[lippy]

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I've got an (adopted) cousin who has been diagnosed with ADHD. It's unlike anything I've ever seen. Flying around the yard, talking a mile a minute, bizzare changes in topic of conversation without reason. Spend 5 minutes around him and it becomes clear that most folks you've met who self identify as having ADD have nothing close.

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My mom does a lot of work in the "gifted children" field, and I've met tons of kids, many of whom have been diagnosed with ADD. I've been diagnosed with it myself. Once you meet enough people who've been diagnosed with ADD, it becomes really clear which ones have it and which are just bored. Most people don't, and they use it as an excuse for bad behavior because it's convenient. It's especially convenient for parents who didn't raise their kids to have discipline to pay attention anything for longer than 15 seconds, mostly from feeding them too much sugar.

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This happened to me in 3st grade. My brother had a legitimate cases of both dyslexia and ADD, so my mother was afraid I had ADD (I was always asking questions and annoying her). She talked to my 3rd grade teacher who said I would never spend enough time focusing on what we were doing in class, when I was just finishing everything far faster than the other students.

They had me evaluated by some counselor who wanted to send me to a specialist. Around the same time, we got my Iowa tests back and I subsequently spent time in Gifted & Talented classes instead of LD classes. I really see how my intelligence caused problems to teachers, as they didn't realize that it was boredom. I was unwilling to write a cursive Q three-hundred times as I perfected it my third time.

Also, because of my brother's severe dyslexia I am almost angered by people who seem to have no problem but claim they're dyslexic. My brother is a smart student, he understands concepts in school easier than any of his peers... but he can't write a cogent essay. God forbid he is asked to read aloud as it is a painful struggle.

However, when he tells people he is dyslexic the comment is practically ignored. They don't expect him to perform at a lower level. I suspect they think he is using it as a crutch, when it is a legitimate disability.