How to approach parents?

[mr pink floyd]

ahhh dude, dont even get me started with AP english. i dropped that class after first quarter because i COULD NOT do it, i spazzed out sooooo bad in that class. 8th period, monotonous teacher, words that all sound the same AHHHH KILL ME NOW

reading is kinda tough for me, alot of the time i either cant get into the book, or even if i am in the book my eyes will see every word but ill be thinking about something else the whole time. kills me in AP US. ill get through 5 textbook pages and realize that for the half hour i was reading, i was thinking about the soccer game i played that day haha

[Detritivore]

actually, i think most people have the same problem as you when it comes to reading. for me, i can't study more than ~15 minutes straight. so i take breaks in between when doin hw. i used to stay up late a lot in the past, mostly talking to people online (if i wasn't on RC, lol)...not a great habit. it beat watching tv or just sitting around though.

[Sk8r]

LOL, try writing. Do your own stories, no matter if they're not pro. Gives your mind something to do instead of running in loops.

ADD is one thing it can be, but it may not be the ultimate answer...ie, it COULD be that, but it could be an assortment of other things, which is why I urge you talk at length to medical people and be sure you keep after them until you get the best answer...which is why I add this one caution: I could have had somebody look at my set of behaviors [always doing more than one thing, daydreaming, drawing in class, losing track of time, mental circuits busy---don't even ask about my checking out books on ballistics and poisons....I DID read, however; I'd read the back of a cereal box if there wasn't anything else at hand. And I hate like everything to be bored, idle, and asked to concentrate on something I see no point in. I'd rather count stripes on the wallpaper; but I'd be off in lala-land, plotting the mystery story I was trying to write [my 'thing' about ballistics and poisons.] All of which is to say---it's REAL hard to put a set of behaviors in a box and say---it's all this. This kid is a ---- [fill in blank.] What I was lucky to get was an assignment back in 5th grade to write a story: I did, didn't want to show it to anybody, never liked to perform in class---but I grabbed some paper, took to my room, and spent an amazing number of hours a day at it for the next number of years. You've got a kid reading books on guns and poisons who's got a locked door, secret boxes under the bed, and is frequently in hot water for inattention at school. Budding serial axe murderer? Nope. Writer. SO...who knows? Albert Einstein is alleged to have done quite a bit of woolgathering in his language arts classes...not sure the truth of that story, but I wouldn't be too surprised.

Reading? A lot of textbooks are incredibly badly written. I can't read some of them for more than a minute without wanting to whip out a pencil and edit them into sanity before I even attempt to absorb their content. Don't base your assessment of your reading skills on textbooks---there's more bad writing between those covers than good. Bad writing on something technical WILL make your eyes cross after about two pages. So who knows? Can't read? Maybe your critical function has gone into subconscious operation and is taking over your brain, saying, But wait! But wait!

All of which is to say don't feel alone, and don't feel as if you got dealt some kind of lesser life because you're antsy in class...meds may help; or it may be that you need no meds, but need ways of coping with what nature dealt you.

The question is---is it an overactive body or an overactive mind? Or both? Based on your letters, I'd say maybe both. So really protest if what they turn out to give you makes you too calm.

And do watch the sugar, especially on an empty stomach. It's everywhere in teen-ish diet, and it can make some people far more jittery than caffeine does. Try some food label reading and see what happens if you knock that component way back: don't know if it will help, but it might.

[jcjstl]

I have always been the type of person that didn't believe in add of adhd because every child that shows any sign of not behaving or a little extra energy is slapped with that label.... but then i realized i had a problem and talked to my doc agreed to try some meds and guess what I'm currently taking a medication for adult add and i have never been better... i can focus ... I'm happier and am alot more pleasant to be around.. (or at least i think i am) Also with the coffee... before my medication i was self medicating with caffeine... i would drink 2 or 3 lattes a day with 4 shots of espresso each it was the only way i could concentrate on my daily work.

[billsreef]

Originally posted by jcjstl
Also with the coffee... before my medication i was self medicating with caffeine...

Yup, caffeine as the same effect as the meds for ADD/ADHD. Good and I drink lots of it

[mr pink floyd]

im not sure if the coffee is really helping me focus that much, but it doesnt really make me any more hyper. It will just take longer in the day for everything to start kicking in full. If i dont drink coffee, i still lose control around the same time. usually math (my first period) i just get the fidgety legs and bouncing legs and constant rearranging position. Then spanish(next period) i start to talk alot and snap my fingers or drum on the desk and things just stay like that for the rest of the day. after spanish i just go into the library for my free period and find something to do on a computer, which does seem to calm me down as its more interesting i guess. after that its chem, US and English, usually with a 20 minute downer thrown in the mix.

thats essentially how my day goes each day. like im not one of those kids who runs around doing jumping jacks all day, but i have no problem chasing my dog or wrestling with him