Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional The apple and the tree

Has anyone here looked into their own potential 2e issues after going through the 2e journey with their child(ren)? I definitely had a lot of 'aha' moments with the realisation of my children being gifted, but I am starting to relate a lot to the the other exceptionalities too.

If yes, did you find any benefit from diagnosing and working through your own issues?

ADHD and anxiety issues is what I will be looking into.

I have battled with my own anxiety and depression all my life, but they are quite well under (medical) control these days, so it is still rather my own experience informing how I am trying to help my kids.
However, I have recently been coming to terms with the fact that I may be a quite bad case of ADHD (inattentive) it would explain a lot of my academic and professional struggles. All of my life, I have been completely unable to sit still/listen/focus/apply myself when mentally understimulated. I either start wriggling, running around (I once got thrown out of the law library!) or go off into a daydream until I fall asleep). Exam conditions, deadlines etc usually help, so on the outside it does not appear to have hurt my academic and professional achievement, but I know better. It's one of the reasons I dropped my PhD thesis. And no one suspects just how little time I ever spent actually focusing on studying, or on doing my job. I sometimes wonder what if but I do think it's too late to make much difference.

It has occurred to me.

Oh yes, we have most certainly been able identify which traits come from which parent, more than once we've had a professional point out an issue and our response has been "That's not normal? Huh. I/We/He/She do/es that."

Some issues we've just accepted the explanation of long standing traits (ie DH using only one eye to read columns of numbers because his eyes don't pair well). Other issues we have pursed professional assessment as adults, and found it's not an uncommon story to visit a relevant specialist saying "My child was just diagnosed with X, and I think I might have that too."

I am doing the opposite. I am always watching like hawk for signs of ADHD in my DS because I always suspect that I have ADD. The K teacher thinks he was very wiggly and said I could get him evaluated if I wanted. The first grade teacher has not said a thing. Since he is doing well, I am not going to do anything for now.

I always did well in school and finished my Ph.D with normal amount of effort. I probably wouldn't feel too handicapped if I don't do research for a living. As it is, I sometimes struggle to focus and not be distracted.

Oh my goodness, I could have written this exact post (minus the PhD)! I am actually going to see a psychologist soon for an ADD assessment. And because of my own experience, I get nervous whenever I see DS6 fidget...

Yes on both issues you are looking into.

A very relevant article: I Gave My Child Autism

DH and I both suspect that we might have been diagnosed with autism if that were a "thing" when we were young.

I am curious how you feel about that. Are we serving the kids well by diagnosing more these days? Do you feel like your childhood would be better if you got more services back then?

Being diagnosed with ADHD as a child would have made my life easier. Getting diagnosed at 46 years old was a little to late. A couple of broken legs, arms & ankles might of been prevented. I was just considered hyper and accident prone in the 70's.

My apples did not fall far from the tree. I can not imagine my kid on the Autism spectrum or the one with ADHD going through school now not diagnosed. It would be awful for them. I do not think my Aspie would be a DYS if he had not had the services he has had over the years.