Editor's note: The only questions posed to one teen was "What's it like for you being Gifted/LD and ADD?".
Hello, I'm am 14 years old now, and in the eighth grade. I feel quite good about where I am now. I also am getting quite good grades and I will be in the highest algebra class. It wasn't always that way.
I can remember back to the fifth grade, just three years ago. That I was a yeller and a complainer was the part teachers saw, and I was one of the worst kids they had. And I wasn't one of their brightest. I graduated from elementary school with a "D" in spelling. My parents knew there had be a reason for the problems.
A year before, in fourth grade, they had me take some tests with a neuropsychologist. It turned out I was Gifted/LD ADD, which actually scared me at first. I didn't even know what Gifted/LD meant! So, in the fifth grade, I was signed up (found eligible) for both the resource and the gifted pull out classes. The one class, during lunch, disscussed their problems-boy, did I contribute a lot-did fun activities, ran the school newspaper, and learn coping strategies mostly for academics and problem solving. Alas, it didn't help much. So later in the year I went to see a private conselour. He helped me the most. He asked my problems and gave he hints to solve them.
Though he helped me a lot, it didn't help my reputation at school. People: teachers, peers, even other parents, thought I just had some mental problems for life. Sometimes I heard: 'It's just a phase, he'll grow out of it.', which wasn't very true. Gifted/LD is a lifelong thing, it can be hard to deal with, or with the right help, you can almost ignore it.
But, anyway, when I reached the sixth grade and was not longer in elementary school, I thought that many students, and their parents, disliked me, knowing I still was having problems. They only saw the the way I behaved, not the number of problems that I was struggling with each day. Between fifth and sixth grade the problems I had literally halved. Mostly thanks to all the help from the private counselor and all the resource teachers that I've had since the fifth grade. Also, I finally admitted that I had a problem. There is a chinese proverb that if you have a problem, you can always get half of it over with just by admitting that you have the problem. During fourth, fifth, and sixth grades I felt that I was not one of the most enjoyable kids to have in the classroom. In the sixth grade gifted program, my teacher helped me a lot by encouraging me to keep trying. I seem to remember fifth grade more than I did sixth grade, the good times and the bad times, both in my studies and emotionally.
When I reached the seventh grade life slowed down and got a bit more clear-I got new glasses. (note: this is a joke, and he continually makes bad puns, jokes etc. even during the rough times. Mostly they are appropriate, funny, and witty, but sometimes they are not and cause problems-mostly for himself.) The situation was improving and life got much better for me. My parents, during the middle of the school year, went back with me for an evaluation, what ever those are, for follow up testing at the same place. I did much better, showing I was dealing with my problems. I had a bit more patience, and so around the 100th question I wasn't guessing just to get it over with quickly.
The gifted classes changed teachers in seventh grade. Now the teacher isn't helping me the way I would like, and I feel that it is taking up my time. Finally, on about the third grading period, I realized where I had been, what I had been doing, and how I was feeling. Once I had that down most of the time, I realized how much I had come, without knowing it at first. And last I realized where I had to go, and what I have to do to overcome my problems. This is another way to halve your problem.
All I can say for my summary of being Gifted/LD and ADD, it's pretty OK if you learn how to deal with it and, you manage it, not let it control you. Always the first step is to admit you have a problem. It doesn't make the problem go away, it just helps you set goals for the future. You might not even understand the goals at first, or you may think they are impossible. But they are not. You have to realize where you have been, where you are now, and then plan for the future. I was thinking about the times before I knew I was gifted L/D. "It was pretty good, well it wasn't bad, I guess it was OK, no wait it was bad, but there were some great spots....aw who am I kidding, it sucked."
One thing I do know, once you have your goals lined out, DO THEM!
Well I gotta go now, my cat is complaining about his food supply. BYE!
Editor's note: All bold, italics, underlines and all capitals are the writer's. This teen has fewer struggles now, both academically and socially. Now in small local theater productions, from 3 lines to lead, has participated in Odyssey of the Mind, and is on student council. Is everything perfect? NO, and it probably won't ever be perfect. But learning when to stop, managing emotions and situations, getting work done and handed in on time the majority of times are some accomplishments. This person has had nuerosurgery at 2 months of age and the summer between fifth and sixth grades to untether the spinal cord. Before and after both surgeries, he has been physically normal. Working with therapists, from handwriting to physical, have brought this teen to this point. Each person's being Gifted/LD will share some experiences, but no two will exactly be alike. Please remember they are unique, but not alone.