ADHD and Me

Source: Dev.to

Early Years

I’m of a generation where attention disorder seemingly didn’t exist. At best it was called being hyperactive, and parents were simply advised not to give their child too much chocolate or a lot of sweets. I also had a speech impediment that stayed with me until I was pre‑teen, and my formative years were anything but smooth.

First Computer and Early Programming

I could have done better in high school if I had applied myself. I loved English but little else. The other thing that captured my attention was my first computer, a Sinclair ZX Spectrum. I played computer games to begin with, before winning a copy of The Computer Handbook by Usborne Publishing. That book sparked my interest in coding and fueled my first steps with programming in BASIC.

A year or so later I was playing text‑adventure games, which led me to The Quill, a system for writing text adventures. Although I never finished the game I started, the system further fueled my interest in coding.

Later Hardware and IRC

A decade passed, along with a Commodore Amiga, and I finally owned my first PC: an Intel Pentium III with an Nvidia RIVA TNT graphics card. While playing Starsiege Tribes, I discovered Internet Relay Chat (IRC). After creating a channel for my clan, I developed my first IRC bot to greet members.

Ongoing Challenges and Reflection

Throughout all this, my lack of attention continued to be an issue. Reams of printed paper were testament to projects started but never finished; I never kept those copies either, much to my regret later in life.

I aim to continue this story in the future, bringing it up‑to‑date with talk of Python and web development. Writing this has made me wonder how many of us who code are autistic in some way, shape, or form?