I would like to introduce myself and the family. I am brand new to this board. Does anyone else have multiple family members with ADD under the same roof? My family makes me wonder about genetic links & ADD.

My husband & I have both been diagnosed with adult ADD. Both have had it for a lifetime--his more severe than mine but mine made worse with age & co-existing physical problems(cancer, fibromyalgia, lupus, narcolepsy). I am on Adderal XR 10 mg twice a day for several months & it really helps. My husband is reluctant to take anything at all, despite testing that says otherwise. Oh well. Our home is loving but in poor repair, financial disaster & chaos most of the time. Embarassingly, you can look at my front yard & probably diagnos us. I am trying to correct this, being tired of the neighborly hate.


I homeschooled my kids & we did well at this for 11 years. Lots of reading & literature, many group activities, house always full of projects & experiments. We quit when I got sick, over 2 years ago. Dyslexia in my oldest was the main reason I started. My friends joked that I was running a special day school. That wasn't far from the truth.


We have 3 teens all are unique and have varying symptoms of ADD. So far only my daughter has been to the same psych doc. She is 16 and has had severe insomnia for years--and is now going to start Clonidine at bedtime. She is going in for more testing for ADD....she is very smart...somewhat underacheiving but not a really problem in school, but she fits a lot of the symptoms very well. She, like me for years, is very high functioning.

Oldest son is 20. Many, many problems with attention, learning issues, dyslexia but very smart(fund of knowledge is huge-sort of Aspergian) but most of the time oblivious to his environment and has never been able to remember sequential instructions. He has had lots of problems in Jr. College due to lack of executive functioning. My husband & I have coached, encouraged, given planners, etc. He has not wanted to go to the counselling center/resource center. We are thinking about taking him into see the same psych doc. He tried several different meds as a youngster, but they did not help then...

Our youngest is 13. He had huge speech & language problems--late talker (age 3.5 then not understandable until age 8) & auditory processing & articulation problems. He has huge problems in the past with frustration & anger but as he has matured is getting more flexible & better able to communicate how he feels. He was a casualty of his language delay & our general disorder & chaos. He loves order. I think we drive him crazy! He is a pretty extra-ordinary guy & made honor roll & got a president's award in 8th grade. His teachers were amazed when I told them about his prior speech issues.

thanks for reading about my family. I look forward to getting to know you.

surfergirl

MY father has ADD really really bad. He is almost a spitting image of my struggles. Though he was able to overcome it and end up getting a dental degree. That being said, he took the exam when I was in HS at the doctors request (when they were retesting me) and he scored almost the exact same as I did. He refuses to take anything for it and honestly he has enough will power to do most of what he needs to. He is an amazingly talented dentist (though I think dentistry is such a rush for him it is a bit of hyperfocus) and a GREAT guy, though he has the forgetfullness, scatterbrained, low emotion showing traits of ADD. There have been some studies on genetic causes for ADD.

Hi Pedro, like what you shared about your dad...I think the right career for someone with ADD can make all the difference. I was an ER nurse for 12 years & that "hyperfocus" & adrenaline rush was everything to me & helped me to succeed & appear normal.

Hi surfer girl
Thanks for introducing yourself and your family,sounds fun?mostly yes:)
I like that you taught your children at home-i think that i'd like to do the same or something similar....not a fan of schools bit cultish(if you know what i mean).
Sounds like your doing a great job!

I'm corrently un-diagnosed but I have to be combined(going through the motions now at 29 years of age) i,m pretty sure my brother has/had it hyper and it just has to come from our mum-seriously....been trying to work that woman out for years and her me i guess:)This has to be the answer to the weirdness and difference in our lives....but other people just dont seem to get it-yet;)

This forum is a sanctury for me at the moment been here for about a month and its full of genius's!Everyone will help you/us out in the best way possible because we all think and act like a big family(i feel)

See you round :)