What if there's nothing wrong with us and we're just mediocre?
Someone with an IQ of 80 will probably never be able to attain a college degree. But that doesn't mean they have a disease. Their brains just don't work as well as most people's.
I am someone diagnosed with inattentive type. My testing showed natural intelligence scores in the 98th, 97th, and 74th percentile for the three components. That translates to approximately 145, 140, and 120 functional IQ scores. I failed, repeatedly, to attain a degree due to the inability to execute when needed. I had the knowledge, in a lot of cases it was trivial stuff to me. What got me was not being able to meet deadlines, not being able to sit down and study, etc. If I could go at my own pace and just do the assignments and tests and do away with deadlines/lectures/etc - I have no doubt I could earn a couple degrees in a fraction of the time. Not because I could will myself to "do" any more than I could before, but because once I finally start "doing" it's easier to keep the momentum and make it habit/routine/automatic. School is stop/go/stop/go so it's constantly having to refocus and regain the momentum - something that's exceedingly difficult for those with ADHD.
I think I wasn't clear enough in my comment--I wasn't trying to suggest that people with ADHD or chronic procrastinators have low intelligence. I brought up low IQ as an analogy. My intended point was that perhaps the ability to focus on boring tasks is a trait that's normally distributed just like IQ is, and that people who are below average on the trait will have a tougher time in life despite not having a disorder.
That's exactly what it is - the executive function in the brain is compromised. The thing that allows you to make yourself "do" doesn't activate or activates minimally (depending on what end of the spectrum you're on). The ability to focus is separate. In hyperactive they find they focus while doing other things. ie: they'll get up and run around and be crazy but then come back and answer the question initially asked if left to sort it out in their own way. Inattentive can focus for hours on end. I've focused for 34 hours straight on a task without break... unfortunately it was a completely useless task that did me no good. I had to pee like a race horse and was starving/exhausted once I stopped. While I was hyperfocusing I had no concept of time (despite a clock on my computer), signals my body was sending, people coming in and out of the room talking to me... just oblivious. It's freaking amazing when it happens on something that's actually productive but I can't control it (executive function again).
7
u/JMJimmy May 30 '17
I am someone diagnosed with inattentive type. My testing showed natural intelligence scores in the 98th, 97th, and 74th percentile for the three components. That translates to approximately 145, 140, and 120 functional IQ scores. I failed, repeatedly, to attain a degree due to the inability to execute when needed. I had the knowledge, in a lot of cases it was trivial stuff to me. What got me was not being able to meet deadlines, not being able to sit down and study, etc. If I could go at my own pace and just do the assignments and tests and do away with deadlines/lectures/etc - I have no doubt I could earn a couple degrees in a fraction of the time. Not because I could will myself to "do" any more than I could before, but because once I finally start "doing" it's easier to keep the momentum and make it habit/routine/automatic. School is stop/go/stop/go so it's constantly having to refocus and regain the momentum - something that's exceedingly difficult for those with ADHD.