Page 405 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

learning disability; I was just lazy and disorganized. Dr.
Fordham did not press, but along with the study skills

brochures she gave me an information sheet on ADD.

The next step in my process of self-discovery involved

overcoming denial. When I read the brochure, I

recognized myself immediately. However, I was not
about to be labeled “learning disabled” at my age. But I

reasoned that getting more information could not hurt, so

I searched the Internet. Along with other information

about ADD, I found an adult ADD checklist.

The checklist said that experiencing twenty or more of
the symptoms could indicate a tendency toward ADD. I

had checked forty-six of them. It was becoming harder

for me to deny that I had a problem.

The most difficult step in the process was getting up the
courage to be tested. I finally talked to my parents. “So

what if you have a learning disability?” my practical

mother said, “It’s not going to change who you are.” My

father did some research, and told me that Einstein had

a learning disability. Finally, I overcame my reluctance
and went to an ADD center that Dr. Fordham

recommended. The tests confirmed that I had ADD.

Somehow, knowing the truth lifted a weight from my

shoulders. Now I was ready to do something about my

problem. When a doctor at the center suggested Ritalin,