My Journey with ADHD

It all started in 2nd grade when my teacher had to reward me for not talking unnecessarily in class. There was always so much on my mind and I wanted to share. Most of the time it was about what we were learning and my thoughts bombarded me, I needed to let it out somehow. (This is very normal for someone with ADHD.) Unfortunately, any type of talking was not allowed. So, I had a sticker chart for a week and if I got all five stickers, I got to pick a prize.

About six years later, my family could tell that something was off. The situation happened often when I would study and study AND study for weeks at a time and only get a 70% at best. "How come I studied 10 times harder than everyone else and I get the worst grade? This isn't fair!", I thought. I was able to help my classmates study for tests. I aced every project. What was the disconnect? After two years of dealing with this, my parents decided to have me evaluated for ADHD and any other learning disabilities. These tests saved my academic career. I was diagnosed with ADHD. Within this diagnosis, my clinician was able to identify an area of concern - my working memory - which displayed as a processing delay. Through multiple study strategy courses, I was able to learn how I learned best. I acquired the tools and strategies that I needed to succeed in school.
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Fast forward 10+ years, I had a classroom filled with students who all have unique needs. Each of my students had their own extended diagnoses but, one diagnosis that I rarely saw was ADHD. According to other colleagues in the special education field, ADHD was highly overlooked. 
 
 Fast forward a few more years and the COVID-19 pandemic hit. I knew I wanted to dive deeper into my passion for students with learning difficulties, particularly students with ADHD. I was told about the ADD Coach Academy by a tutoring client, and Turn the Paige began.