[Alishia88]

I was wondering, is it more common for children to develop ADS if they have an alcoholic parent? I think i once read something about it.
Does anyoneelse have an alcoholic parent?

I have read that ADS patients more often develop an addiction and
or obsessive compulsive-disorders to make sure they did not do mistakes (which happens to ADS patients easier). Does anyone else have the same problem?

I never really did well in high school, because i couldnt pay attention and really did not like to study.
Only in the last 3 years before graduation i made a commitment to study and be better. I improved a lot.
Still, I had to do so much more work than class mates, because most of my friends just listened in class and did not have to study everything from books afterwards. Additionally, when I studied from the book, i had difficulty to keep an overview of the real important things and outlines. so i just studied EVERYTHING, every details, while not being aware of the whole coherance.
Which of course, gave some results, but not same as when you just understand the whole concept.
I did not have a hard time with languages though and did well there.
I was the worst in maths, because i couldn´t keep any numbers in mind.

Does anyone know these type of difficulties?

I also had a lot of daydreams that I wasn´t aware of.

Also, I read ADS kids are more likely to get singled out and bullied in school? Is this true for anyone else? Because it is for me.

Finally, I always felt somewhat different from everyone else and I think it might have to do with ADS.

I would be very interested to know if others can relate to one or more ADS-coherent symptoms!!

[Travelinglady]

I really am not sure. I hazard a guess that if a mother is a heavy drinker during pregnancy, then it can affect brain development.....

However, I didn't drink a sip during pregnancy and a child of mine has been diagnosed as ADD. He also has some sort of learning disability associated with being able to watch people perform actions and then follow them. For example, he was many years in being able to learn to tie shoes.

He perceives himself as a bit obsessive-compulsive. You might read another thread on here about someone who is wondering about that!

He wasn't particularly bullied, unless he just didn't tell me about it. But kids do tend to pick on someone they perceive as different sometimes.....

Hi Alisha...
Both my mom and dad have had periods in their lives when they drank a bit too much. Many people with ADD use alcohol to self medicate. It works for a little bit, because it slows the spinning mind down, allowing you to focus for a while. Then the alcohol takes over as you continue to drink, especially because ADDer's are exhausted later in day.

As far as school goes... I could be an "A" student or a "C" student. It was hard to stay caught up and I tended to procrastinate. After my grades would be down for a while I'd eventually get mad at myself and literally overnight switch back into "A" student mode.

I always knew I was different, I was not real confident and of course bullies picked up on this and I was bullied sometimes. Looking back on this now, most of the people that picked on me were inferior mentally and in many cases phyically. My low self esteem did most of the work for them.

I can be a bit OCD about some things, because extreme repetition helps with ADD. Also, I really go over the top on things that I enjoy. Just like school, Really good at some stuff and mediacre at stuff that just has to be done.

I know drinking while being pregnant can harm the baby, but an ADD mother self medicating with alcohol can pass the genetic ADD traits on to the child. People with ADD can be some of the smartest people you ever met. They can seem awkward and behave like they have no common sense if the impusivity gets the best of them. I did not find out about my ADD until I was 43 years old. Finally I had an answer to how I always felt. The meds helped immediately and my life has improved 100%. I have read a lot about ADD to make the most of my treatment.

I'd recommend reading "Delivered from Distration" if you think you might have ADD. If you do have ADD, treatment is safe and very effective after you find the proper meds and dosages for yourself.

Best wishes