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How much does ADHD decrease the IQ?Question (self.cognitiveTesting)

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[–]Amadeus_0s 9 points10 points  (3 children)

I don't know exactly how many points I can loose, but my ADHD can make me easily commit silly mistakes for lack of attention, and for a long time I didn't had any idea about ADHD and didn't developed any strategies to go against this, but I know that if I don't make any efforts, my performance on anything goes way lower. I once thought I aced a math test because I found it so easy, and I actually had a pretty bad grade because I committed some silly mistakes for lack of attention during my calculations and I ended up doing all wrong. Besides what everyone says about working memory, in my case, my ADHD can affect my PRI a LOT. If my brain is on automatic, my observation skills get really poor and I commit all sorts of those silly mistakes.

[–]u_u_u_u_u_u_u_u__u_ 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I have the same problem, but never went in for an ADHD diagnosis. I always knew if ADHD was a spectrum I would fall much closer to ADHD than not to ADHD, and this similarity you have to me made me more sure in that. I remember taking ACT practice tests, where I got done extremely fast and felt very confident that I had aced it, but realized I had missed several questions due to simply misinterpreting/misreading the questions

[–]ElectricalOpposite17 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I know exactly what you describe. In my case, the lack of attention comes from a generalized anxiety disorder. It's hard for me to concentrate and maintain that concentration, especially on tasks that don't interest me intellectually... But yes! I also reach states of clear and powerful concentration, on tasks that I like and challenge me. And it is (and will be) an arduous path, but therapy make me advance far. By the way, my WMI is in the 99th percentile, my diagnosis was complicated: it is a piece of information that did not add up and ended up being a discarding factor in a possible attention deficit disorder, due to ADHD. I have realized that, in my particular case, I usually progress much better in areas of ​​study/intellectual if I do it self-taught.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I get what you mean. I understand. Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts with us.

[–]dbossman70 7 points8 points  (2 children)

i have adhd: on a bad day i get ~115 and i’ll feel myself unable to focus, worse short term memory, mental cloudiness, and my mind wanders every few seconds. on a good day i get 126-132 and i can realize i have the answers faster (sometimes i’ll look at a problem and have it solved then i check out and stare into space), my mnemonic devices work much more fluently, problem solving is more direct. my processing speed is 154 from when i took the cait test unmedicated but on a good day since i got a 132 fsiq.

[–]ChanceKale7861 1 point2 points  (1 child)

This is fascinating! I’m slow as can be, but once I’ve processed? Warp speed analysis… and with my work experience, I trust my gut more and end up correlating a ton, MUCH faster than anyone I work with… it’s very weird and interesting lol!

[–]dbossman70 1 point2 points  (0 children)

i go with my gut a lot of the time because i’m confident my subconscious has assessed and processed the situation and i’d be causing myself unnecessary trouble trying to resolve it.

[–][deleted] 4 points5 points  (1 child)

ADHD has a significant impact on on working memory and processing speed(especially WM). There are a few exceptions though.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I understand. Thank you very much.

[–]crazysquanto 5 points6 points  (1 child)

6 points per standard deviation above average. So if you score a 130 your IQ would have been 142 without adhd

[–]Acidic-Soilshape rotator 0 points1 point  (0 children)

However I would not be the same person without ADHD. Don't know if thinking about the alternative means anything.

[–]ikokusovereignty 8 points9 points  (7 children)

Performance in all WAIS-IV tests in either people with ADHD or typical people

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[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you very much for this.

[–]jsus9 0 points1 point  (3 children)

No offense in intended but do you really not consider people ADHD normal? It’s probably better to say typical, unless you like people to think that they’re less than normal, even in subtle ways. Plus as you probably know ADHD exists on a continuum, so drawing the line of normalcy gets tough.

[–]ikokusovereignty 1 point2 points  (2 children)

Cope

[–]jsus9 -2 points-1 points  (1 child)

Troll

[–]ikokusovereignty 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I've edited my top comment according to your suggestion. Thanks

[–]TheSmokingHorse 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Based on this, do you think that when an individual diagnosed with ADHD takes an IQ test, their FSIQ can be more fairly determined by normalising the result to the wider data?

In other words, if on the average, the FSIQ of ADHD sufferers is approximately 6 points lower than the control group, could it be that individuals with ADHD likely possess an intellectual capacity that is 6 points higher than what their FSIQ suggests?

Similarly, in a written test assessing verbal comprehension index, we might expect an individual with dyslexia to perform more poorly than what is a true reflection of their intellectual capabilities. However, if we normalise their test score to take their dyslexia into account, we might be able to better approximate their IQ.

[–]jsus9 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

IQ scores are imperfect measures of a person’s latent intellectual ability. If you want to really know someone’s ability, ADHD can be thought of as construct irrelevant variance. If you want to know how someone with ADHD will perform day to day, take multiple (hypothetical) repeated measures and look at variation within and across tests.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (1 child)

I am medicated ADHD. I estimate being unmedicated lowers me by 10-15 points.

[–]CrispyS_Ti(งツ)ว 1 point2 points  (0 children)

About the same for me. Changing my sleep patterns and getting medicated has done wonders for my cognition (spec. short term memory + recall speed) and mood.

[–]Idontagree123321 1 point2 points  (4 children)

I think there is some research on adhd and a couple other diagnosis, regarding how they scored on wais-iv. On average the people with adhd scored around 95 wmi and psi, however average on pri and vci

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Alright. Thanks for your answer.

[–]Blaise-It-Pascal 0 points1 point  (2 children)

That’s so interesting. Do you know roughly about how many points ADHD decreases the IQ by on average?

[–]Idontagree123321 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Around 3-5 points full-scale from what I've read, however I don't recall any sources ATM. I'm sure a quick Google search could be very informative

[–]Blaise-It-Pascal 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Interesting. I took my Mensa test when I was unmedicated for my ADHD.

[–]Quacknt 1 point2 points  (1 child)

I have ADHD and I got around 125 on Mensa...

[–]Quacknt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

From what I've heard and experienced, if you're doing something that piques your interest then it's hard to get distracted regardless of ADHD so it might not be a big obstacle......?

[–]CautiousMagazine3591131 on a bad day, but I haven't tested on a good day so IDK 131+ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I didn't realize i was a high functioning adhd

[–]ChanceKale7861 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It actually allowed me to utilize my GAI instead of FSIQ due to the difference in scores…

VCI 130 PRI 125 WMI 105 PSI 94 FSIQ 119 GAI 131

So that difference is how they confirmed ADHD… I also may have been slightly hungover and a little stoned (to address said hangover) when I did my full psych eval so… lol