Monday, December 08, 2008
I was never really good in school so i just did what i needed to do to get by , i just thought i was lazy and dumb. but now since it is adhd and i am not fully diagonsed yet to get any help I did not do good in this year of college this is my third year my gpa is already low. i am trying to transfer to a unveristy but afraid i will not be able to. i fell like i did not get the treatment i needed on time. I Just dont know what to do. I do not want to tell my professers that i did bad beacuse i have adhd but school is almost out so i don't know what to do.
I went that route.
Tell your professors what is going on - that it looks like you might have ADHD, but either way some issue is going on that is affecting your learning ability - show them a letter from a doctor if you have it.
It may not affect your final grade since it's so late now BUT it may help the professors understand why you are struggling and that you do care about your education rather than that you had an undiagnosed learning and attention issue which was affecting everything and you are just starting to understand how now. Be honest, be real, don't play them. Perhaps they have an idea on how to approach it - or potentially even fix it.
Definitely also talk to your department head. They may be able to offer an alternative other than doing bad. Start working with them since you will now be starting to understand how to manage yourself, how you need to learn, and will need assistance. Start learning what assistance is available for learning disabilites at your school. Those resources are there. Use them, don't mess around with this.You already know how much it affects your life.
Start assembling people around you to assist you and support you and start learning about this (you and your support people) because it affects SO much- there is a lot to learn. Everything you learn will help you. It really will. Good luck and keep your chin up.
thanks i will try that way i am just nervous that they will look at it like an excuse .....i just waited to late to get help i guess i was just trying to fit in with everyone else.
I know. It is difficult - it does feel like an exuse until you learn more about it and start comprehending what the difference are between it and you, if that makes any sense. Then it's like 'oh crap, that's why I do that." And then the next time the situation comes up - you may know what to do differently or at least know there is a potential issue to address.
ADD/ADHD is a learning and processing disorder as well as an attention/movement disorder and schools/colleges are set up for learning disorders, at least. It's a weird thing, this ADD/ADHD. So start talking to them now. School is not the place to be afraid to tell. And make sure they help you and support you.
Also, start talking with an ADD/ADHD specialist counselor typer person because they will immediately be able to identify something you thought was simply you messing up as something that was not you exactly - it was a symptom. Try looking back at certain patterns through your life and start writing them down. Parents might help with this. Make sure your parents know and make sure they start learning about it too.
You have to learn how it manifests in your life, since everyone is a bit different. Some of your issues may be you - and some of it may be the symptoms. So take half responsibility for that. And the other half for learning how to protect yourself from the symptoms or ways to actually GAIN from them. I don't know if you have similar teachers again but your dept head and counseling department are top of the list as far as keeping them in the loop and making sure your teachers, which change, are on message as well.
Keep progressing with your diagnosis with your doctor and understand, if you do take medicine that medicine alone is not a solution and only partly helps. You probably might have to alter behavior/response and preperation for things and start learning patterns or habits that help you. Notice what usually stresses you out and what usually energizes you. Your passion/interests are very important with this - because high interest level is completely the key to success, and will keep you focused - your main challenge - and your high interest level will make you stay when otherwise you might give up due to frustration.
I hope that helps - I've been there and I know it's really hard, incredibly frustrating and very dissapointing. Just know the main thing you have to do is work on figuring it out - and keep trying different approaches until you find what works for you.It's kind of an ongoing thing so don't expect miracles, just beautiful comprehension and small aha moments. It's sort of a relief to stop fighting it and start trying to work with it as responsibly as we can.
Keep your chin up!