Hi all,
I'd very much appreciate any or all advice I could get on this. Thanks so much for your time...
I recently turned 22 and have yet to go to college (I plan on going for a Ph.D in biology starting in the fall of 2016) despite a lifelong interest in medicine.
I've had a postgrad reading level for at least 3 years (which is when I had the WJIII, who knows how old I was when I actually hit that, haha) and have an almost endless supply of energy.
My parents never kept me challenged with books growing up (I pushed for the testing for years on a hunch as a teen) and I've recently had both medical and mental health professionals suggest that I may have ADHD because of my energy levels, etc.
I don't think this is accurate, however, because I've found that when I'm actually challenged and properly stimulated (most of the time this is in the form of a medical or science book), I can sit still and focus for hours on end without a problem.
Otherwise, I have lots of pent-up mental and physical energy and talk A TON. I generally want to run and run and jump around when I don't get to wear myself out. I sleep best after I've read a lot AND done martial arts; failing that, my brain keeps going.
I have a very close friend who's an astrophysicist who has essentially taken on a big sister/mentor role and, having been through this as the daughter of 2 gifted people and being gifted herself, she thinks she knows exactly what the problem is: I'm bored.
I have to say that I agree. For one, before she came along and gave me all sorts of books, I didn't have the reading material that was appropriate for and commensurate with my abilities, as my mother never supported them.
Since I've been getting the right books, I've been able to focus more and my mind no longer flits from topic to topic when I'm properly engaged.
For example, we were together for a long time the other day, I was reading an appropriate book while she worked and, like she said, I was fine. No fidgeting, no lack of focus, nothing. I was perfectly still.
She thinks it'll clear up once I'm in college but I just wanted to get others' thoughts. For what it's worth, she's nurtured my intellect and fed my brain more than my parents ever have and I'm more engaged and excited about learning than ever before.
(I've wanted to go to college almost my whole life, but it was never encouraged or supported by my parents, and I've only recently been able to get myself into a better position to do so. My mom's been discouraging my medical interests and book habits for YEARS.)
Thanks so much for your help and time!