I am grateful that I was diagnosed with ADHD and learning disabilities when I was a kid because I got the learning guidance that I needed early on … and that set me up for a better future.
When I was little, reading was an impossible task for me and I thought it was because I was just a dumb kid. I didn’t really comprehend why they were testing me. After a lot of visits to a doctor’s office, they explained about my ADD and my learning disability. Having someone put a name to the differences that we knew were there was a breath of fresh air. It verified that my parents’ suspicions were correct.
My parents looked really hard for the right fit for me in terms of an academic platform. I ended up at a school designed specifically for kids who didn’t fit the standard mold. In the beginning it was really hard, but once we found the right fit, the future was filled with possibilities. That school was where everything went right.
We had always been told that I would never graduate high school, but when the school told us I would definitely earn my high school diploma, my mom started crying.
I was kind of in over my head my freshman year of college, but I knew I wanted to do better each year. I got the resources I needed my second year, which helped me have battle-ready knowledge for college – having a structured plan, working with a coach, using the resource center at college for tests, note taking and other assistance. Having access to that knowledge made easier to move toward my goals with confidence that I could succeed.
This is the first time that I feel that I have everything I need and I am not scrambling – I now have a better game plan to continue on in life.
Torrey, CA