Edward, respectfully, your posts today have contained a lot of generalizations and statements that are demonstrably wrong. This approach does more harm than good because it spreads misinformation ("Einstein was a poor student") or creates new misinformation ("any person who is truly gifted will score low in processing speed"; "ADD/ADHD is pure psuedo science [sic]"). These statements, plus those that tar quick thinkers as being quick and sloppy were, well...evidence opposing your claims that you think like a scientist.
I'm a scientist. You're correct about the need for seeing nuance in STEM, but your statements don't show it. At all.
And now this thread has been hijacked, in part because some of us feel obliged to point out your demonstrably wrong statements.
ADHD, like many disorders involving the CNS, suffers from lack of lab tests that can make a definitive diagnosis. Biomarkers for depression are only now being developed for use in the clinic, and yet you claim to have had depression. Why is it okay to call ADHD pseudoscience because a test is lacking, yet your depression is real in spite of the same? There's also no blood test for ALS. Did Lou Gehrig die of a pseudoscientific made-up condition? Or is that different because it was "obvious"?
Clinical diagnoses are a least-worst option, but they're the best we have for many conditions. Most of us here accept that ADHD is one of those conditions, and we're just trying to help the OP understand her child. Is it ADHD? Is it normal fidgetiness? Something else?
OP: does the school have heavy academic requirements in areas your child has already mastered or nearly mastered? Having to re-learn material can get very wearing. I remember this myself from the early grades.
How strict is the school? Do the kids get a lot of recess time? Is there homework? All of these factors can affect a child's ability to sit quietly during the day. It's very hard for little kids to sit still consistently on demand, because most of them just don't have that level of executive function.
