-=> Quoting Jerry Schwartz to Lawrence Dumas <=-
 LD>      in his book: "Attention Deficit Disorder: A Different Perception". 
It
 LD>      is a good read and I recommend it highly.  My interpretation of his
 LD>      thesis is that ADHD is adaptive in an environment that is 
stimulating
 LD>      and mal-adaptive in an environment that is not-stimulating.
 JS> I cannot imagine that my son would be a successful hunter, if that's
 JS> what you're getting at.  I don't hold out my son as typical of ADHD; I
 JS> think there is more than that wrong with him - and I do mean wrong, not
 JS> "different."
     Hartman's use of the term hunter to describe what he means does not
     sit well with me. It seems a tad too aggressive a word.  However, the
     idea is that the choice of careers for people with ADD needn't be
     limitted to the "low-end" jobs but rather the jobs which provide the
     stimulation needed to engage the worker.  He specifically notes:
     police officers, private detectives, freelance writers, reporters,
     airline pilots, spies (hoopefully for our side), military combat
     personnel, disc jockeys, sales people, consultants, trial lawyers,
     and entrepreneurs.
     This is only a short list meant to provide examples of the type of
     work which provide the stimulation necessary to engage us in ways
     which allow us to be successful.
     I note that my former job, social worker, is not on there. 
     How old is your son and what other difficulties has he experienced?
     I remember a way back that a message was posted by a parent which
     touched on this issue.  If I remember correctly the message was
     dismissive of the people here who wish to portray ADD and especially
     ADHD as something other than a handicap and even that it is a superior
     stituation than being "normal".  I am not suggesting that it is not
     a handicap. I have this thing and have had it all my life and I wish I
     could make it go away. However, I cannot make it go away. So, it seems
     to me that a good strategy is to concentrate in areas that I have a
     fighting chance of being successful at.
 He, like the rest of us, has to live in the world and he
 JS> seems rather ill-equipped to do so.
     This is where the positive views of ADD may be helpful.  It is simply
     an extension of the use of structure and guidance to assist people
     with ADD become successful. It just takes the use of these concepts
     which we are applying to home and school and applies them to the
     adult world of living and working. This only makes sense to me and
     has helped me become more successful than I otherwise would have been.
     Some people attribute great success to these measures. That has not
     been my experience but I am guided by and given hope and courage by
     hearing of other's success.  For a parent, especially a parent of
     a child that has other and/or more severe symptoms, this might sound
     odd or even be irritating.  But it just makes sense to me. I am sure
     that every one on this echo does their very best to try to achieve or
     help their child achieve the very best possible.  Hartmann's theories
     and suggestions simply give some background and hints on how this can
     be achieved.
 JS> Have you ever read the book "A Confederacy of Dunces" by Toole?  My
 JS> son is scarily like the main character.
     No I haven't but if you could expand on some of these qualities I
     would have greater sensitivity towards your situation.  I believe
     that part of the problem with this disorder and talking about this
     disorder is that it can affect people in dramatically different ways
     and is associated with many other syndromes so that when we each talk
     of our life's experiences we are comparing apples and oranges.
... Keep on TRUCKING.
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