I was mistaken for stupid, illiterate, and incapable of learning a functioning adult role, as a child. I was placed in Special Education classes during my education years, and only maybe one or two teachers really understood the trials I was dealing with. I had an extremely short attention span, loved reading so much I read ahead many of my classes and did work on my own time span that often was ahead of my fellow students. 3/? #MentalHealth #ADHD

However, I did have a teacher that bridged that gap in support and understanding what I was living with and she was able to get me tested to see where my strengths were in education. According to the tests I was put through, I was estimated to be in post grad/post college grade level in reading comprehension, writing, as well as social studies and civics. My math skills suffered but mainly because of the US teaching methods. Common core BS. 4/? #MentalHealth #ADHD

As an adult, ADHD does post a good deal of problems for me - I'm unable to focus on a single task at a time for extended periods, and need to take frequent breaks to reframe and focus, and sometimes lose track on conversations if it's a topic that my brain decides to leap to a variety of different subjects connected in some manner. It's troubling, and hard to live with, without the support and treatment that therapy provides. 5/? #MentalHealth #ADHD

But think about the goals that most fem bodied selves hope to attain in the timespan I've lived, 42 years, and I've had 5 children, who knows how many grandchildren, and a loving husband that understands that I am transitioning to nonbinary, a tomboy. I've never actively been able to hold down a steady job, and todays methods of job training are an absolute joke for someone like me. Not because I'm smart, shit...I know I can be dumb as hell sometimes, even oblivious. 6/? #MentalHealth #ADHD

However, between the meltdowns I suppress, and the symptoms of ADHD fucking me over in regards to focusing and absorbing educational content, or training material, traditional jobs and working environments are a nightmare for me. It's why I am an AI artist, I can focus on creating and producing beautiful portraits and expressing myself artistically even in writing whereas in any other field I would collapse mentally and lose myself entirely. 7/? #MentalHealth #ADHD

So, I get down to the reason I'm talking about this. I've heard so many children talk about their ADHD and complain about adults not understanding what it's like where I know so many adults with this disorder too and are struggling with it every single day. It's important to remember that the fight a person has may not be the same as your own, but being kind, and trying to understand it from their side of things is part of being human and social with each other. 8/? #MentalHealth #ADHD

All I'm saying is that sometimes, you have to look beyond what is spoken and read the behavior and facial expressions to really get it. It's not easy, I know, it's hard to meet others gaze, especially complete strangers, I'm especially shy of that, but I try, I push myself, and yes, it can at times leave me burnt out and feeling shelled out and empty because of how exposed I feel afterwards. Adult ADHD and ADHD in general can be emotionally taxing, and hard to live with. 9/? #MentalHealth #ADHD

But you can take it from me, it is something that can be survived, and worked around, as long as everyone around us is able to pause and flex with us. 10/10 #MentalHealth #ADHD

@PaganMother

Excellent thread, boosted for others. I know a number of women with #ADHD, and they are generally treated differently (read: poorly) and generally undiagnosed or misdiagnosed as they tend toward the PI side of things.

There's an excellent comic called something like ADHD Alien which has a bunch of handy visual guides which are worth sharing; if I haven't already done so here, will try & do so.

@PaganMother thank you. I'm struggling to learn how to better support my now adult child.

@PaganMother
Remember to emphasize the good things, especially with kids. I thanked my niece for helping me and she broke down crying because positive feedback is often rare. It's more about what went wrong than what went right. It was an eye-opening moment for me and it changed how I act and react around people I know have ADHD.

@PaganMother

I'm 52, and not yet diagnosed--but it's become clear to me in the last year that I have ADHD. A lot of things I've attributed to my depression or my anxiety, or to just being weird, now seem like they're ADHD.

I was the "gifted" kid not living up to my potential.

The things that really resonate with me are:
-Feeling overwhelmed because what seems like a simple task to most looks like complicated mountain of steps to me.
-Not forming habits.
-Needing constant jolts of feedback

@PaganMother

I'm sure that my ADHD was missed because I was assigned female at birth and I don't have any of the hyperactivity most commonly associated with it.

And because I generally did well in school. Lots of hyperfocus. But that comes at a cost.

@tyghebright It came at a huge cost myself, I ended up having a nervous breakdown after attending Concorde Career School in San Antonio TX back in 2013. I totally get what you mean on this.

@ATXJane You are most welcome. It was an impulse decision to write it all out, but I'm glad I did.

@PaganMother I think you made a really good case for early diagnosis and compassion and an attempt at understanding for anyone of any age who has ADHD.

@ATXJane Absolutely agreed, there's a lot of fem and masc individuals that get diagnosed earlier than I had been and are in far better condition than I and many from my generation had. Just having compassion for each other is a genuine facet of humanity that we long bury with distance, and disconnect that most social media networks provide. This one hasn't yet, every day I see more and more wonderful people connecting and talking more kindly than any other space I've occupied.

@ATXJane And that in itself is a good purpose to keep. Connectivity in social network should and can be a good priority to keep.

@Trish0116 It really does, too many take kindness for granted.

@PaganMother or mistake it for weakness