<p>My kids don’t disclose their ADD to their friends. Thanks to the other posters who had mentioned using lockboxes at college; I thought I was a bit paranoid to consider it, but I think we may go that route.</p>
<p>One of my kids takes Adderall and Concerta (both in very low doses; for him the combo is very effective) and came to the personal realization that he truly needed them about three years ago. He feels he has better control of himself socially and can be more creative. (I know this runs contra to what others have reported.) S says that he can focus instead of having all these competing ideas and thoughts running through his brain at light speed. </p>
<p>We have other family members with ADHD who have not gone the medication or accommodation route and it has been a tough, tough road, both personally and academically. Both are very bright young men with the potential to be productive and happy people, but the ADHD is a huge hurdle standing in the way to those goals.</p>
<p>We discussed with the school GC whether to disclose the ADD to colleges, and the GC said that since S had no accommodations and had an excellent academic record, there was no reason to raise the flag. (The college app discussion discussion was the first time the GC was even aware of S’s ADD.) I will note that the schools to which he applied tend to like quirky people, so I think there was some self-selection on his part up-front, too. :)</p>
<p>We were always very careful not to value-label the medications. Our ped also reinforces this by telling them that the stimulants won’t make you smart or well-behaved, but that they give you the ability to focus and control so that you can manage these behaviors internally.</p>
<p>P3T, thanks for your post. You are always such a shining ray of sanity when it comes to difficult and controversial issues.</p>