Archive for the ‘ADHD’ Category
Yes indeed. I had to see a psychiatrist for continuation of ADHD medication (dexamphetamine). I expected it to be a short visit – I have already been diagnosed and needed co-prescriber authorisation for my GP. Maybe a 10 minute visit. I was wrong, it lasted over an hour and I had a reassessment for ADHD. I had to answer a lot of questions, as did my husband (about me) and the psychiatrist looked through my school reports that I had brought along. It was very strange as I had not expected this to happen.
In the end, I got a prescription for two months of medication and another appointment was made for December. I don’t know exactly what that one will be about so I will update on it later.
I have read about people that have been diagnosed with ADHD and then later on (years later) with autism and they discount the ADHD diagnosis because the autism one fits better. I was diagnosed with ADHD two years before I was diagnosed with HFA and I have found that ADHD fits right alongside the HFA.
I remember when I first took ADHD medication that it had a really cool effect. Suddenly I found it easier to talk! It was as if my brain was sending what I wanted to say straight to my mouth instead of messing around with it a bit first to make sure I got confused and frustrated. The messages were clear, not full of interference. So of course I took advantage of this and started talking and talking and talking to anyone I could talk to! This included my family and what I was doing scared them and they blamed the medication. Well, they blamed right but not for the right reason, I think. It wasn’t as if I couldn’t stop myself from talking – I could, easily – but it was like I had been given a gift and I was behaving as if I only had it temporarily, getting as much use out of it as I could.
I guess I was just so excited about this new ability and I went a bit overboard in talking. Mainly by talking rubbish! Gradually the novelty of this wore off but I am still aware that talking is easier when I take my medication. It definitely helps when I have to take part in a class discussion or meet new people. When I don’t take the ADHD medication I really can’t be bothered talking a lot of the time, it is just too hard and I get frustrated and angry with myself. Especially so when my words come out all muddled and garbled. I used to be made fun of for it sometimes so I am still a bit self-conscious about it now when it happens.
I am not completely sure if this effect (the difficulty talking) is due to autism or ADHD. I have a feeling it is both because they are somewhat spliced together for me. I am truly glad that there is something that helps to make talking and other things a little easier in life.
From: Yale University – Health & Medicine
New Haven, Conn. — Superior intelligence is no defense against the effects of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, Yale researchers have found.
About three of four ADHD individuals with an IQ of more than 120 – a score that ranks them in the top nine percent of the U.S. population – showed significant impairments in memory and cognitive tests when compared to people with similar IQ’s who do not suffer from the disorder, according to the researchers.
The report, to be published in the September print edition of the Journal of Attention Disorders, is now available online: http://jad.sagepub.com/pap.dtl
Sometimes I heard (especially at work), “You can’t do this? But I thought you were smart.” It was awful in school to get bad grades because I just couldn’t focus long enough to be productive. The world was a fog partly due to defending myself from too much input. Occasionally I would experience moments of clarity. I remember them clearly.
So a mix of inattention and a lack of willingness to ask for help lead to general slowness at learning. So when I was called a slow learner by someone, I tended to agree with it. The ADHD and autism are meshed together tightly, as well.
Here is a picture of kittens:
