In middle school i had this game where i would look at the teacher when he was talking and see how long i could sit there without listening. I thought that's the kind of thing everyone did. I went to a new school and i was way ahead in math foe example, so i would spend most of the time just not paying attention at all. I'm not joking when i blinked once and suddenly i didn't recognise anything on the whiteboard. I was like: holy shit, what happened, how long was i gone?
Is this something only people with ADHD suffer from?
I’m approaching 45 and my memory has always been like this. For things I am interested in I’m all ears but for anything I’m finding boring I really struggle to concentrate and take it in.
FYI I don’t have ADHD (at least it’s something I’ve never considered myself to have).
Careful of Rule 1. Like most things, the symptom is not something only ADHD people experience, but for ADHD people it can be debilitating enough to affect their lives significantly. For example not being able to concentrate on something even if not doing it will lead one to economic disaster etc.
Yeah that’s how I try to explain ADHD to neuro typical people. It’s a lot of things that everyone has in some ways (poor attention span, executive dysfunction, working memory issues, rejection sensitivity, etc.), but in a nice package, cranked up to eleven (thousand).
It’s not entirely accurate but it’s good enough to make people understand what it is.
Sorry. Reading what I asked, reads that I am questioning people with ADHD. My original intention was questioning myself. I’ve never considered myself to have ADHD (I’ve just never looked into it) but this is certainly a trait that I’ve suffered from from school onwards. From my school reports they always said I lacked concentration which was true and still is to this day. 30 years ago, when I was at school, ADHD wasn’t something even mentioned.
I’m not questioning ADHD, my eldest son has been diagnosed with ADHD and ASD. He’s certainly different to his brother but not too different to standout to people in the street. I’ve had family members question his diagnosis which is annoying as they don’t see what we see on a day to day basis.
I know you didn’t, which is why I didn’t sanction you :) It was just skirting close to Rule 1 due to the problems of written language, so I thought I’d mention it just to make sure ;)
Also reminder that ADHD is generic. If your children have it, they typically got it from someone in your family ;)
I’m 40 and just started medication for ADHD. When I was in school there were some kids diagnosed with it, but they were the kids bouncing off the wall. I was just told I was a daydreamer, lacked concentration, just needed to focus more because I had so much potential if I could do the work. Instead I just skated by as a B student largely on testing well, but not turning things in. That’s not to say you do or don’t have it, just don’t assume you don’t have it because no one ever mentioned it when you were young.
I think no one likes to learn things they have no interest in, and it's generally harder. For me it sometimes feels like when in a movie a grenade goes off and all you hear is that loud peeeeep. I know i should listen, i know it's very important but my brain just shuts off, and there is very little i can do. I can force myself to listen but the peeeep only gets quieter, but it's never gone.
Other people already commented that ADHD symptoms usually are experienced by neurotypical as well but that the degree differs.
To give an example: I tend to get really sucked in in some stuff that interests me, spending hours on end learning something new etc. Often to the point that I postpone to go to pee or eat etc. But if I have to learn something I’m not interested in, it often gives me mental discomfort. I feel tired and like I cannot pay attention to anything. Once that annoying thing is out of the way I feel fine again. Being able to stay up all night to learn about something else. This is really annoying with anything that has to do with paperwork. Like I said, I get mental and sometimes even physical discomfort trying to understand how I would have to apply for stuff or what papers I have to hand in somewhere.
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