My DD is 8.5 now and we started suspecting ADHD when she was just a toddler. She was incapable of sitting still unless strapped in her car seat. She has always been impulsive, climbing things, talking incessantly. In short.... she was exhausting! We could not keep up with her. We did not have concerns about inattention until grade 1. Some days, she couldn't even get her name on her paper by herself. The sad part was that she would try so hard and end up frustrated with herself. Her teacher at the time said that she apologized all day long for her behaviour, she knew that she was struggling and wanted the teacher to know that she wasn't doing it on purpose.
She started medication in grade 1, shortly before her psych-ed assessment. It was a big transformation for her. Not to say that everything is fixed, but her brain isn't itchy anymore (her words). Even on meds, her assessment was highly indicative of ADHD. We feel completely confident that being HG confounds the issue, but it does not explain her difficulties. She has problems in all of life's scenarios...whether she is interested and excited or not. Without medication, she cannot focus for more than a few minutes.
I can sympathize with your daughter's feeings about school. My DD voices them daily. We are still trying to find the right balance of ADHD accomodations and enrichment for her. Somedays, I wonder if we will ever find it.
Good luck!
