dysTalk Careerlife Help For An Adult With Add And Dyslexia - Organisation Attention - Forum - dysTalk

Hi. I'm a 27 year old male from Texas that has struggled with ADD and dyslexia my whole life. I was hoping that I might grow out of my symptoms and lead a somewhat ''normal'' life. But as I've gotten older my symptoms have gotten no better and the divide between myself and ''normalcy'' seems to be growing.

I've always been above average intelligence and very creative but have never been able to fit in at school. Needless to say school has been very difficult for me not only academically but socially and emotionally as well. Only by the grace of God and the help of others was I able to finish high school. Now on my own and no support system finishing college doesn't seem to be in the cards for me under my current circumstances. I've had to drop out of college several times.

I have seen many different types of doctors and therapists that have put me on many different meds but nothing so far has seemed to really work for me very well.

Now I'm 27, divorced and unemployed with little to my name. I haven't been able to hold down a job for more than a few months at a time. I'm a very hard worker an get along with people just fine but I keep being let go because of what I know are ADD related symptoms. My last job was at a car wash and I was fired after only 2 weeks.

The last thing I want to do is have a pity party or get down on myself but I've found myself spending more and more days by myself in desperation. I'm so tiered of flunking out of school and working my tail off only to be fired from what should be easy jobs. The worst part about it is that I have no idea where to go or what to do with myself.

I know everyone is different but perhaps someone reading this knows where I can find some real solutions for someone like me. I have no choice but to stay optimistic and never give up.

29/06/2011 03:07:18
John

John, it is wonderful that you remain so optimistic and that you are aware of this condition.

I am 55yrs old and I'm so tired of the struggle but like you I have not given up.

I hope someone out there is able to help us get a grip on our lives.

God Bless

19/07/2011 05:21:28
Liz

john ,my name is carmen ,your testmony was masterful!y done.!no one has said it better!my online is dixie because of dyslexia. it totally rules your life!plus i have 4 all dyslexic all with the attributes

of god.i wanted kids with a vengence.when i realixed i had the sillent disability .i thought i will have to teach them at home. and i homeshooled all four. and keeps getting better they amaze me!

23/02/2012 00:36:04
dixie

John, I too have ADHD. I think you need to seriously think about how your ADHD affects you? Can you accomplish routine tasks, can you deal with repetitive tasks or do you have a low boredom threshold (very common). It maybe that you are gravitating towards work that is unsuitable for someone with ADHD. Personally, I know I could not work as a car washer as it would be too repetitive and unstimulating. You need to look at what you are good at, what you like doing and what you can do. You may be better suited to work which has variety, where you do a series of short different tasks perhaps making something or working in an office? You say you are a hard worker. I am too but I tend to keep myself to myself and get on with my work, some people don't like that. They want you to be more approachable and less single minded. I suggest you look at your strengths and weaknesses and see if you can put strategies in place for some of your weaknesses and try to get a job that is more suited to you. ADHD people are great in a crisis because we remain calm whilst others are flapping about. There is a high proportion of police officers, firefighters etc, who have ADHD tendencies. Don't give up!

05/04/2012 13:56:14
Mary-Anne