ADD Adult Studying To Be ASL Interpreter....

[ADDproud]

Hello Add/ADHD community!! While I have been considering it for some time, I just joined this online community. I have a specific question to ask....

I am an ADD adult, currently studying to be an American Sign Language interpreter. I think there are many reasons why being an adult with ADD in this field will be valuable, such as my experience with disabilities and accommodation, my creativity, being a visual learner, ect. However, I struggle with memory and various executive functioning difficulties. I would love any and all advise and resources around this journey of becoming an ASL interpreter while having ADD. Thanks so much!

[lisariver]

I'm sorry I can't offer much input, just to say I love ASL and have been learning online, with Bill Vicar's lessons, off and on for a while now.

[lovedogs51511]

Hi ADDproud,

I'm an adult ADHD sufferer and I will be attending CNA classes again in fall and I'm worried cause my memory is gone especially short term memory, have had hard time learning due to being inattentive and really cannot pay attention for only a few seconds. I don't know how to help you cause I'm still confused. I just upped dose to 20 mg ER aderrall but its making me super lethargic and depressed. Are you taking a stimulant for your ADD? I sure hope you become a great interpreter!!! Much luck on your journey!! God bless😄

[cjnolet in reply to lovedogs51511]

If you don’t mind me asking, where does your mind go when you are inattentive?

I’m curious if it goes to similar places mine goes.

[lovedogs51511 in reply to cjnolet]

I don't think at all. Just goes blank!! Its weird. May be due to the 12 shock therapies I had back years ago. But the ADHD has been bugging me since I was really young. Even back then I just spaced out and got depressed cause of being stupid.

[cjnolet in reply to lovedogs51511]

My grandmother used to get shock therapy for bipolar disorder. She also had an addiction to buying things on qvc and home shopping network. By today’s standards, I’ve been really considering whether or not she was actually ADHD and never bipolar to begin with.

I’m a combined type and I’m pretty sure that my mom is inattentive but even though she agrees with me, she won’t fork out the money to get tested. My uncle on my dads side is also diagnosed. Makes me wonder if I’m a combined type because I got the genes on both sides. Don’t get me wrong, I love my brain, I wouldn’t change it for the world, the good or the bad parts, but I’ve drfinitely been given some unique genes.

As for the thoughts, my mind never stops problem solving. It’s like the inattentive and the hyperactive sides cause me to think and problem solve 24 hours a day, even when I’m sleepjng. I don’t even mean to, but my brain makes connections even when I’m not actively telling it to. Often I miss what people say when I’m in a conversation for the shear fact that I’m being a tad selfish and want to think about what I want to think about. Often I can complete people’s sentenfes because they have this long and boring way of drWing out their words so when I realize I got their message 10 words ago, I’ll go back to thinking about what I want and then I’ll miss their next several sentenfes. It makes it hard to converse sometimes becuAse I get lost in my own world but I like to think maybe God has a purpose for my overactive mind so maybe it’s not so bad.

[lovedogs51511 in reply to cjnolet]

Your grandma sounds like a great lady. I don't know why she got the therapies whether bipolar or adhd but mine was for depression. It worked some. I'm also bipolar but number 2. Slight mood swings. I know about getting those wonderful genes! Except mine are freaking hell on earth. I agree with ya I do the same like lose interest in anything ppl talk about. I can only read two words and forget it. Don't remember a thing I read or hear. Can't even remember a phone number. I too know my moms got adhd. Mine denies it all the way!! So stupid!! Like I'm crazy and she's not. Thinks she's perfect. Hahaha right off!!😄😄 Wish I had problem solving mind! Mine draws major blanks when trying to learn anything even if I'm interested. So yea we've both got adhd or add. I've got adhd. Thanks for chatting with me.

[cjnolet in reply to lovedogs51511]

Thank you! But I might point out that the grandmother I speak of has been dead for almost 2 decades and to be honest, she was not very likable more much of the years we were alive together. For some reason, she specifically did not treat me very well growing up. She seemed to be good to my sister, but hated me and didn't have a problem stating it. Even on her death-bed she was pretty nasty to me while I was attempting to make her more comfortable. I guess we'll never know what her true ailment was, it just makes me wonder sometimes what modern science would have determined about her"condition".

I tend to go through stages of hyperfocus and obsessions where I'm suddenly completely 100% so focused on some particular subject that I suddenly find it dictates my entire world- 3 years ago it was music production and DJing and this caused me to spend over $25k over the course of 2 years on equipment (I earned most of the money back DJing at local clubs and then up and quit when I got bored). Recently it was buying new clothes as a result of my weight loss (just kept buying stuff.... was out at clothing stores every weekend for months buying more).

My psychiatrist told me the money spending is not mania and rather it's a textbook case of ADHD. My grandmother's use of home shopping network and QVC make me wonder.... because it didn't seem to be small manic episodes with her; it was much more persistent than that.

[lovedogs51511 in reply to cjnolet]

I'm so sorry she wasn't nice to you. That's so shitty damn. Who knows why she treated you so poorly. That's terrible she did that. That spending you did sounds to me like bipolar manic episodes. Not sure cause I'm bipolar2. I don't go thru stuff like that. My friend would do stuff like that tho. I'm no Dr obviously but just going off how other ppls manic episodes are. I've got ADHD but have never gone thru a spending spree like that!! Would be a blast tho lol. DJing sounds like a lot of fun!! Why did you quit? You must of been pretty damn good!! Oh that's right you got bored. Damn that sucks! I'm just spacey real spacey. That's why my name is Kacey I guess! Hahaha😄😄