A Letter From Nicole

Dear Members of the GRADDA Board of Directors,

I am a sixteen year old and a junior at Churchville-Chili Senior High. In the early Spring of 1995, I was diagnosed with ADD/ADHD by a psychologist. This lead to my taking Ritalin on a daily basis, starting in June. As a result I am starting to understand myself much better and I can now see how ADD has hindered my effectiveness most of my life. The following is a list I compiled from my observations of myself on September 9, 1995. I hope that this can be helpful to teens and young adults just learning of ADD this late in life. Anonymity is not important to me since the more "real" I am, the greater the value my experience can be toward helping others.

• I am more able to focus on one task at a time, and for a much longer duration.
• I am less likely to speak impulsively, especially in a classroom environment.
• Others have noticed I act much less irritated by noise and activity around me, even in situations where my ability to concentrate is not a factor.
• I can do mental arithmetic more quickly and accurately.
• I can enjoy reading, something which hasn't been true in years. I used to read an entire page and then realize my mind had been somewhere else. This is no longer a significant problem for me.
• Final exams were less stressful for me this year than they have been in the past.
• I can practice the piano with little frustration, and my progress seems to have accelerated.
• I used to consciously be very paranoid and had no control over it. Now I am virtually free of all such anxiety.
• Minor disorganization and confusion don't frustrate me like they have in the past.
• I think people are more receptive of me, probably because I am improving in my ability to listen.
• My memory has improved: review for tests is more effective, and my general recall seems to have increased.
• My grades in Math in 10th grade were 86, 85, 93 & 82. I was not taking Ritalin during the school year, but began taking it just prior to exams. I got a 100 on the Course III Regents exam.
• I have realized how distracting my own thoughts can be to me, because now I can more easily ignore them when I need to concentrate or listen.
• I can do more than one thing at a time without repeatedly "changing gears" ( i.e. eating lunch in class is not inhibiting my ability to learn).
• Soccer is much easier for me. I can see my passing options and follow plays more easily, and make split-second decisions with greater ease.
• My overall stress level is dramatically reduced.

Sincerely,

Nicole Daniels