Introduction

Hi all. My name is Jamie. By way of introduction I am the daughter of two great parents who have faught with me side-by-side throughout my life. My mother is dyslexic and when I was about four years old, they saw the same problems with reading as she had and they had me tested. I have been certified and re-certified over and over again ever since the age of 4. At 12, and in seventh grade it was suggested that I be tested for Attention Defficite Disorder, which I was and found to be. At seventeen, and in my first semester of college, I refused to take Ritalin, because I knew about the health concerns that associated taking them. At about the same time, I experienced my first migraine. It was horrible. I remember sitting in the sun and not being able to see anything. At 25, and now having transfered to a university I decided to be recertified with ADD, which I was. At the same time it was brought to my attention that there is assistive technology to help with the dyslexia. I am not one to hock techlologies, however, I believe heavily in the LiveScribe Pulse Smart Pen. I am able to record the lectures from class, and take notes at the same time. It is just a little bigger than carrying a regular pen and yet all of the technology is great. At the same time that I was rediagnosed as ADD, I was also then diagnossed with Anxiety Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which means that I check stoves doors and plugs many times over.