Hi there! (Waves enthusiastically).
I am a mother with ADHD to a daughter with ADHD, so I have two perspectives on this subject.
I think the heritability is very eye-opening to a lot of families. My daughter was first identified as having ADHD and then, as a result of a very good friend of mine (who also has ADHD) asking me who I thought she got it from, I was identified. I had just lost track of my keys for the umpteenth time in a matter of hours at her home. Needless to say she *knew* it was me. Having the diagnosis was a godsend, literally. It made my whole life make sense, and that is not an understatement. Having that knowledge has made me more forgiving of my fallibility. Being treated with stimulants has made me feel capable and successful. I did okay before, I mean I graduated with honors from college, but it was always a struggle. And socially, well, that was definitely a challenge. "Open Mouth, Insert Foot" could be my motto.
The reason I am sharing this is because having your daughter evaluated, regardless of whether you treat her or not with medication, could be very helpful in her understanding of herself and in helping you know how best to work with her. I was "under the radar" growing up because I was a people-pleaser and I did average work at school. This was even as my sister had been diagnosed with ADHD (then known as just hyperactivity) in the 1970s. Little did we know I was capable of doing honors-level work as we discovered in college. Which, by the way, is typical for ADHDers - we can have very uneven experiences in school. I also
may even be gifted, which I never, ever would have thought as a child or teenager, but my true abilities were (probably) masked by my ADHD, which was more inattentive at that time. I think the suggestion to be evaluated by someone who knows how ADHD is presented in gifted girls is important. We haven't had that benefit for our dd, who is now 10 btw, and it has led to some questions regarding diagnosis and cause of some of her behaviors. It is is challenging.
Grinity, I love all that you had to say! You are soooo helpful. I am absolutely going to use some of those suggestions at my home. With me and my girl, it can get pretty interesting. We get things done and we play together, but it can be a whole lot of doing one thing and then .. "Squirrel!" and we're off to another.... my poor husband.
It's a very ADHD morning for me and have to get to work, so I must go now. I hope we've been helpful.
Best,
Sky
