I think I might be an ADHDer...

I recently had a discussion with my children about neurodiversity.  A part of it was based on my noticing how quickly my thoughts flit from one topic to the next.  My mind has always been this way and I can remember when I was a little girl, trying to trace my thoughts back several steps to determine how I came to my current thought.  As an adult, I have pretty much mastered the art of holding multiple thought processes in my mind at the same time, and I use this skill a lot of the time when teaching a large group of students.  

I haven't been formally diagnosed but as I am doing my own research, I feel an ever-increasing sense of relief.  Perhaps this explains why I have so much physical and mental energy most of the time, and why I was able to complete a doctorate, while working full-time, with three children under 9 years old.  The actual words that I used to my children were, "It feels like I've scratched a long-time itch in my brain."

The thing is, I've never been one for labels.  I've always believed that labels are more restrictive than liberating - and I still do.  While the possibility of me having an ADHD diagnosis helps me to understand my own psyche, if I had this diagnosis as a child, my perspective of my academic ability would have most likely been hampered by the negative connotations that accompany most meuro-minorities.  Instead, blissfully unaware of any difference I allowed the challenges of sitting still during weekly church sermons, to mould my mind and free my imagination.  In other words, I channelled my energy inside, and learned how to master my difference.  So today, I can mother my children, study, work, dance and play; I can move seamlessly from one topic to another, bounce back quickly from challenges and all because my brain is special... I think! 😃

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