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Black Excellence And My ADHD Diagnosis

Three months ago, I was diagnosed with ADHD with some indicators of dyspraxia.

Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder is a specific learning difficulty that affects attention control. The common misconception is that it is about having poor concentration, but really it is about being unable to choose what to pay attention to. I take in absolutely everything in front of me, which then leads me to think about ten other things that relate to that. My friends often joked about me lacking focus, lacking self-control and always being too energetic and happy.

Immediately after finding out, I felt relief, because for a long time I knew something was off. For the first two years I was a university student, I arguably scraped by – an experience I assumed was the norm. When I started my placement year, working full time in higher education, sitting at my desk and doing certain tasks was extremely difficult.

Possible effects ADHD include acting without thinking; difficulty completing tasks and merging deadlines; difficulties with time management; taking on more than they can achieve; difficulty giving close attention to details and making careless mistakes; organisational difficulties and losing things. Working full time, this is where my diagnosis started to show.