Were you one of those kids who heard everything except what the teacher was saying? The clock ticking, noise in the hallway, or a bird singing on the nearest tree branch? Was it hard for you when the teacher called on you and you didn't have a clue about the question, let alone the answer? Of course, this only happened in classes that didn't interest you in the least--languages, history, or math. Or maybe you liked them. Maybe you hung on every historical event and could spout dates and characters who played in every scenario. Whatever classes really turned you on were the ones where you shined.



Children all have these tendencies to like and dislike certain classes, but your love of certain subjects may have bordered on obsession. Kids with ADD or ADHD, though, find it very difficult to maintain attention, unless something really engages their interest. You may have been one of those kids, someone who studied hard, but never seemed able to remember. If so, you probably had some level of attention deficit. But to make things worse, you may have gone through life seeing yourself as a failure.

Your peer group probably played a big part in this. If you spoke out in class or misbehaved a lot and the teachers regularly disciplined you, you already had a black mark in their eyes. When you wouldn't follow the rules of a game or wait your turn, you may even have suffered shunning. And if you weren't able to sit still, you probably had adults screaming at you all the time.

But here's the thing: None of what happened was your fault. It was the attention deficit, so stop blaming yourself. It wasn't your parents fault, either. You were just born that way, and until about 25 years ago, nobody realized that what happened with kids actually kept happening as people became adults. People with symptoms that weren't as severe as some learned to control them, and they may have grown up with no ill effects at all. But some people with attention deficit just kept being ADD and continue to have problems with relationships, addiction, or working.

Is that you? If you haven't been tested for ADD, it's time to do it. First, take a simple preliminary test and see if you have the symptoms and if they've lasted longer than six months. Sometimes, people under stress will exhibit symptoms if attention deficit without really having the disorder. Yet, if the above sounds like what you experienced as a child and things haven't improved much, you just may have ADD. Find a health care professional, who is qualified to diagnose and treat you. But here's something to remember:

You rock out loud! If you have ADD, you're probably very smart, you think at the speed of sound, and you're very creative. Think about finding an ADD-friendly job that suits your personality, instead of trying to fit in where you just can't. Make yourself part of an ADD community so that you can find support and where you can learn about your strengths and weaknesses. It's important to do that! You have to wake up to the possibilities of ADD, and understand that it can be very, very powerful. Once you learn how it works, you'll be a much happier individual.