The lethal trifecta: high intelligence, ADHD, and slow processing speed

You are sitting in a lecture, trying to follow along. The teacher is going a bit too fast, but you are starting to understan. . . Whoops! Squirrel. Someone just dropped a pencil.. Wait, where are we now?

Last week, I explained about the anxiety-invoking impact of high intelligence and slow-processing speed. Add ADHD to the mix and you’ve got a recipe for shut down.

The brain works at cross-purposes for slow processors with ADHD, trying to chug through comprehension while fighting its own distractability. A large gap between high IQ and low processing speed creates frustration on its own. Having your processing interrupted by your own inattention can be maddening. 

In addition to confusion in the classroom, high IQ/low processors work slowly. People with ADHD brains tend to want to speed through everything and are easily bored. Motivating your speedy self to sit still and do schoolwork is a challenge, particularly in non-preferred content areas. Knowing that when you do get started, it will take you “forever” to finish the assignment makes it worse.

I figured out this dynamic working with an ADHD learner who tested in the 99th percentile in intelligence and in the 7th percentile in processing speed. After I helped her understand this gap, I wondered aloud about how frustrating it must be for her. To my surprise, she started to cry. “Finally, someone else gets it.”

Interestingly, I’ve observed that learners with this neuro-combination are often profoundly gifted in a non-academic area - typically in something artistic. Leveraging that talent to build learning work-around strategies is often a good place to start.