Initially diagnosed with ADHD, then diagnosed with delayed development

[Glowflake]

What wasn't really fair to me when I was diagnosed with ADHD at age 19 is that is the age where you are really ripe for attempting Life independence and I feel like I didn't even get a chance to. People didn't even let me try and slapped a label on me and told me I couldn't do it because "the papers say so". Then the same docter who diagnosed me never looked at my IQ assessment and when he finally did two years later he said he made a misdiagnoses and diagnosed me with being developmentally delayed. This made me distrust doctors. What irks me the most is that it took 19 years to get diagnosed with anything in general.People tell me that 'I slipped through the cracks" and nobody caught on because of the way I talk/express myself . I was put into programs with clients who can't carry a conversation because there weren't any programs with high functioning clients. The workers were the worst part because they assume you're just like the other programs, it took mental effort to not snap at them and say "Excuse me, do not talk to me like I'm a toddler.". After awhile my mother eventually saw things from my perspective and took me out of the programs. Its funny, you go through out highschool with normal functioning friends, graduate like everyone else then have a docter tell you that you're retarded in a polite way. You go through out life thinking you're normal like your peers and then you're all of a sudden yanked into this crappy, guarded & limiting diagnosed life. I am so sick of being analyzed.

Basically, I am considered too dumb to be an average functioning citizen but I'm smart enough to be depressed about it.

 

[Fino]

Welcome!

I'm a little confused.

Your diagnosis was changed from ADHD to "developmentally delayed" because of your IQ results?

What caused you to see a doctor when you were 19?

If you slipped through the cracks, what were these "programs" you were in?

Was it ADHD that made it so you "didn't even get a chance" or something else? Because if anything like that is what you're saying, being diagnosed with ADHD would mean only good things, assuming it's accurate. I don't see how bad could come from it.

Have you been diagnosed with Autism?

 

[Sarah S]

Welkome to the forums

First of all im sad to read that you as have i when i was younger have fault thru the cracks

If you look at my profile you see i (according to my " papers " ) shouldent be able to talk to you like this and live as i do etc... BUT here i am

what im trying to say is regardless of what youre " papers " say you are still YOU and if as you say youre self you have managed to get thru school even (i dident my entire school time was a waist ) then be PROUD of youre self

Reg the so called diagnose you have gotten based on youre IQ thats BS and what you should do is demand a new evaluation ( yes i know youre sick of being evaluated as am i i have been evaluated from 4 up to my latest when they discovered my ASD and also said i have multiple further diagnos but the ods of finding them all is slim to non so no further meaning to continue digging (and i agree ) .thru this evaluation you may be re diagnosed to something else /added diagnoses / or even declared NO diagnosis and it will be removed from youre papers.

And NO youre not labeled as to dumb to be a average functioning citizen FAR from it youre diagnose only states you have special needs (same as me )

Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions that are due to mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Developmental disabilities cause individuals living with them many difficulties in certain areas of life, especially in "language, mobility, learning, self-help, and independent living".[1] Developmental disabilities can be detected early on and persist throughout an individual's lifespan. Developmental disability that affects all areas of a child's development is sometimes referred to as global developmental delay.

Most common developmental disabilities:

• Down syndrome is a condition in which people are born with an extra copy of chromosome 21. Normally, a person is born with two copies of chromosome 21. However, if they are born with Down syndrome, they have an extra copy of this chromosome. This extra copy affects the development of the body and brain, causing physical and mental challenges for the individual.
• Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is thought to cause autism and intellectual disability, usually among boys.
• Pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) are a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges.
• Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are a group of conditions that can occur in a person whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy.
• Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. CP is the most common motor disability in childhood.[1]
• Intellectual disability, also (sometimes proscriptively) known as mental retardation, is defined as an IQ below 70 along with limitations in adaptive functioning and onset before the age of 18 years

And also many delayed children will go on to become independent adults. ...

 

[Glowflake]

Welkome to the forums

First of all im sad to read that you as have i when i was younger have fault thru the cracks

If you look at my profile you see i (according to my " papers " ) shouldent be able to talk to you like this and live as i do etc... BUT here i am

what im trying to say is regardless of what youre " papers " say you are still YOU and if as you say youre self you have managed to get thru school even (i dident my entire school time was a waist ) then be PROUD of youre self

Reg the so called diagnose you have gotten based on youre IQ thats BS and what you should do is demand a new evaluation ( yes i know youre sick of being evaluated as am i i have been evaluated from 4 up to my latest when they discovered my ASD and also said i have multiple further diagnos but the ods of finding them all is slim to non so no further meaning to continue digging (and i agree ) .thru this evaluation you may be re diagnosed to something else /added diagnoses / or even declared NO diagnosis and it will be removed from youre papers.

And NO youre not labeled as to dumb to be a average functioning citizen FAR from it youre diagnose only states you have special needs (same as me )

Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions that are due to mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Developmental disabilities cause individuals living with them many difficulties in certain areas of life, especially in "language, mobility, learning, self-help, and independent living".[1] Developmental disabilities can be detected early on and persist throughout an individual's lifespan. Developmental disability that affects all areas of a child's development is sometimes referred to as global developmental delay.

Most common developmental disabilities:

• Down syndrome is a condition in which people are born with an extra copy of chromosome 21. Normally, a person is born with two copies of chromosome 21. However, if they are born with Down syndrome, they have an extra copy of this chromosome. This extra copy affects the development of the body and brain, causing physical and mental challenges for the individual.
• Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is thought to cause autism and intellectual disability, usually among boys.
• Pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) are a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges.
• Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are a group of conditions that can occur in a person whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy.
• Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. CP is the most common motor disability in childhood.[1]
• Intellectual disability, also (sometimes proscriptively) known as mental retardation, is defined as an IQ below 70 along with limitations in adaptive functioning and onset before the age of 18 years

And also many delayed children will go on to become independent adults. ...

Thank you for your reply. Yes even my mother thinks it was social anxiety that may have affected the results and she got annoyed with the rediagnoses because of the 2 year gap between the developmentally delayed one (Age 21) and the ADHD one (age 19). The IQ results were always there but the psychologist never bothered to look at the file in between the 2 years. When he did he drew a picture explaining my diagnoses like I was a mute toddler and had thenerve to ask "Do you know what IQ is?". But yeah, let sleeping dogs lay, as they say. Knowing that development delayed children grow up to be stable is reassuring, so thank you so much.

Welcome!

I'm a little confused.

Your diagnosis was changed from ADHD to "developmentally delayed" because of your IQ results?

What caused you to see a doctor when you were 19?

If you slipped through the cracks, what were these "programs" you were in?

Was it ADHD that made it so you "didn't even get a chance" or something else? Because if anything like that is what you're saying, being diagnosed with ADHD would mean only good things, assuming it's accurate. I don't see how bad could come from it.

Have you been diagnosed with Autism?

Gee, talk about putting the newcomer on trial eh?
When I was 19 I confessed to my mother that I was on an app called Grindr and I was having sexual encounters with men old enough to be my father and it concerned her so she set up an assessment.

Cleary my posts state that I was in programs *after* my diagnoses. I slipped through the cracks because I didn't get diagnosed with anything as a child, it was never caught early on.

It wasn't the initial ADHD diagnoses itself that made me feel that way it sas the events afterwards. Which was that condescending IQ test that listed things like "He won't be able to live on his own" ect and how my abusive mother took advantage of all of this and kept me on a ball & chain since then. I don't even have a phone.

And no I'm not autistic.

 

[Crossbreed]

Hello & welcome @Glowflake .

Your screen name reminded me of

The Glow-Worm

 

[Sarah S]

="Glowflake, post: 620305, member: 22453"]Thank you for your reply.

" Youre very welkome "

Yes even my mother thinks it was social anxiety that may have affected the results and she got annoyed with the rediagnoses because of the 2 year gap between the developmentally delayed one (Age 21) and the ADHD one (age 19).

" One thing tho with ASD there are actually alot of Co morbid diagnosis (incl youre diagnosis were also mien Intellectual disability is one of them ) THIS said its widely accepted that for us with ADHD especially we usely score up to 15 points below average (i scored even lower (sigh ) However in yore case id say they are WRONG and you have been mistreated either way) "

The IQ results were always there but the psychologist never bothered to look at the file in between the 2 years.

" To get said Developmental disability diagnose as is true for ADHD or indeed ASD diagnose you have to have had the traits prior to youre 18 birthday (ie from early childhood ) so again to me it sounds like they havent even bothered to do this the right way period "

When he did he drew a picture explaining my diagnoses like I was a mute toddler and had thenerve to ask "Do you know what IQ is?".

" If my docs had treated me that way BELIVE me they would be aware that i was offended you did GOOD"

But yeah, let sleeping dogs lay, as they say. Knowing that development delayed children grow up to be stable is reassuring, so thank you so much.

Its all individual + it all depends on said severity grade as well . This said if you dont have any problems in life then just let it go and continue with youre life

Developmental disability is a severe, long term disability that can affect cognitive ability, physical functioning, or both. These disabilities appear before age 22 and are likely to be life-long. The term “developmental disability” encompasses intellectual disability but also includes physical disabilities.

So this means you dont get rid of said problems BUT as i said many grow up and are able to function just fine (as you apparently are IF you now indeed have this diagnose ) + as you describe this you are (IF so even ) MILD as me in youre developmental disability as is actually the majority of us with this diagnose "

" And lastly you DONT have to feel ashamed or accept anyone treat you like an idiot i shore as heck dont .I accepted & learnt to adapt to all my diagnosis but i HATE them all "

 

[Glowflake]

Hello & welcome @Glowflake .

Your screen name reminded me of

The Glow-Worm

Haha that's awesome, good taste