ADD is not a handicap. It is a gift - People tend to think of ADD as a handicap. I think that is being very shortsighted, and a lot like looking a a half-full glass and saying it's half empty. HOGWASH. ADD is not a handicap. It is a gift, and if anyone tells you different, then they haven't a clue. Yes, growing up is hard. Yes, school can be a challenge. But... Being ADD gives us a tremendous ability, once we find out what we are interested in. We are able to, in direct correlation to our inability to concentrate on things we aren't particularly interested in, focus with an intensity that other "normal" (how boring) people find intimidating at times. The one thing about being ADD that I think is neat, is that most ADD people eventually find themselves doing what they love. Actually, we don't have a choice. If we don't love what we do, we're not successful. I have done so much in my life ... was in sales, became a social worker, am a Vietnam era veteran, US Army, 12 years. (Was an air traffic controller for 9 years ... with ADD and dyslexia, undiagnosed ... can you say... OVERACHIEVER?? LOL...) I was never successful... I never fit in. I always felt like an outsider ... couldn't get along with other people, always felt like I didn't belong. Square peg In a round hole, that sort of thing... I had to take stock in my life ... what is it they always say ... find what you love and try to find a career associated with it. I love my dogs more than anything else. Unconditional love, they never hurt me ... that sort of thing. So, what came next was the natural progression of ideas. I love animals, am a perfectionist, artistic, like being solitary...and my Dad was a master groomer. It came naturally.

Being ADD gave me an added ability of focus... I know what I want, and I know how important it is to me... Nothing gets in the way of my success ... this is the "gift"... Focus. Don't let anyone tell you that ADD is a disability. Find what you love ... and find out ways you can make a career out of it. Is this so terrible, really? Think about it. Think how miserable people can be going to work everyday, doing something they hate. We have to find something we love, or we aren't successful. Golly, that's tough. We have to do something we enjoy. Oh, life is hard. Don't believe the nay-sayers. They would love to make you feel inadequate, handicapped, or inept because of ADD.

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The hardest part about growing up ADD is that if there is a potential of child abuse in the household, the ADD child will be the target, since we stand out. The thing is, being ADD is a gift, not a hindrance. Simply put, most people would KILL for our energy... So fill up, everybody. You are lucky... not cursed. Be thankful, not unhappy... Contact me. It's hard being different, but it isn't a bad thing... And if anyone tells you differently... to Hades with them. Know your limitations, but don't let them limit you. I was an air traffic controller, successful in spite of my ADD and dyslexia. I knew I had a "problem" with certain aspects of the job, so I overcompensated in other ways... "attention to detail" skills, most 'normal' people don't have. Now, working in my little grooming shop, with my energy and love of the job, I thank the gods daily for my ADHD. I play with puppies all day, and answer to myself. Sometimes I'm a little out of focus, but so's the rest of the world... that's when I figure I'm acting normal...

Again. The glass is NOT half empty ... it's half full, and the faucet is still running ... fill it up. Feel free to contact me at K9KAS@AOL.COM

Kasidy Christoperson
The K-9 Konnection
Professional Pet Groomers Extraordinaire!
142 West Gay St.
West Chester, PA 19380 USA
(610) 918-3800

"...he overcame his problems and is now a brilliant student."

Hello Simon,

I must tell you some information which a friend passed on to me. She has a son, who is now 21 years old, doing his Masters Degree in Engineering. When he was 15 months old, her doctor diagnosed him as having the same problem as Richard. He put him on Ritalin, but she was not happy and spent considerable time and effort to try an alternative method. She eventually got hold of a book, written by Ben F. Feingold, MD, called "Why your child is hyperactive". He apparently runs (or did at the time) a clinic at Kaiser-Permanente Medical Centre in San Francisco. He stated that most learning difficulties are caused by artificial food flavors and colors. She experimented with all sorts of foods and discovered over time exactly what caused his mood swings. From being an impossible and what teachers called a backward child, he overcame his problems and is now a brilliant student.

Kind regards, Moira.

For further details on the Feingold Diet, visit their web site at http://www.feingold.org/indexx.html

"...any child with ADD just needs to be instructed accordingly and they to can accomplish anything they wish to."

Reacting to a story on our "How Schools Can Help ADD/ADHD Children ", page and in particular the comment "We heard recently of a teacher announcing to the whole class that it was "time for X's mental pill", Stephen from Canada writes.....That some one in this day an age would refer to this child's medication as his MENTAL PILL is outrageous. I am a network engineer (consultant). I run all the servers and am responsible for all the client computers in a large government office. I earn no less than double or triple what a teacher would earn and I suffer from ADD. I have worked very hard to attain this position and continue to do so. I may have a high IQ, but any child with ADD just needs to be instructed accordingly and they to can accomplish anything they wish to. That any teacher would treat a student with such malice only demonstrates his or her own ignorance.

"...just graduated from college as the "Outstanding Student in the College of Education""

My middle child, Sarah is 24 and ADHD and LD. She has what her doctor called the most severe reading LD he'd ever seen. She just graduated from college as the "Outstanding Student in the College of Education" with an elementary education degree. She is qualified to teach kindergarten through 6th grade, but her favorite is 1st grade. She's in the process of finding a job for the fall, and is an excellent teacher. Just wanted to tell you of a success story. This was a long hard struggle for her and us, with a very happy ending. I was told when she was in 8th grade to just let her quit school because she'd never amount to anything. The next year, different school, she got A's and B's and also was Volunteer of the Year at the local hospital.

She was told at one point by the college board not to return to school because she wasn't going to be able to do well and should consider being a truck driver. She talked them into letting her continue, thank goodness. She's now part of a group at the college who teach new teachers about ADHD and LD, how to recognize it, and how to work with the kids...mainly that they're not "bad" or stupid kids.

"It is a God send for me"

My name is Mandy and I am a 26 year old who just recently was diagnosed with ADHD. Not that that came as any surprise since my son has been diagnosed for almost four years now and both my father and uncle were tested for hyperactivity as children. I do take Ritalin, but, against a lot of controversy am doing exceptionally well. I am a RN nursing student with a GPA of 3.65. I have not had to work nearly as hard since taking the Ritalin. It is a God send for me. I actually cried the first day I took it because it was the first time in my life that I wasn't thinking about thirty things at once. It was overwhelming.

The reason I am emailing you is that you might relay this information to others who are leery of medications. I definitely do not advocate Ritalin for everyone because no two adders have all of the exact same symptoms, but I do advocate the fact that in some cases Ritalin is not only effective, but a necessity for thinking.

By the way, my son is also taking small doses of Ritalin and as a Kindergarten student is already reading at a third grade level.

Food for thought,
Mandy

"He is a biology major at the local college"

My son is almost 21 years old, diagnosed at age 5 with NI,PI,ADD. He is a biology major at the local college. Is taking 3 1/2 years to earn a 2 year degree, but still very happy, working hard, and has become a very good man, We are VERY proud of him!

Cindy