Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Can I have ADHD with a high processing speed?

I recently went to go see a psychologist for ADHD. I've been told I have had it all my life, and my parents felt it was finally time to get me tested because I am now failing most of my college courses. When I got the results back she stated that I do not have ADHD because my processing speed and working memory speed as a child were average and above average. My parents and teachers feel as If I have hyperacitve ADHD. Is it even possible to have ADHD with high processing speed? I now am going to be seen by another psychologist to get a second opinion because my parents strongly believe I have ADHD. How do you think I should go about this?

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Hi MaggieToms,

Welcome to the boards. I'm not an expert, but I'm not sure we have enough information to help. Do you have an understanding of why college has been difficult for you? Is it different than your experience of high school?
I would imagine this is a time of life in which there's a lot going on emotionally and physiologically which could make academics hard enough without having ADHD.

What I will add is that I'm not sure how much weight the IQ test is given versus real life experiences and symptoms in garnering a diagnosis. In other words, I imagine there's some ratio but I'm not sure of the exact formula.

I think with certain subtypes of ADHD, people tend to race through work and may make careless errors. So I don't think processing speed is always low. My 8 year old has combined type, but she comes across as spacey and slow, and has slow processing speed.

The critical features of ADHD are dysregulated attention and impulsivity. These may impact processing speed, and some research now is indicating that it may be a core deficit in some types of ADHD, but it is not yet clear if it is a cause or effect. Regardless, the current diagnostic criteria do not include processing speed, just attention problems and impulse control problems, often manifested as organizational/executive function issues.