Posted by MarkinBoston on February 9, 2001, at 13:58:35
In reply to Re: Undiagnosed ADD !!! » Sulpicia, posted by Katz on February 8, 2001, at 21:56:40
Thank you both. This has been an eye opener. I had never thought about having ADD before, but between my new fantistic exposure to stims after 10 years of OK results from AD meds, and your symptoms, the picture is coming together.
As a kid I frequently "daydreamed" in class. One time in grade school, as school ended I went to and stood where the busses departed. The next thing I remember was a teacher asking if I was OK or needed a ride home. All the other kids had gotten on the busses and had left without me being aware of it.
I continued to daydream, underachieve, and have great difficulty completing tasks. I still lose interest in things after I figure out how it works. I love concepts and hate trivial factual details.
In college, an excellent memory helped me through. I could retain nearly everything from a lecture. Reading was tedious especially if it was strongly factual and memorizational instead of conceptual. I procrastinated a lot, often putting off months of learning 'till the week before a mid-term or final. Papers were hell. I would churn over the subject matter in my head making connections between the pieces, only to struggle getting it down on paper and not ever being able to communicate all the interrelations.
Many career fields were not going to be for me. Medicine - too much rote memorization. Engineering - tedious numeric detail. Others had so much pulling together of pieces and writing. The only way I can write or speak about something is if I really command the knowledge and let it flow out.
Computer Science worked for me. Algorithms were conceptual and I like that. I am best at debugging or enhancing code, not starting from a blank screen. I can easily understand code, run it mentally, and consider all the exception states. Currently I QA network security products and enjoy challenging them with unusual situations.
I too think out of the box, and am frustrated with people who don't or have trouble understanding a concept that seems clear as day to me. I enjoy working on multiple tasks at once and switch when I get bored or blocked on one. Doing one to completion is boring. Not procrastinating, planning, and allowing enough time to travel or complete tasks is boring too.
I am somewhat shy and withdrawn with some social anxiety still. I am better about not spacing out in front of the TV, I am great at reading body language and reading reactions in general. In Boston, driving requires that you be able to read car body language so you know what the other drivers intend to do. I *know* people talk about me! :-)
poster:MarkinBoston
thread:53287
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010131/msgs/53605.html