So ever-since I was little I would always have trouble paying attention in class, and would always be one of the last to finish assignments (wether it be homework or tests). I finally got tested for ADD the summer between junior and senior year. The person who tested me is certified and all, and said that I definitely have ADD and just have slower processing speed. She said my IQ was between 135-140 for language. I’m unsure what it is for math.
While I get that I have the symptoms of ADD, I’m honestly finding it hard to believe that I really do have it. I’m not trying to brag here, but I am one of the top students in my class at a competitive high-school school and have been accepted into a top-school on par with the Ivies.
I don’t understand how its possible. A little information about me right now. So I never pay attention in class; I just can’t learn with other people in the room or when someone tries to teach me something. I always have to be completely by myself, and I HAVE to teach it to myself.
What I’m asking is do I actually have ADD (despite the diagnosis), and has anyone had experience with not ever being able to learn in a classroom and Having to teach oneself and how did that carry over to college.
Trust your certified advisor- the frequency of highly intelligent people having LDs is in direct correlation to their IQ- The more gifted intellectually one is, the more likely some other processes in your brain may not function as well as one who is not “gifted”.
Its called “twice gifted”, which is a nice way of saying you are really smart and can do so much BUT there are other issues that cause problems in how you learn.
You have been able to overcome your LD’s- ADD and slower processing speed, BECAUSE of your intelligence.
You probably have evolved to be primarily a visual learner- learning through what you see [or hear when alone], correct?
@menloparkmom
Whenever a teacher/student is explaining something to me, it just goes in one ear and out the other. It helps if there is a picture, but in a classroom setting I’ve probably already given up and zoned out.
Like I keep giving up in class because I never can learn anything and that causes me to zone out. I don’t think it is because I am zoning out that causes this and thats why I’m questioning if I really have a learning deficiency. In other words, I zone out after I give up and thus don’t learn; zoning out is the outcome of not being able to learn, not the cause of not being able to learn.
When I’m alone I learn way better, and yes can use audio (such as when someone is explaining over the phone). Like even in class when the teacher gives us time to work on a problem, or even homework I never get it done, and when I do I don’t actually get anything out of it.
I just don’t know what to do at this point, and don’t want to carry this habit into college if that makes sense. It seems the only way I learn is when I teach it to myself, or when I’m alone or at the very least 1 on 1 with my teacher/a student.
To me the question really isn’t whether or not you have ADD – you do, as diagnosed by a professional – but what, if anything, you want to change at this point. It sounds like you’ve discovered the workarounds for your challenges and you’ve been tremendously successful so far. That might continue working for you; it might not.
Your options include things like medication (some people find it useful, others don’t) and/or specific classroom strategies such as writing down everything on the board or recording lectures. You’re the only one who knows what will work best for you. While your current method is working NOW, it may not continue to work at a competitive college. Up to you whether you want to start exploring options now or later. (Personally, I’d want to work on some options before leaving for college, but that’s just me.)
My oldest has severe ADD, diagnosed quite late (like you) because she was able to work around it on her own for a long time. She started meds and found them useful for a while, but now in college relies mostly on caffeine and careful scheduling (her brain works better later in the day). I wasn’t diagnosed until she was, which means I’ve lived my whole life just working around it fairly successfully. It can be done. The question is how hard is it to succeed right now, and could it be easier? If it could be easier, time to look at options. Good luck!
Zoning out is your brains reaction to being overloaded by all that is going on in class, because it does not know what to pay attention to, you get physically tired by the stress of trying to pay attention and viola- you zone out. I suggest you talk to a DR who specializes in diagnosing LD patients and see if medication helps you easily focus your ability to concentrate on what matters in the classroom, and ignore the unimportant " visual, or auditory noise"
Perhaps drinking coffee in the morning and afternoon, would help- the medications are basically stimulants.
The other thing to try is to sit in the front of the room where you are looking only at the teacher.
You should also have an Auditory Processing test done by a certified Audiologist who specializes in diagnosing LD;s. - not those who do simple hearing tests at Costo. [ like I mentioned earlier, highly intelligent people ALSO often have parts of their brain that dont work so well. ]
An Auditory Processing disorder means that the part of the brain that processes what goes in your ears gets confused easily and “garbles” what you are hearing . Your ears may be functioning just fine, but the part of the brain that processes what they hear is not working well.
Do you have a hard time listening to a conversation when in a noisy room? That is a sign of Auditory processing disorder.
I guess I was just thinking it may have been like a false diagnosis and that I was just being lazy in class. I’m not a big fan of meds, and while they do work, I don’t want them.
“I was just being lazy in class”
I dont think so. there are a surprising # of highly intelligent students who struggle with the way “education” is taught.
a LOT are better solo learners- just like you.
try coffee or tea a couple of times a day [ but not after 3:00 as it can interfere with sleep] and see if that helps you focus. You ARE getting 8 hrs of sleep a nite, yes?
If you are sleep deprived than that will also have a HUGE impact on your ability to stay focused in class.
So make sure you take care of your body, so your brain works to its best ability.
I would ALSO STRONGLY suggest you talk to your teachers AND your guidance counselor about this diagnosis. TRUST me, they have encountered students like you in the past.
Your GC has to write a letter of recommendation as part of your college applications, and it will help him or her know what is gong on, why you are doing as well as you are despite what teachers may say about your behavior in class , i.e. what makes you tick.
They NEED to know you are not lazy- but struggling with a LD. And YOU need to be mindful of this as well and not beat yourself up.
DEEP breathes, in and out.
My school counselor knows, as do my teachers and I get accommodations by getting more time on assessments. I told them that I don’t really learn anything in class and was just told that I have to be in class, which I understand from their perspective. I can’t just go to school and not be in class, even though thats how I learn best.
I don’t know if they really believe I have a problem. My counselor didn’t look at my GPA/Course Load and Standardized Scores until we had a mandatory meeting, and she acted surprised. Honestly, I also have a hard time believing I have a learning deficiency. I just see it that I don’t learn in a classroom, yet so many other kids understand it when the teacher explains it on the board.
A LD is NOT a reflection of who you are or how smart you are, but if you have a hard time learning the same way as others do , and learn better by yourself, AND have been diagnosed with ADD, then the sooner you accept the reality the better.
You cant wish away the news that you dont want to hear.
you are who you are. You now know WHY you were having difficulty in class. But your life will not revolve on how well you do in a classroom .
“My counselor didn’t look at my GPA/Course Load and Standardized Scores until we had a mandatory meeting, and she acted surprised.” Because of the contrast between what the report said and your grades/ Standardized test scores?
that;'s not surprising.
Most counselors dont have in depth knowledge of the ways the human brain works, or does not work as well in the cases of those who are highly intelligent AND have LD’s. Being “twice gifted is pretty rare when compared to the general population. An IQ of 135 puts you in the top 99th%. And having a LD on top of that makes you that much more unusual. That many not be as comforting as you might like it to be, but trust me , there are plenty of really smart students in college, and many of the profs who teach college classes are also 'twice gifted”
Your brain is “plastic”- it keeps evolving and maturing and it has completed only 2/3rds of its growth [ it keeps on growing until you are about 28] and you WILL be able to function fine in college, particularly at colleges that require lots of individual reading and writing such as a U of Chicago, BUT you will have to accept the way you are- the sooner the better for your sake.