Pay Attention

I recently read a blog where a lady in her 40's was talking about living with ADHD as an adult. Her thoughts intrigued me as I was diagnosed in 1997 with ADD (no "H" because I never had a problem with hyper activity - though my parents may digree). It was great to finally have a label for why I was the way I was (academically anyways) for this was a significant time of trying to figure out who I was (19 years old, new father and husband). It is similar to those of you who have taken the personality types quiz to find out if you were a sanguine, melancholy, choleric or phlegmatic. Once you see where you fit you go, "hey yeah, that is me".

My diagnosis process was interesting. I went to my family doctor with some old report cards from elementary school and high school. All of them echoing similar comments "He is a intelligent young man with much promise, he just can't seem to apply himself", "He is so charming and helpful, he just can't seem to get his homework done". I was asked a couple other questions but by the end of our thirty minute interview I was slapped with the label "ADD". With a Ritalin prescription to boot, woo hoo!

Well that was not good enough for me, I needed a better diagnosis than that. Somehow I found out about a program that the University's department of Psychology was running to test adults with ADD (previous to this it was thought that ADD was something you eventually would grow out of so adulthood ADD was cutting edge stuff). I went through several days of rigerous testing with various psycholgy students and at the end I was presented with a thrity page report that verified my label. Wow, I really am screwed up, good to know. Now I have proof!

The best thing that came out of my whole ADD experience was Transitions. Transitions was a program run by the adult education department of SIAST, its intent was to educate about learning disabilities and assist in learning (more so intended for those transitioning from highshool to University or College, but I still qualified). We had the greatest teachers, Marla and Betty who really loved what they were doing and it was reflected in how they treated us. We learned about all the different medications that were available and we learned natural coping techniques. I walked away with a greater knowlegde of learning disabilities, but more importantly I walked away knowing myself better. Which was just what I needed in trying to find my place as a man, father and husband.

I was on Ritalin and the genaric Methelphenidate consistantly for a couple years in around that time. Increased heart rate, lots of persperation, loss of appetite and trouble sleeping were my main side effects physically but thats not all folks. Emotionally it drained everything out of me that made me, me. My wife called me zombie, but boy could I concentrate....on everything.....and nothing. I was a bonified space cowboy.

When I started computer college I was taking my medication but I found that I needed it less and less. I simply just loved what I was doing and concentration was not a problem. So I went offof it and haven't gone back. Although I will admit whenever I meet a speedbump in life I often want to run back to my label so I can use my drugs again and fix me..

My view on ADD and ADHD had taken a major, major turn in the past 6 years. In 2000 we had a son, a son that as he grew up became very active, a son that cannot sit still, a son that if exposed to the school system would definatley be stamped with the rubber stamp of ADHD (we homeschool).
It would take me far to long to get into my current feelings on this topic but I will try and sum it up for you. I believe that ADD\ADHD is a personality type, a personality type that is not tolerated in todays world of busyness. In today's society learning has become "read it, memorize it, spit it out". And only if you can at least half the questions right on a test (showing that you have learned the "read it, memorize it, spit it out" process) have you actually learned andything. There is no tolerance for people that need hands on learning.
Hands on learning is also reffered to as kinisthetic learning. Kinisthetic learners are inconveint when you have a 30 to 1 student\teacher ratio in a class room. Sitting at a desk (for long periods of time) becomes boring because traditional learning is abstract. So ADHDers with move, fidget and generally create problems. ADDers (like me) will create the grandest adventures in there minds and travel to far off galaxies, or make that pink eraser become a grand prix racer, or make that pen a rocket ship, or draw a huge battle scene with tons of little tanks, soldiers and airplanes on the paper that was handed out to write a book report on. When you start to look at the ADD\ADHD symptoms, they seem to corolate with the various personality type weaknesses.

So what is an educational institution to do?

These trouble makers will disturb the rest of the class, our test scores will lower and so will out funding, what can we do??????

Hmmmm, well I know a drug that will settle them down. Lets give them a lable, we'll make it a really serious sounding label that makes it sound like there is something reallty wrong with them. Something to do with chemicals in the brain, that one always works. Then we will introduce a drug that just so happens to alter these brain chemicals back to where they need to be.

But won't that alter there personalities, make them like zombies?

That doesn't matter, they don't need to have a personality, this is an educational institution for pete's sake, not Canadian Idol. They need to learn the way we can afford to educate them, nod the way they need.

All we gotta do is knock the sharp corners off. Then a square peg fits in a round hole.

Okay, please forgive the fecitiousness of that paragraph, I am talking about medical labels here and not trying to attack out educational system. Take it as a conspiracy theory and leave it at that. As you can see my opinions are rather passionate as well as bias.

I do want to say this though, embrace who God made you. Overecome your personality weaknesses but don't throw the baby out with the bath water, embrace your strenghths. God makes us who we are and He don't make no junk. Sometimes He does puts a boulder in our path, but that boulder is there to make us a better person and build endurance perseverance rather than to completely block our paths. The good work God stared in you he will be faithful to complete it.

If you are interested in finding out your personality type, click here.