm thinking I should have been.... 

[Deleted]

If the whole class is testing high I'd say your are really lucky and she is being well challenged right where she is.

[The Captain]

Nov 26, 2013 9:20:14 GMT -5 @beerwench said:

Disorganization and underachievement are two classic signs of ADD in girls. You may want to get her tested. I'm thinking I should have been.... 

We were actually considering this in the 3rd grade.  At the time we relied on the judgement of her teacher, who has much more experience with kids then we do , who stated DD did not appear to fit the classic model of ADD.

How exactly does one go about getting tested for this and what are the results if she does have ADD?  We don't want to medicate her (her grades are fine, straight A's) so is there specific behavior modification therapy available?

[Deleted]

Nov 26, 2013 9:28:16 GMT -5 The Captain said:

Nov 26, 2013 9:20:14 GMT -5 @beerwench said:

Disorganization and underachievement are two classic signs of ADD in girls. You may want to get her tested. I'm thinking I should have been.... 

We were actually considering this in the 3rd grade.  At the time we relied on the judgement of her teacher, who has much more experience with kids then we do , who stated DD did not appear to fit the classic model of ADD.

How exactly does one go about getting tested for this and what are the results if she does have ADD?  We don't want to medicate her (her grades are fine, straight A's) so is there specific behavior modification therapy available?

I do not know. I just recently saw something about ADD in girls and had a "light bulb moment". I am considering getting myself and DD tested, since she's just like me.  I don't know where to begin for me; but for her, I figure I can bring it up to the Pediatrician.

I know DH is frustrated with my scatterbrained-ness and disorganization and we see both in DD. I don't know what to do to change it, since I never received any help myself. 

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Depending on what exactly she's scatterbrained with what helps me is I leave EVERYTHING in the exact same spot.  Guys in my old lab used to find it hysterical to move my chemicals around and wait for me to notice.

My lab bench looks like a hurricane came thru but in reality I can find everything I need.  You won't be able to find it without asking, but I can find it.  If it gets moved I'll spend the rest of the day trying to find it.

With being late how about a stop watch/timer?  She could set it to beep 5-10 minutes before class starts.  I use one to keep track of experiments.  I have one that clips to my waistband so I can travel with it, cost us maybe $10-$15.

[Pants]

Nov 26, 2013 9:28:16 GMT -5 The Captain said:

Nov 26, 2013 9:20:14 GMT -5 @beerwench said:

Disorganization and underachievement are two classic signs of ADD in girls. You may want to get her tested. I'm thinking I should have been.... 

We were actually considering this in the 3rd grade.  At the time we relied on the judgement of her teacher, who has much more experience with kids then we do , who stated DD did not appear to fit the classic model of ADD.

How exactly does one go about getting tested for this and what are the results if she does have ADD?  We don't want to medicate her (her grades are fine, straight A's) so is there specific behavior modification therapy available?

Captain - yes, there is non-medical therapy available. My brother had ADHD and has his whole life - he was on a combination of medications and behavioral skills therapy throughout school. In some schools, they provided this as a part of his curriculum (in a separate class), in others they didn't and my parents sought outside help.

As an adult, he is no longer on the meds but still uses the coping skills (specifically ones around focusing, calming down, organization, not losing his temper) in his adult life.

ETA: He graduated college several years ago, something my parents at many points did not think would happen because of the severity of his issues. He has a good job in sales, productive personal relationships, and is even mostly on time.

[bean29]

Nov 26, 2013 10:03:57 GMT -5 @anne81 said:

Well, I'm a girl and was recently diagnosed with ADD at the age of 33. I really wish I had been diagnosed earlier. ADD people tend to test very well on any test that takes speed into account - IQ tests for example.

My brother was diagnosed when he was a child and I was not.  He had the classical symptoms of ADHD - loud, impulsive, wriggly body.  I was a quiet dreamer who got good grades.  OTOH - I would skip school all the time by claiming I was "sick" and then making up the work in a morning.  At one point my teacher would just tape a list for me to my desk until I got back.  I have slacker guardians so I could get away with this.   I hit a wall hard, in college, when I had to plan things out more in advance because the sheer volume of work wasn't easy to do at the last minute.

I'll type a more coherent answer when I've had my Ritalin but basically the "hallway" in your brain is shorter from thought to action for those with ADD.  It's also shorter for memory and judgment and therefore while you're acting quicker everything takes longer. For example my office is downstairs in my house.  I'll sit at my computer, think of something I need to do, abandon it, head upstairs, forget on the way what I was going to do, head back downstairs, and hunt around for a visual cue of what I intended to do when I went upstairs. That's if I keep up the hunt for the visual cue rather than being distracted by something else.   So I'm walking in loops trying to trigger a memory that will stick of what I need to do.

Now I could write notes but I would have to remember to write them coherently (sometimes I'll look back on my notes and they are not linear and make no sense), keep track of them, and use them.

The ADD specialist I saw doesn't feel that it's a disorder per se. There's a mismatch between the way two parts of the brain work together (I'm really paraphrasing here) that might have been great evolutionarily at one point but is kind of a disadvantage when it comes to certain aspects of the modern world. Cavemen who were very acute observers might have been less likely to be eaten by the lion but are much more likely to be distracted by tv, traffic, etc.  They didn't have to wade through insurance documents or plan out 401k's. 

Wow anne, that sounds just like me.  Maybe I have ADD too.  DD and DS have always asked me to get them diagnosed for ADD.  Based on the descriptions in this thread I would think DD may have ADD, she is very smart, but extremely disorganized.  I am constantly asked to bring stuff to school b/c she "forgot" it.  I was of the understanding that the ADD drugs had significant side effects though, so if you could survive without the drugs that was better?

I use my smartphone/calendar/remineders to keep me organized.  I also use the Out of Milk List maker to remind me of things I need to do/buy. 

[Deleted]

When I was a ninth grade teacher, the tests always compared their achievement level to their ability.  There is a built-in ability (like IQ) test at some level in the SAT series, but I don't know exactly where.

If your daughter is working above her ability level, that is good.  It doesn't mean her ability level is low; it means that she stretches herself.  It's much better than working below her ability. 

The problematic area is when ability and achievement match.  I have had very low students who could no longer qualify for special ed. services because there was no longer a discrepancy.  That used to be one of the requirements although it may have changed.  By twelfth grade (where I now teach), we are beyond achievement tests.  My special ed. kids are exiting, not being re-evaluated.

[973beachbum]

Nov 26, 2013 9:07:32 GMT -5 The Captain said:

We had our semi-annual parent teacher conference with all of DD's teachers yesterday.

She is still having issues getting organized and making it to class on time (as in every teacher stated she was one of two kids who could be counted on to always be the last, or second to last in class).  I describe her as scatterbrained and this has been an issue since forever.  We don't know how to fix this but when I have teachers telling me it's disruptive to class, it has to stop.  Any suggestions are appreciated.  There's the rant.

Now the brag - we also got her IOWA results.  She scored a composite 98 percentile.  DH and I knew the stinker was smart, but we were not expecting this.  Yes, of course we are pleased - just need to get the behavior in line.  We are not going to let her know the results.

On to the observation - the IOWA summary sheet also has a section which measures expected apptitude in the tested areas.  She averaged between 70 - 80 percentile in these areas.  The summary went on to say she far exceeded what her ability measured.  This is the part I'm honestly not too keen on.  Is this used to see if a student is reaching their potential?  If so, then there is obviously a major flaw on how it's designed if there is such a large disconnect between results and expectations.

She's in 5th grade and tested at grade 7.  This is consistent with how her entire class overall has been testing since 2nd grade (according to her 3rd grade teacher the class overall is brighter then average) so I think it helps the kids push and challenge each other.  DH and I don't want to put too much pressure on her, but we think she needs a bit more of a challenge academically.  Any suggestions in this area are appreciated as well (we have her taking online typing lessons and math lessons via the Kahn academy).

 

If she is in 5th grade she really has to learn to get from one class to another, with everything she needs, on time now. Sixth grade starts the middle school thing where they switch classes for everything. My Dd loved it but for a wanderer it could spell disaster with so many more chances to be late for class everyday.

How does she respond to contests?  Personally I try and reward good behavior in the hopes of creating good habits.  So in her case we might figure out a things she really loves like a video game she loves to play.  She can earn time on that game everyday by doing things we want and tell the kids to let them earn that prize.  In her case it would be getting to class ontime all day might earn 30 minutes of play on that game that day.  I also o earn the prize inthe beginning and slowly make it harder and harder.   My hope is that eventually they will have such engrained habits, that we wanted them to have, that they won't need the prizes to keep it up.

Good luck! 

[gacpa]

Our son was diagnosed with ADD in the second grade.  He took meds until his junior/senior year in high school.  After starting college, he went back on the meds.

I was really torn about putting him on the meds.  I knew he was smart, but could not focus on his work or pay attention during school.  The meds allowed him to focus, gain the learning and coping skills necessary to function in class.  My goal was for him to be a functional adult and I think he is succeeding.  This issue is no different than someone needing glasses to see or a hearing aid to hear in my opinion.

I had a cousin with ADHD who did not receive help of any kind and cannot function in his daily life as an adult.  He has a messed up life.  I did not want that for our son.

I encourage you to get her help.  After his teacher discussed his issues with me, we took him to the pediatrician for testing.

Please keep us posted. 

[justme]

The more I read, the more she sounds a lot like me. Always tested high, had straight As, but I could be easily distracted (and didn't care because I could catch up so quick) and holy hell did you not want me to run out of stuff to do. I'm sure they can't do this anymore, but back then a lot of my teachers in elementary schools handed me things to start grading (like math or multiple choice where there was a clear right/wrong) and one teacher in 4th grade called a friend and threw a 6th grade math book at me to keep me occupied.

Do you have an accelerated groups of classes to get tested for? If she's performing well I'm guessing doctors and you wouldn't want to medicate. For me the "cure" was to challenge me to a point where I had to work. So I got thrown in all the advanced/honors/AP classes available, my middle school had it so some could take algebra in 7th grade where most didn't until 9th grade.

Hell, I even have that problem now. If stuff is too easy I just don't want to do it and get distracted....like I am now on here.

[Angel!]

Nov 26, 2013 10:03:57 GMT -5 @anne81 said:

I'll sit at my computer, think of something I need to do, abandon it, head upstairs, forget on the way what I was going to do, head back downstairs, and hunt around for a visual cue of what I intended to do when I went upstairs. That's if I keep up the hunt for the visual cue rather than being distracted by something else.   So I'm walking in loops trying to trigger a memory that will stick of what I need to do.

 I do that all the time!  I didn't know that was an ADD thing.  I end up hunting around either in the room I walked to knowing I walked there for a reason or go back to where I was to see what triggered me to walk to the other room in the first place.  Usually it eventually clicks, but sometimes I just end up frustrated because I know I walked there for something I felt was worth doing at the moment. 

Nov 26, 2013 10:52:01 GMT -5 @sroo4 said:

Here's one more thing to watch for or ask about... autopilot. 

Hard to explain,  but I sometimes waste time either redoing or checking things that I've done on autopilot.  Stupid things like closing the garage door or turning on my alarm before bed.  I do routine things without thinking about them,  then will have a sudden panic about did I did that?

Is that an ADD thing also, because I do this all the time with certain things as well?  My worst is the garage door.  Generally once or twice a week I will actually turn the car around & drive back by the house because I have no recollection of having closed the garage & I know I won't be able to let it go unless I check.  My kids have actually gotten to the point where they get annoyed because I do this so often.  I do it with locking doors at night a lot too. I've been working on trying to actively remember closing the garage or always glancing in my mirror to check the house as I drive off, but I haven't been too successful yet because I still turn around a lot more than I should.

[justme]

Oh bloody hell, I just finished reading other people's posts on here. Maybe all my joking about having ADD may actually be the truth!

Based on comments from Sroo and Drama, it reminded me of something. Growing up my parents would always get at me for leaving things around the house where they shouldn't be, but I wouldn't remember I put it there because I didn't "need" it so I'd have to ask them where the thing was to pick up. Then the real hell started for me because my brain would take me back to where I last used it except it wasn't there anymore since I had to move it. Ugh, it even happened whenever I cleaned my room - afterwards I couldn't find a damn thing and my parents would yell at me that I should clean my room more and I'd yell back that they made me "clean" my room and it's "clean" and that's why I can't find anything!

Consider having her take the Myers Briggs personality test. The results were pretty accurate for me, including the out of sight out of mind that was a big part of the results, and put to words to things I knew about how I operated but could never express. So maybe taking it might be able to shine a light on things and help you know what to address?

Sigh, not a pleasant experience to always be fighting over what's innate to you. And pretty much why I get along GREAT with my parents in short bursts, but anything longer than a week or two we butt heads over that stuff since they are so opposite from me.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Ugh, it even happened whenever I cleaned my room - afterwards I couldn't find a damn thing

My former PI and I had this happen to us.  He told me clean up the lab so I did and then we couldn't find anything.  I told him that's what he gets for asking me to clean! 

[cronewitch]

Nov 26, 2013 12:03:40 GMT -5 Angel! said:

Is that an ADD thing also, because I do this all the time with certain things as well?  My worst is the garage door.  Generally once or twice a week I will actually turn the car around & drive back by the house because I have no recollection of having closed the garage & I know I won't be able to let it go unless I check.  My kids have actually gotten to the point where they get annoyed because I do this so often.  I do it with locking doors at night a lot too. I've been working on trying to actively remember closing the garage or always glancing in my mirror to check the house as I drive off, but I haven't been too successful yet because I still turn around a lot more than I should.

Try saying it out loud. Say I am going to shut the garage door, I am shutting the garage door, the garage door is shut as you do it. Then if you don't remember doing it you might remember saying it. I heard this works for seniors who forget if they took there pills or turned off the coffee. If you have a garage door opener maybe put it a different place when you open door and away when you close it so if it isn't away you know the door is open.

[Pants]

Second what everyone is saying about the talking out loud to remember things. I started doing this when DD was born and I wasn't getting more than an hour of sleep at a time and couldn't retain any information. I had a tracker that helped with baby stuff, but for stuff like doors or the dogs I said "I locked the door after DH left." or "I let the dogs out at 8am. I let the dogs out at 8am."

It definitely helped. Not as much as sleep, but some.   

[Angel!]

Crone & Sroo & Bsb - Thanks for the tip on verbalizing what I am doing  .  I will have to try that.  I had never thought of that before.

I am also glad to see that I am not the only one that has this problem!

[Angel!]

Out of curiousity - what do you do with your clothes?

[justme]

But I can color code and organize the hell out of a warehouse! Everything is out in the open, I can see everything. I can visualize floor space and process flow. I can 'big picture' plan a complex issue or process visually in my head and know what will work/won't work on the surface and fill in the details later. I can and usually have plans A-E running through my head for all problem solving and can react with a contingency on a dime.

Ditto to it being out in the open so I can remember it. Though my system of it being on top of every surface in my apartment because I don't have enough organization accoutrements and they are expensive makes for a messy place. I'm in the middle of a purge to get rid of stuff - scanning a lot because if it's electronic in one place that works for me - and I've found so many things I forgot I had because it's organized away in a box on a shelf.

[Chocolate Lover]

I'm also very out of sight out of mind. I can teach myself over time that this is there, that is here; but until then, I'm a very cranky person looking for junk.  

Your DD may need to realize that the "one more thing real quick" syndrome is killing her. I was the queen of being late for everything because I just wanted to <<insert thing here>> real quick before I was on my way. I had to teach myself to just accept that EVERY one more thing was eating up at least 5 minutes. Stop for gas on the way to work? 5-10 more minutes. Throw those clothes in the wash? 5 more minutes. I keep trying to teach this same thing to DH, but he's not getting it. 

I also am one that will follow that thought. Putting laundry away.... oh look! that glass needs to go in the dishwasher......oh dang, dishwasher's full of clean stuff.......empty dishwasher, load dish........wait, those clothes need to go in the dryer.....oh yeah! I was putting stuff up!......(2 hours later) walk into laundry room, lid still up on washer and it's only half filled with clothes.

I talk to myself from the second the "Gotta do xxxx" hits me until I get to it so I don't forget what it was I went to do once I end up in the other room. I can announce it to the room in general but the actual people get sick of hearing it and I don't think the couch cares.

[The Captain]

Nov 26, 2013 10:03:57 GMT -5 @anne81 said:

 

The ADD specialist I saw doesn't feel that it's a disorder per se. There's a mismatch between the way two parts of the brain work together (I'm really paraphrasing here) that might have been great evolutionarily at one point but is kind of a disadvantage when it comes to certain aspects of the modern world. Cavemen who were very acute observers might have been less likely to be eaten by the lion but are much more likely to be distracted by tv, traffic, etc.  They didn't have to wade through insurance documents or plan out 401k's. 

I cannot tell you how very helpful this statement is to me.  We've assumed all along that it was strictly behavorial, and it is, but there is a reason for it.

[The Captain]

I can't reply individually to all the VERY helpful comments but will add a few thoughts.

DD is in a private school, there will be no assistance/evaluation/accomidations from the school with respect to anthing we discover.  It will be entirely up to us to get screening and a course of treatment/training in place if needed.  I'm good with that, but that's one of the reasons I'm seeking advice because most folks I know who have formal diagnosis, got screening/IEP's through their school system.

After reading some of the comments here I did some research and found:

www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/girls-and-adhd-are-you-missing-signs

The article is geared toward teachers, but it describes DD's behavor to a T. 

Also found the questions in this quiz very interesting...

psychcentral.com/addquiz.htm

I guess I'll be giving her pediatrician a call.

[greeniis10]

Nov 26, 2013 12:26:40 GMT -5 Angel! said:

Crone & Sroo & Bsb - Thanks for the tip on verbalizing what I am doing  .  I will have to try that.  I had never thought of that before.

I am also glad to see that I am not the only one that has this problem!

Do try it because not only will it help YOU, but (sorry) be prepared: one or more of your children may have the same brain-path.  You'll be able to help them early on so that they are less frustrated and learn how their brain works and work WITH it instead of against it.  No, you are far from alone with this!

Personally, I recommend reading two books: "Driven To Distraction" and "Delivered From Distraction".  I found them to be very helpful. 

[Angel!]

Nov 26, 2013 12:56:12 GMT -5 @anne81 said:

I end up hunting around either in the room I walked to knowing I walked there for a reason or go back to where I was to see what triggered me to walk to the other room in the first place.

The ADD specialist I saw said that you can usually tell when you walk into someone's home whether or not they have ADD. They will have piles of projects everywhere around the house because it's the "cue" to get it done and remember it. If something goes into a drawer it is literally forgotten. It's something about how memory works in people with ADD. They literally don't remember it if they don't see it. 

Wow, I do this too.  I often stick the most important things directly on my keyboard so I literally cannot miss them and won't forget about them.  Bills have to be set somewhere where I will see them.  I put sticky notes all over my computer screens at work even though I have a to do list sitting on my desk.  I often stick notes on doors where I have to see it.  Right now I have a note actually over the lock to the back door because it was really important and I was paranoid I would miss the note if it was just on the door, but you can't miss a note that you have to move to flip the lock.  I have never thought about it, but stuff that gets put in drawers basically goes there to die.  Even in my dresser, half the drawers are filled with stuff I never wear & I don't even know what is in them.  I was curious about Sroo not using a dresser, but now I realize that I use my dresser for socks, underwear, & pajamas.  Most pants just get folded and sit in a laundry basket to the side.  I know I have pants in my dresser, but I never wear them & am not sure what is in there.

This kind of has me rethinking everything

[alabamagal]

She sounds exactly like my middle son.  He is definitely ADD, never diagnosed professionally, but definitely not ADHD.  In 3rd grade he told me he had 4 F's.  He had all A's in academic subject and Unsatifactory in "Pay Attention, Follows Directions, Listens, Writes Neatly".  He always scored high on aptitude tests, but never seemed to have his stuff together.  He was in private school.  We felt no need to get a diagnosis, we just learned to deal with his issues.

Middle school was rough on him.  Teachers expected him to be organized and he struggled, but grades were good. 

In high school, things really came together.  Got even better in college.  He still struggles with organization, but understands his weaknesses.

I remember clearly one time that was just a definite sign he was ADD, and not being disobient.

I tell DS to feed the dog.
He walks outside to the dog food container.  It is empty.
He goes to the closet, finds the dog food, empties it into the container, puts the lid on and comes back in.
Dog is not fed.
DS was not being disobiedent, he actually did more work than was requested.  But somewhere along the way, he forgot his instruction, which was to feed the dog.
Reminded him what he was supposed to do, and he fed the dog.

Another example
In 3rd grade, he could not remember to put his name on the paper.  It was 5 points off on his test grade.
Teacher asked me to talk to him about it.
When asked, he said sometimes he was so excited to start the test, he sometimes forgot about putting his name.
So he got 95 on most of his tests.

[Chocolate Lover]

Nov 26, 2013 13:56:42 GMT -5 greeniis10 said:

Nov 26, 2013 12:26:40 GMT -5 Angel! said:

Crone & Sroo & Bsb - Thanks for the tip on verbalizing what I am doing  .  I will have to try that.  I had never thought of that before.

I am also glad to see that I am not the only one that has this problem!

Do try it because not only will it help YOU, but (sorry) be prepared: one or more of your children may have the same brain-path.  You'll be able to help them early on so that they are less frustrated and learn how their brain works and work WITH it instead of against it.  No, you are far from alone with this!

Personally, I recommend reading two books: "Driven To Distraction" and "Delivered From Distraction".  I found them to be very helpful. 

I'll second the Distraction books!! Love his way of looking at things. And the "race car brain with bicycle brakes" description appealed/made sense to to my ADHD boy

There's also a book that's specific to women/girls from a couple of years ago by Patricia Quinn. Something like: 100 questions about ADHD in women & girls. 

[Anne_in_VA]

Wow!  It's amazing that so many of us are ADD or ADHD.  I was diagnosed with ADHD in my late 40's or early 50's and took meds for it for several years along with regular therapy.  I was able to learn some coping techniques, but like a lot of you, it something's not organized a particular way or if I put something away, it's gone (out of sight, out of mind).  I hate clutter and DH is a semi-hoarder, so I find it really difficult to find things or I forget things all the time because there's so much clutter in our house.  I also have two closets, one for current season clothes and one for out of season clothes and that's the only way I can keep them organized.  Once the season changes, I have to pack away the past season clothes or they'll just sit in the closet and I can't find what I need for the current season. 

I finally started giving things away that he had packed away and he's never even missed them.  I even got him to sell the two vehicles that were in the garage and driveway that were undriveable and hadn't been functioning for some time.  We now have garage space! 

I have file folders for everything I do for work.  Each project, each process, etc. has to have it's own folder or I lose track of the work or information.  I find that's the most helpful for me to organize my work.

It's been really interesting now that we're packing for the move to our new house as I've been finding things I forgot I had.  DSD is going to help me pack and paint the new house and I'm hoping that we can go through a lot of "stuff" and get rid of it. 

[marvholly]

Nov 26, 2013 9:20:14 GMT -5 @beerwench said:

Disorganization and underachievement are two classic signs of ADD in girls. You may want to get her tested. I'm thinking I should have been.... 

EXACTLY this.  I suspect some kind of learning disability.  I was like that and they did NOT call it that back in the 'dark ages' of my primary schooling (1 st grade 1952).  BOTH my daughters had learning issues like that.  They got special tutoring to learn the techniques to handle their best way to learn.  NO medical intervention/drugs EVER was suggested or used.

[wvugurl26]

I call it oh shiny syndrome. I'm cleaning a room and I go into another room to put something away and get distracted. As a result nothing ever gets completed. Anything that has to go with me to go to work must go in front of the door where I trip over it on my way out the door.

I am forever wondering if I took my allergy medicine even though I do it before I get up.

College was a beyotch because it was harder and I couldn't cram it all in the night before. I'd never had to really study or try and I got great grades and a full ride scholarship. A lot of the time I'm the first one done with tests. In school I'd drift off while teachers were giving directions and then be like oh shyt what did they change up.

At work if I must concentrate and get something done I need headphones to drown out distractions. Lately in my personal life I feel like I'm juggling a bunch of stuff and badly.

I'm infamous for I can do one more thing and then I'm late. I always underestimate how long it is going to take. I'm generally late for things. I joke that I need someone to keep me on task and stand over top of me to make sure I get things done.

The putting away stuff I wasn't sure about when I read the responses here but I think it's true. I've been decluttering my room and I'm finding magazines everywhere. I have zero recollection of putting them in the spots I have found them in. I'm very visual I prefer paper calendars to electronic ones. I mark stuff in my smartphone but unless I zoom in on a day I just see I have something that day. I like seeing the whole month laid out and what I need to do marked.

ETA: My brother tested out as borderline ADD as a kid. He's way smarter than me. He has a December birthday so he was held back and as a result was never challenged in school. Both of our rooms are a disaster mine less so than his. I think the visual thing has a lot to do with it.