Shiran Vashdi stared blankly. Her paper and pen had not met.

This was her final for political science last year. She remembers the topic was federalism. Most students had an hour and a half to finish, Shiran had three. Shiran has Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). This is medically defined as a syndrome, usually diagnosed in childhood, characterized by a persistent pattern of impulsiveness, a short attention span, and sometimes hyperactivity, and interfering especially with academic, occupational, and social performance. I always had trouble focusing and paying attention. I never really got the help. Work was straining. My head would hurt because I was trying so hard to focus. In order for me to get accommodations here I needed paper work. In a hallway, most people would walk by in the Campus Center lied the Disability Resource Center. Students walked towards a door filled with pictures of children. There they would be greeted by a rather tall woman with short white hair that grazed her cheeks. Carolyn Malloch, is the Assistant Director of the center. Her office is a crammed space, yet there is a sitting area the size of a car of an elevator. On a table sat a half a dozen rainbow slinkys. What are the toys for? The toys are a test, said Malloch. A test for what? Often a person with ADD will have a problem with fidgeting. I leave the toys there to see if students will get distracted by them, said Malloch.

Clink. Clink. Clink. Vashdi has one hand buried in her pockets. Her vice is jangling coins in her pocket. There is scrap paper on the table. Most people would get up and throw it out. Vashdi takes one and rips it. Another one, another one, and then another one. She gets bored because she just cant sit in one place. Malloch said students with ADD lack executive functioning, meaning a reminder system. She described it as the mind on a permanent vacation. Vashdi was on her way to her sisters wedding reception. Crammed in a limo, she feverishly writes on a piece of paper. She had forgotten to finish writing her speech to her sister. Looking over her speech in the limo reminded her that it was half-done. According to ADDitude magazine, a publication designed solely about ADD reported that 21 percent of teens with ADD skip school repeatedly, 35 percent eventually drop out and 30 percent have either failed of had to repeat a school year. Vashdi said I try to avoid classes in the lecture halls. I hate working in groups. I have a hard time keeping up with what everyone is saying. At work she sits at a round table with other staff. When shes talking one on one, the conversation is flowing. As she laughs her black curls bounce as she falls back into her seat. As more staff comes in and fill the table, the volume of chatter in the office increases. Vashdi however, puts her head down pretending to do work. Vashdi sat at a table intensely staring into her computer screen. It was if she was looking into its soul. Her curly black hair was pulled back. Nothing seemed to break her focus. She

seemed to be doing her homework. At a closer glance though, she was not writing a paper, she was watching TV. The show was Criminal Minds. This show is based on a team of FBI profilers who assist the police in solving serial or violent crimes. The characters utilize psychological analyses to figure out the perpetrators next move. Vashdi is obsessed with this show. She said this show helped her on her Abnormal Psych test. The killers in the show have all the same problems that were on my test! I know I did well on it, she said. Virginia Techs student handbook on Attention Deficit Disorder says Experts believe that ADD has a large genetic component, and is caused by a neuro-chemical disconnection between two parts of the frontal lobes inside the brain. This affects the central nervous systems development, and thus causes impairment in the ability to concentrate. Vashdi grew up with two sisters and her mother. She had no father figure while growing up. She is not very close with her mom. According to her, they are opposites and often dont see eye to eye. One similarity that they wont be able to argue is they both have ADD. It runs in Vasdhis family. Her and her siblings all have ADD. Vasdhi said her sisters are much worse than her. Shiran is 21 years old. It has been only one year since she has been diagnosed. The problem with ADD is that there is no single test that can diagnose a person. The American Psychiatric Association uses a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV, Text Revision to

appropriately diagnose people. It basically is like a checklist of criteria for health professionals to use to figure out whether or not someone has ADD. Joyce Dewitt-Parker is a staff psychologist at the Universitys Counseling Center. She said If a student has been diagnosed with ADHD prior to attending college and if they are registered with the Disability Resource Center, it is customary to repeat some aspects of testing every 3-4 years. In such instances, the UCC could evaluate the need for updated testing. If a student suspects ADHD, with no prior treatment or testing, the UCC would review school records (Elementary-High School) and meet with a student and determine if there might be a disability and/or move forward with an evaluation. Students have the option of medication. Vashdi doesnt want to depend on it though. I havent taken it in a month. I feel more out of it. I feel antsy. Its weird, she said. Vashdi got an internship at SNACK & Friends, a special needs recreational center for children in New York City at the end of her senior year. The markers, crayons and paint lay on the table. Children came storming through the doors. Some made their presence known while others kept to themselves. A few children had big smiles on their face because they got peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at snack time. It was art time now. The children with tight lips could pick up a crayon and draw a picture worth a thousand words. Vashdi administered this art therapy. With her help, the children were to take pride in their work and focus on one theme every session.

SNACK & Friends mission is to fill a void in the lives of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other similar developmental and behavioral disabilities by providing after-school and weekend recreational programs designed and staffed to address their needs. With medication or without, people with ADD can be successful and live a normal life. She is an accomplished woman. She is a mother of two and an author of four books. She is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. Katherine Ellison has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. ADD is considered an old-fashioned term. According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), Some use the term ADD as an umbrella termafter all, ADHD is an attentiondeficit disorder. Others use the term ADD to refer to the predominantly inattentive type of ADHD, since that type does not feature hyperactive symptoms. Lastly, some simply use the terms ADD and ADHD interchangeably. The bottom line is that when people speak of ADD or ADHD, they generally mean the same thing. However, only ADHD is the official term. I do have a lot of energy and I'm kind of an intense person, so when I'm interested in something, I really focus in. And I guess, as I've kind of analyzed it since, it seems like, as a kid, I sort of learned that I was going to have to work a lot harder than I thought just to kind of make up for the silly mistakes that I would make, said Ellison in an interview with David Van Nuys, Ph.D. Students with ADD are often innovators and creators. They are able to make good connections. And can be idea generators, said Malloch.

Focusing and inattentiveness will always be a hurdle for Vashdi. This year however, she finds peace in her art class. Her latest project involves making a three dimensional piece of art. Her inspiration is a necklace that she never takes off. It is the Star of David. Its beautifully handcrafted. The gold, white, red, and blue details mesh well together. She finds her art projects to be stress relieving. She admits its hard to sit there for three hours. She said she takes twice as long as everyone else. Art is art, whether it takes five hours to make or five years.