I was researching online for some help with some learning issues of one of my older kids. On LD online (a very good site) I found an ADHD checklist for girls. Interestingly, I could check off almost every symptom as applying to me. I would have been one of the Daydreamers.
“Girls of the inattentive variety are often shy daydreamers. Their inattention in class may be overlooked because they try hard not to draw attention to themselves. Many quiet girls with AD/HD seem to be listening to their teachers, while their minds are a thousand miles away. These girls often seem anxious about school. They are forgetful and disorganized in completing their school work and become very worried as assignments come due.“
This would have totally been me. I was a bookworm who learned quickly and retained well, so I kept up; however, the stress of the school experience was extremely high and I was always getting feedback about my underachievement. I couldn’t understand what the problem was, why THEY got to decide what I ought to do with my time.
Anyway, the point of this, besides indulging my love for checklist diagnostics and diverging off the main point, is that I noticed something interesting when we transitioned from Lent to Easter. During Lent I gave up sweets and cut back on caffeine.
Now we are back in the land of Cadbury Easter Eggs.
Anyway, I noticed a dramatic difference in my focus after Easter. Suddenly I could read very heavy-weight books and remember almost everything about them. However, I can barely remember to tie my shoes. I am having major problems just maintaining in daily logistics. I stand around wondering what to do next and if I write down a to do list, I lose it. This was very similar to my daily life during my school years. (and I did eat a fair amount of sugar back then).
I have been off caffeine too and it has had a paradoxical effect of making me wake up in the middle of the night and stay up for several hours. I found a couple of online places that talked about caffeine helping some ADHD types focus. … and even helping them relax and sleep.
From my personal perspective, as opposed to the expectations around me, this mental status works wonderfully. I wonder if this is one reason I am a chocolate craver!
There is no real point here. I’ve started cutting back on the sugar and I am going to see if there is any change. I guess the main insight was that the “ADD state of mind” is considered a liability by our society, and probably to some extent by those who are in that state, but I notice it has some personal benefits. In my case, the dreamer-level of focus helps me to immerse myself in a book and imprint it on my mind. Another type of person, say an active boy, might find that the hyper-focus helps him to be a star soccer goalie but gets in the way of sitting still for any length of time. Just pondering. Kids make choices even while they’re influenced by expectations so maybe for them it’s sometimes worth the trade-off of having the perceived “liability”, in return for their abilities that are closely related to that perceived liability.
