ADD/ADHD: The Bogus Diagnosis?

When I was younger I felt like any time now my family from my home planet would come down and take me back. I remember one particular day when I was teaching myself how to ride a bike while my father was putting a pool in our backyard. I looked up at the sky and said, "Ok, anytime now!" Since I can remember I have always felt like a girl in an alien world. I felt like everyone else spoke a foreign language. I would get so confused and nervous when adults would speak to me or order me around. I would take things so literally and miss jokes that my other school peers would say to me. I would smile as if I understood and walk away. In fifth grade my mother had me evaluated by the school psychologist and other specialists to see why I was not able to perform better in school, especially math.

Math was one of the toughest subjects for me; more so, I found better ways to do the math than what was taught in class. For instance, I could answer an algebra problem but I could not tell you the steps. The steps are required! I never could understand it that way. They found nothing. While I had a difficult time in communication as well, I really loved to write. I would write poems and stories constantly although I would never share them. I don't feel I was subjected to a lot of bullying; however, I did experience many problems with maintaining friendships. I was uncoordinated and had a difficult time taking verbal directions. In addition, I talked excessively and sometimes just didn't know when to stop. Orally my reading skills seemed on the level but comprehensively they were lacking. I had some tough times throughout my childhood however, as I got older things got easier for me although relationships with others always seemed trying as well as communications at work and changes in environment. Even today, changes completely turn me upside down but as I move around with my husband in the military I have learned to adapt more and more. Still, I had wondered for many years why I had so many problems and yet no real diagnosis. The only thing I could ever relate to was ADD.