Being an ADD/ADHD youth worker #3: Growing up ADD

By the time I was in HS I realized that I was different from other kids – even different from my sister, who could study for hours on end and practice the piano non-stop for an hour at a time. So many of my peers could pick an interest and stay with it, ignoring all the other REALLY INTERESTING things that got my attention, however briefly. I realized that I was becoming a Jack of all trades and master of none. That frustrated me to no end. I struggled mightily with this, trying to stay focused, trying to study for longer periods of time. For decades, I told myself that I could learn, over time, through practice, to stay focused on a subject for longer periods.
My basic attention span is about 15 minutes. I would try to boost this to ½ hour. Again and again I would try. No luck. Again and again I studied for about 15 minutes and then spend about 15 minutes trying to focus. What I finally learned is: You don't “overcome” being ADD. It is like being left-handed. So

• People kept trying to make southpaws righties, but it never worked
• You can't “cure” people of being ADD
• and I don't know why you would want to
• There is some real value to this condition, as I'll explain later
• So it is a matter of the person with ADD learning how to cope in a world that doesn't understand them – like a left-handed person learning to cope with a right handed world
• And those that have to live with an ADD person learning to cope with and tolerate their characteristics