Expert: Dr Billy Levin - 8/20/2007

Question
I was diagnosed with ADD after my sophomore year in college. I have always had trouble concentrating. I started becoming very obsessive compulsive since I found an IQ test score of mine back from second grade where I scored around the 89 or 90 percentile. There was a letter that stated from the women who tested me that my reading lag might have had a downward effect on my test score result, which apparently was a Stanford-Binet test LM. I have ever since seeing this score been trying to justify my results because I now know that I had ADD as well as a reading lag. Is it really possible that your scores on standardized tests such as these would be lower because of these problems. I take medication now for my ADD, and find that it helps somewhat but still have hangups that come from having to take medication to concentrate. I feel that since I have discovered this information and obsessed over this stuff it has effected my life and I really want to resolve this and move on. I took the tickle classic online IQ test a few years back that indicated that my IQ was 133 or a range between 123-133. I am also not sure about the validity of the test but am curious to see what your impression of all of this is and how you might propose to move past it. Thanks so much for your time and I would appreciate as much input and help as you could suggest and or perhaps other colleagues input who also might have opinions on the matter. Thanks so much! By the way I am also seeing a counselor twice a month. :)

Answer
Firstly, knowing your IQ has no baring on ADD or ADHD as it is possible to have either of these conditions with an IQ ranging from retarded to gifted. If you do have ADD/ADHD it is no disgrace as it is inherited but it certainly could esult in a learning disability and explain your reading lag. However with a good IQ you could possibly cope well with other aspects of learning. As you have not stated what  medication you take ,what doses`you take, at what times you take it, it would be difficult to comment any further as an optimal dose is the only one thats works. Less than optimal doses could explain your current problems. Please give me more info and I willtry and help.