ADHD & Me: Grade 2

When I was in the processes of getting my ADHD-I diagnosis as an adult, there was one missing piece of the puzzle that I was never able to provide to my practitioners: my elementary school report cards.

Many psychologists who diagnose children will have the child’s teacher fill out questionnaires about the child’s behaviour in school, to see if there are signs of hyperactivity or inattentiveness in an environment where focus is required. Many psychologists who diagnose adults ask to see elementary report cards for the same reason. They are hoping a teacher may have left a clue in the comments such as “talks too much,” “daydreams,” or “isn’t working up to their potential.”

Since I was homeschooled as I child, I didn’t have anything to show my psychologist. While my parents kept detailed records of my grades, they never added those extra comments that teachers write for the benefit of the parents, because, they were the parents! Thankfully, I had more than enough evidence of my current struggles to get a diagnosis without my report cards.

That said, I found something kind of exciting this summer! Well, it’s exciting to me, anyway. And now you all get to read about it!

I found the results of a Standardized Test that I took in Grade 2. As I scanned down the results, something jumped out at me: proof in numbers that I had attention struggles. See if you can spot it:

ashleylilley.com image — My Grade 2 Standardized Test

The numbers in green are my grade equivalencies. In grade two, I was testing at:

Grade 5.0 in Vocabulary
Grade 5.1 in Reading
Grade 4.3 in Spelling
Grade 1.2 in Capitalization
Grade 1.2 in Punctuation
Grade 4.7 in Usage

So, I was scoring well above grade level in many areas, which is not uncommon for kids with ADHD-I. ADHD brains work fast, and make quick connections, which often presents as above-average intelligence or “academic giftedness” in children for their age.* These same kids often crash and burn academically in later grades, when their quick intelligence can no longer make up for their struggle to focus for long periods time, or pay attention to small details.

However, I scored nearly an entire grade level below average in two areas: Capitalization and Punctuation. Capitalization and punctuation are two areas that require a person to slow down, pay attention, and be careful.

As I read down the chart, two little memories popped into my head. The first was being told right before the test: “There is no prize or score for going fast. Go slow, and take your time with every answer.” I remember taking that to heart and going paaiinfullly slow, (in my little mind’s perception, anyway.)

The second was after we got the results. I remember my mom saying, “Looks like you went too fast during the spelling and capitalization part.” To which I replied, very offended, “but I didn’t!!“

So there it is. Proof, at least to me, that I struggled with attentiveness at a young age. This doesn’t really mean anything big. I have my diagnosis already. Yet, it made me feel a bit like a detective when I found it. So I’m sharing!

If you want to know more about the Inattentive Type of ADHD, be sure to check out last week’s blog post: The Three Types of ADHD.

^{*So, if you are reading this as a parent or teacher, please try to keep in mind that ADHD does not = dumb. In fact, overly high grades can be a sign of a neurodiverse brain that will need support to keep succeeding.}