Ok, so my primary care physician diagnosed me with adult ADD. I have my second appointment with a psychologist tomorrow. I will be taking all the tests. He said it should be a few hours. I have a question though. Do I really have inattentive ADD even though I have a digit span of 10??? I have a very high IQ also btw. I have all the symptoms of inattentive ADD. What is going on here? If I get a working memory test tomorrow at the psychologist and blow the test away, will she still diagnose me with ADD even if I exhibit all other symptoms?

Thanks alot!!!

WM can be Visual or Auditory. People can be strong in one, but weak in another.

Testing should take about 8-10 hours. (Aside from the 2-3 hrs of health history taking, prior school performance (records) review and general interviewing.)

My Testing took about 3 days.

Keeping in mind I am ADD,
I am a little confused?

What symptoms of Inattentive ADD do you have? There is not that much difference between Inattentive types and hyperactive. The major one, Inattentives keep the hyperactivity internalized. The hyperactives, just follow through on the hyperactivity they have on the inside, by following it externally?

You say you have the attention span of 1-10? That is an ADD tendency period?
I don't have memory problems. I have attention span problems? If I pay attention to something, I have the mind of a steel trap in regards to what I learn? It's the not paying attention that makes the appearences I don't have retention?

IQ has little to do with ADD. For the most part studies show we tend to be both intelligent and very creative. However there are average and below average folks with ADD?

Not sure what tests you are having? Just for memory or a battery of them?

Simply put, none of us fit in a box. We are as unique in our diagnoses of ADD as we are people. I was dx with ADD in 1994 no tests given. It is my understanding there is really no "test" that shows we are ADD, simply meeting certain amount of criteria based on family history, school history, personal life sharing, questionaires, and ummm observation from a trained doctor who knows and ADD'er when he/she sees on. For the ADHD's that's pretty simple...hours of testing alone would cinch it. But we Inattentives aren't that hard to catch either. Is there a window near by, sure to be looking out it, chasing butterflies.

So if you could help...with the questions..I might be able to share some experiences. BTW...I am an Ohioan too!

Welcome!


Hope :)

I used to test and train my memory on various digit span improvement and brain training programs. I can remember a 10 digit number 'seen' once and can repeat a 9 digit number when read it one number at a time. My auditory backwords digit span is 7-8.

when you go here:
http://add.about.com/cs/addthebasics/a/dsm.htm

It is the DSM diagnosis criteria.

I have every single one of the things listed for inattentive and (i) for impulsivity. I consider myself an impulsive person but definitely not hyperactive. I am the complete opposite of hyperactive. I meet the criteria for B., C., D., and E. I have plenty of documentation regarding school performance from high school and college.

I'm also not depressed or crazy.

I just have always been gifted with a good memory. Now, in everday tasks, I tend to lose stuff frequently. My memory is only good with stuff I'm interested in or I'm challenged.

I am the biggest procrastinator in the world and have nill motivation to do anything besides eat, sleep, have sex, and personal hygiene related stuff.

What do you think? Will a superb memory hinder my positive ADD diagnosis?

Thanks!

I'm thinking that it is a very real possibility that the psychologist will not diagnose me with ADD if I perform extremely well in the working memory category. I am therefore going to purposely lower my digit span to around 6 or 7 :). I am not taking any chances.

You are here discussing with a bunch of untrained ADDers that you are going to cheat the test because you believe your professional will dismiss your ADD. This first of all says, YOU WANT THE DIAGNOSIS. This is not a good state to be in. Almost all undiagnosed people on this forum WANT to be diagnosed and hell its understandable. And for most, they are correct. And you may well/quite probably are correct too in your understanding. But damn, find a professional you trust. Because whether you get diagnosed or not, if you can't trust their decision, you will get medication but no real support. You have explained to us exactly your concerns/ why you may not get diagnosed. Explain it to the person in charge! Explain it, and back it up with scientific printouts if necessary. Most people will agree that a lot of docs out there just simply dont know their **** or are highly sceptical about ADD. If you are simply after a diagnosis: it's hardly reassurance if you've duped it. If you feel the medication is the key issue.. well yes, this is fair. Perhaps try and convince him/her to give you a trial cognitive before/after test, to prove some meds might really help you get your life back ontrack.

Keep in mind the paradox: Many inattentives are much less aware of their behaviour then they think they are. So if you are ADHD and you think you are .. or if you aren't and you think you aren't .. ARGHHH BRAIN BLEEEDS * ;) . I aint tryin to be a barnstool maan.. but yeah .. as long as you work out your paradigm and stick with it.. dupe a diagnosis if you think (and i have no reason to think you're not) you're right .. but if you use that dupe and then go along with everything the doc says word to word .. conflicting paradigms can mess the bejesus out of people.

Messay paragraph, i know. Most people will dismiss as crazy. But in my paradigm, I have a point ;)

Peace :D

Don't cheat on the test. You'll be forever questioning what your true results would have been. The digit span is only one part of the working memory test. And the results are judged relative to all your other scores. You may want to mention that you have trained yourself to remember digits as I'm sure they will take that into account.

I'd suggest stopping to try to be your own Testing Psychologist, for starters.

If this is an issue, they'll just give you the PASAT or something.

Digit memory and manipulation -=with interference=- (like the PASAT) is likely a better (more like real life) test.

Second guessing & prejudging "ADD symptoms" and outcomes will just makes it harder for yourself.

Lots of us have those issues (islands of intelligence; islands of ultra-competency).

Let go.

I don't understand what having a high IQ has to do with this. There are super geniuses with ADD. Or LD.

There are many individuals with ADHD/ADD that have above average intelligence. It is possible to have a very high IQ and have ADHD/ADD.

People with ADD may actually have higher average IQ scores than those without. I'm not sure, but I think I saw something about it being true for people with weak forms of autism because a lot of complex coping pathways in the brain get formed to make up for weaknesses. Not like ADD is autism, but I dont see why some of the same things can't happen. I remember an old thread about IQ and pretty much everyone was over 100, and of course it should only be half (well maybe lower scores would be less likely to post or use the computer, but still...)

Working memory deficits. Nothing to do with intelligence, its more of a learning disorder. You may or may not have working memory problems resulting from ADD, but it is very common to have them. Do you ever forget what you were going to say before you are able to get your turn? Do you have trouble counting cards? When you are counting things, do you often lose track before you are able to finish? Those are some of the things I have problems with and I do have a working memory disorder.

If you do have high intelligence, then that should increase you chances of getting diagnosed because it would probably more of a working memory function vs intelligence thing, and if working memory is significantly lower then that would be a sign of ADD. I dont think the other scenarios would mean that you DON'T have ADD.