I am an adult with ADHD. In my generation ADHD was not recognized so I was not diagnosed as a child. My teachers in grade school put my desk in front of the class right next to theirs. I just thought they liked me. I was teased for being the teachers "pet" which reinforced this belief.

Now I realize I was exceptionally fortunate to have teachers who took interest in providing me with more specialized attention. They must have recognized the need and my school experience was mostly positive because of this. Not to say I didn't have a history of unexplained and upsetting failures throughout my school life, but my self confidence was less damaged than many who grew up with learning disabilities.

I was diagnosed in my 30's when I went to college and experienced troubles learning specifically with a particular professor whose teaching style made it impossible for me to succeed in his classes. Another student in my class suggested I get tested for ADHD. By this time I already had some knowledge about ADHD because I had a son diagnosed with ADHD. Educating myself about ADHD to support him better, I realized I had some of the same problems and so did several family members. Testing indeed determined I had ADHD. I was told that for a person with my degree of disability I had remarkable compensatory skills. My problems with that professor were because his erratic teaching style and refusal to let me to ask questions when I became confused prevented me from compensating for my disability.

My brother still reads and writes at a grade school level. He excelled in math, though. When he did his homework I read the word questions for him so he could work out the problems, but at school he didn't have anyone to read the questions to him so he failed tests. In high school he had a sit-in at his counselor's office and refused to leave until the school agreed to allow someone to read the word questions on math exams to him. He told them, "I am failing everything else because I can't read. I know I can get an A in math and I won't fail just because I can't read!" He did get his A. Now providing this type of accommodation to students with ADHD is common practice.

In my case I was diagnosed with some other conditions a little later in life that seem to also have a genetic component: chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), chronic bronchitis and asthma (COPD) and fibromyalgia. One of my doctors, an environmental medicine specialist, ordered a genetic profile based on my medical history that also included high incidence of adverse reactions to pharmaceutical drugs. I'd experienced a prolonged bout of bronchitis and it was recommended I see a specialist because several rounds of strong antibiotics had not helped.

This doctor suspected that my chronic bronchitis along with worsening fibromyalgia pain, weakness and fatigue, elevated ADHD symptoms, history of chemical sensitivity and adverse reaction to drugs, along with lab results from tests he ordered that showed my adrenal system was severely fatigued and my endocrine system was functioning at 30% of normal indicated both a genetic and environmental cause for my symptoms.

My genetic profile had similar genetic markers found in children diagnosed with autism who were later discovered to be suffering from mercury poisoning due to mercury used in vaccinations. Their bodies, like mine, lack the ability to excrete heavy metals and toxins in many pharmaceutical drugs. My own genetic profile supports the link mentioned in the study between ADHD and autism.

I've noticed that many people with ADHD also have MCS and/or fibromyalgia. My son, now in his mid-30's is beginning to experience these same problems. Causation of these conditions is not well understood by the medical establishment. I believe more research needs to be done on the genetic and environmental factors that affect our bodies and our health.

Many of these conditions are increasing in our populations. Autism, for example, increased dramatically over the past decade. New figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that one in every 100 children in the United States may have some form of autism spectrum disorder, far more than previously believed, and the rate appears to be worsening quickly. At the same time the volume of toxic chemicals we are exposed to daily has increased 100 times or more. Think there is a link? Duh!