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    #242892 05/30/18 02:50 PM
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    Hi - hopefully quick question here. Do people with adhd have a hard time taking tests generally, or do they/are they able to suddenly pull their focus together to ace tests?

    ETA: I'm asking to help clarify a question I have about my son, who is convinced he has adhd - I'm just wondering if this is a signal that he doesn't, or if its 'normal' for an adhd kid to be able to do this like the rest of us can (well, maybe not all of us can 'ace' a test, but at least pull our focus together enough to do well! ;-) )

    Last edited by Pinecroft; 05/30/18 05:56 PM.
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    That depends. My child with ADHD sometimes performs better than anyone has ever seen them do before in exam or audition situations (earning A+s, winning scholarships, etc)... And I have also had a classroom teacher call me in for a meeting to warn me that my child's marks will be abysmal because the supervising teacher for a major test had called her in to observe my child and ask if they often suffered from absence seizures...

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    The weird and important thing to understand about ADHD is that it isn't about being unable to pay attention. It's about unable to control where your attention goes.

    In particular, your attention only wants to go to those things you find intrinsically motivating.

    So when the task is engaging, attention is there. Task is not engaging, attention goes elsewhere. It looks SO much like "choosing to pay attention when it interests you", but it is genuinely extremely difficult for the person with ADHD to control this, in ways that are really hard to see when you don't have ADHD. It isn't a choice. But it sure looks like one.

    People without ADHD, faced with a task that is not intrinsically motivating, draw on their extrinsic motivators to get the job done: they're not interested in the task itself, but they do care about the grade, or passing the course, or what their teacher thinks, or.... or.... and those external drivers are enough to get the job done. People with ADHD aren't very good at making a meaningful connection to those bigger picture issues, and they don't seem to be able to draw on external motivators to drive them the same way.

    As a for instance, my son passionately loves hard math. And the harder the math, the less basic errors he makes. Give him a test full of complex problem solving, and he'll ace it for sure. Give him a worksheet of grade-level calculations, though, and it will be riddled with mistakes. He just can't keep his attention focused well enough on that uninteresting work, no matter how hard he tries. And boy will it look like he wasn't trying.

    All that to say, if your son in some way finds those tests intrinsically motivating, sure he can do well, ADHD or not. The question is, overall, can he control where the attention goes, or does it go where it wants, with or without him? In my house, the result is a DS bewildered and bitterly frustrated with himself because he just can't seem to stick to the thing and get it done, even though every else can.

    Another thought: ADHD and executive function issues tend to go hand in hand, and as a result the effects of the two are often mixed up in descriptions. However, it is possible to have one without the other, which might result in someone "failing to check" what might seem like key boxes in making a diagnosis.

    Last edited by Platypus101; 05/31/18 03:47 AM. Reason: Typos, need more coffee!
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    Thanks guys. Platypus, everything you just said makes perfect sense (and sounds SO familiar!). I think my kiddo thrives on the 'thrill' of getting everything right on a test, so it is intrinsically motivating to do well on tests. I just wondered if he was more like me and the stress was helpful (its WAY easier for me to get stuff done if I have stress from a test or an approaching deadline), and if this was a 'not-likely-adhd' type marker.

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    I think it depends. I am pretty sure there is an optimal level of anxiety/stress for anyone to achieve peak performance. Different people get there at different speed. Some people may find that stress 2 weeks before the deadline, and you and I may like to do it the day before. I don't think this is a marker for
    not-likely-adhd at all. I remember my adviser was having nightmares two years before a grant runs out. His internal deadline just runs very differently than mine.

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    Originally Posted by Pinecroft
    I just wondered if he was more like me and the stress was helpful (its WAY easier for me to get stuff done if I have stress from a test or an approaching deadline), and if this was a 'not-likely-adhd' type marker.
    Actually, hate to break it you you, but that pattern is textbook ADHD behaviour! I've actually seen many people describe manufacturing themselves crises in order to get things done; here's a typical sample (bold mine):

    Quote
    Sometimes, a person with ADHD can hit the do-or-die deadline and produce lots of high-quality work in a short time. A whole semester of study is crammed into a single night of hyperfocused perfection. Some people with ADHD create crises to generate the adrenaline to get them engaged and functional. The “masters of disasters” handle high-intensity crises with ease, only to fall apart when things become routine again.
    (from https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-in-adults-nervous-system/)

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    This is definitely a typical ADHD behavior. So much so that I tell all my college-bound ADHD students to learn to create these mini faux crises on a weekly basis, so they will get their work done routinely, rather than piling up the whole term's worth. (E.g., make a fun appointment with a friend for shortly after you need to get your week's worth of schoolwork done, and tell them you won't be able to go if you're not done. Then you'll have the embarrassment of calling to cancel, and inconveniencing someone else, if you don't finish your work.)

    I also explain that it's the dopamine flood when under stress, putting their brains in a hyperfocused state. Nothing wrong with it, as long as you learn to manage yourself adaptively for each situation.

    OP's kiddo may have to find some personal challenge to beat about routine work. Timers and artificial time pressure work for many. Set a stopwatch for five minute intervals, and see how many problems or sentences, or whatever of homework, he can get done in a sprint of working. Then take a physical break (say, do jumping jacks for one minute) and reset the timer for another five minute sprint. Repeat the pattern until work is done.

    ETA: This doesn't absolutely mean he has ADHD, but it also most certainly does not rule it out, and would be highly consistent with having it.

    Last edited by aeh; 06/01/18 04:08 AM.

    ...pronounced like the long vowel and first letter of the alphabet...
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    Argh! To get you the above, I just googled "ADHD creating crisis to get the job done" and gave you the first well-sourced quote I found. But of courses I had to read a few more of the suggested links before I closed them.... So I am inflicting my distraction on you. Here's a couple of good quick reads that may ring a few bells for you smile , and a long but excellent one by an expert recommended by our psych:

    https://www.oaktreecounselor.com/blog/adult-adhd-lazy
    https://www.additudemag.com/secrets-of-the-adhd-brain/
    https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-motivation-problems-getting-started-on-tough-projects/
    http://www.russellbarkley.org/factsheets/ADHD_EF_and_SR.pdf

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    Originally Posted by aeh
    This is definitely a typical ADHD behavior. So much so that I tell all my college-bound ADHD students to learn to create these mini faux crises on a weekly basis, so they will get their work done routinely, rather than piling up the whole term's worth.


    Oh aeh, I so wish you had been around when I was 16 and headed to college...


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