ABSTRACT
Terry struggled all through school. In fact, as a kid, it was torture to have to wake up in the morning and show up in a classroom. He remembered endless nagging, yelling, bribery, and frustration by his parents as they tried to get him to comply with a schedule. By age seven, Terry’s parents wondered if something was wrong with their son and took him to a psychologist for an evaluation. Terry was diagnosed with ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, combined type. Combined type meant Terry had symptoms of both inattention and hyperactivity. Although Terry’s parents were assured that he was of at least average intelligence and maybe slightly above, he had a hard time accessing that intelligence due to problems with sitting still and focusing on his studies. From second grade on, Terry saw his parents’disappointment whenever it was report card time. They tried not to show it, but to Terry, they might as well have put a neon sign in the window saying “Our son Terry is a failure.”
