You Have So Much Potential (ft. Twice Exceptional)

I was officially labeled as “gifted” as a kid, which meant I was twice an outcast. I was the only “gifted” kid, singling me out, but also the weird kid who didn’t understand social cues. It didn’t help that teachers and my parents kept asking me why I didn’t try. It’s really isolating. But now, with a diagnosis and lots of support, I am unlearning these ideas that I’m not “reaching my potential” or “being lazy” — it’s incredible to feel like I’m finally finding a community, like the one here!

When I was in school, inattentive ADHD wasn’t a thing yet. My teachers pretty much diagnosed me with He Does Not Apply Himselfitis with a side of He Needs to Try Harderitis.

"a joy to have in class, but wish she would apply herself" or "she has so much potential but is unmotivated" I got the speeches every year, multiple times from multiple teachers. Looking back on it, it was so obvious that I was struggling with ADHD but no one took the initiative to help me until my high school vice principal in my senior year. She's the only reason I graduated at all

Being diagnosed so late in life I feel like I missed so much of my potential. I'm so glad you are here to hopefully help those younger and diagnosed!

One of the lasting memories of my childhood is when I had to retake my Geometry class in summer school after I got an "F" during the semester. When heading back to class during summer school, I had my previous semester math teacher and my summer math teacher walking next to me. I saw my previous math teacher point at me and said, "Can you believe this kid is taking summer school" and then shook his head. He knew I was capable of passing the class without a problem but I was such a poor student, not sitting still, falling asleep in class, hating to do the homework, and so on. I don't know if it's ADHD for sure, but a lot of things I've watched in this channel touches way too close to home.

This really hit home, I never needed accommodations in school, so nobody suspected I had ADHD until my fourth semester in university. Getting my diagnosis was such a big step because I didn't blame myself for not being able to do it the way everyone else did anymore. But from time to time I still think that I should be able to do everything without help or medication, because I was able to do it without for a long time and therefore I don't deserve additional support. I needed to hear this, thank you <3

When I was a kid, I was told I was “to smart to have ADHD”, and was instead called childish, lazy, disorganized or difficult. I got diagnosed as an adult, and after that a family member of mine who’s in primary school was sent to a psychiatrist to get their diagnosis as well. And that person was told the exact same thing. They played board games with her/him and because she/he could keep up and follow the rules of the game they said it was impossible for her/him to have adhd. But she/he loves board games and can play them for hours if they let her/him. I’ve told them to seek a second opinion but after their first encounter they’re not really feeling like going through it again. Sadly a lot of the myths surrounding ADHD is still very much believed to be true. Even by professionals.

You didn’t make it to uni however your helping thousands , millions get the help we all needed.

I can relate. Being one of the smarter kids made it so I wasn't diagnosed until I was 25. My worst traits is procrastination which definitely looks like laziness, but I had straight As so I could get away with it

This made me ugly cry, I’ve been struggling so much with my ADHD and being pregnant. So many things in this video hit home very hard and I’ve been trying to learn more about my ADHD. I was sitting with my sister watching something educational and it dawned on me, I said so you mean I’m not stupid I just needed to be taught differently? She said you’ve never been stupid. 🥺

"I struggle with everything else. Smart was all I got." - Damn, that hits deeply home. I'm in University for now almost 9 years for a field that should only take about 5-6 years. And while in school I defined myself over my smarts (even skipping a grade, reading Lord of the Rings at the age of 8/9), it's so much harder in Uni. I'm feeling constantly stupid and like I haven't learned anything at all. Because it's self-disciplin and knowing which courses to take, what to learn etc, that's what I'm struggeling with so much. I'm still waiting for my ADHD diagnosis (but I'm inside the process), but even if I don't have it, THIS video hits still home

I was the opposite kid, I was the special ed kid that would "scare the other students" because I was bored in math so decided to invent my own algebra. This resulted in the special ed teachers saying "she's too smart to be here" and bouncing me back to the regular teacher who said "she's too disruptive and does not work well with others, and can't even read, she needs to be in special ed." Then wash rinse repeat.

This so true! I am 75yrs old and it stills haunts me. I am soooo tired of "You are not living up to your potential! " 😡 " You are just LAZY"

When I was young, my mom asked about getting me tested for adhd because I was so easily distracted and "spacey" but they refused to test me because of my gifted status at school. I eventually had to drop from the gifted program because I couldn't handle the classes without accommodations for time management or organization, even though the actual content level was perfect.

I was recognized for "gifted and talented" starting in 3rd grade but didn't get diagnosed with ADHD until 27. When I started struggling in college I got guilt tripped because "you used to be a gifted kid what happened?" Like... I wasn't gifted in math and hard sciences and my brain got in the way

I was an underachieving overachiever. "Can't stay on task" and "not living up to her potential" were the most frequent comments on my report cards starting around 2nd grade. My grades were just good enough that I was seen as lazy and distracted, always skirting under the radar. I was labeled gifted at 9, so I was underperforming for effectively my entire education and was blamed each and every time I couldn't live up to expectations. And it still took another decade+ to realize my ADHD.

I was apart of the Georgia special education program called GNETS. They locked me and other children in isolation cells for being to hyper. I had to deal with that for so many years I dropped out of school on the 9th grade and ended up in prison a couple years later. Special needs kids never got the help they needed in our schools.

My daughter got into the gifted program, and diagnosed with ADHD this school year. The testing she did to get into gifted was full of people saying how it took her a long time to get to the answer, but she always got to the right answer. She so often gets answers wrong only because she read too fast, or the questioned created a pattern that 1 didn't fall into. Which was me as a kid. But I was never diagnosed. I just got a lot of, you are the smartest kid in my class, you just need to learn how to pay attention. So it was always my fault I got Cs. But I still kept passing.

In school I was considered "Bright but lazy" because of my bad grades despite my participation in class. A teacher even told my mother that without "serious help" I wouldn't amount* to anything. I'm now pursuing a JD/PhD *Edited out a typo

I’m 36 I got diagnosed with ADHD a year ago. My new psychiatrist, who actually listened rather then throw meds at me, cried when she heard what my school experience was like. I performed horribly in school, with an IQ of 136.