Failing at Normal: An ADHD Success Story | Jessica McCabe | TEDxBratislava · TEDx Talks
Jessica McCabe分享自己因ADHD经历的失败与成长故事，适合练习听力和理解个人经历类内容。
Translator: Leonardo Silva Reviewer: Mile Živković
翻译者：莱昂纳多·席尔瓦 审稿人：米尔·日夫科维奇
Hello, brains!
大家好！
I say that to you because, if you think about it, it wasn't really you that decided to come here today.
我之所以对你说这些，是因为：仔细想想的话，其实并不是你自己决定今天来到这里的。
It was your brain.
那是你的大脑在起作用。
And whether you decided to walk, or drive, take a taxi, or ride a bike, that decision was made by your brain.
无论你是选择步行、开车、乘坐出租车还是骑自行车，这个决定其实都是你的大脑做出的。
Behavior, all behavior, is affected by the brain.
所有的行为都受到大脑的影响。
This is a story about my brain.
这是一个关于我大脑的故事。
So, I was a smart kid.
我小时候是个聪明的孩子。
By 18 months, I was speaking in full sentences.
到了18个月大的时候，我能够说完整的句子了。
By third grade, I was scoring post-high school on standardized tests.
到了三年级时，我在标准化考试中的成绩已经达到了高中毕业后的水平。
I had, as all my teachers agreed, so much potential.
正如所有我的老师都认为的那样，我拥有巨大的潜力。
I was also struggling.
我也在苦苦挣扎。
I didn't have many, any, friends outside of books.
在现实生活中，我几乎没有朋友；我的“朋友”都存在于书籍之中。
I was easily overwhelmed.
我很容易就被压得喘不过气来（或：我很容易就被各种情况搞得不知所措）。
I spaced out in class.
我在课堂上走神了。
I lost things constantly.
我总是把东西弄丢。
And trying to get my brain to focus on anything I wasn't excited about was like trying to nail jello to the wall.
试图让我的大脑专注于那些让我没有兴趣的事情，就如同试图把果冻钉在墙上一样——根本不可能做到。
But I was smart, so nobody was worried.
不过我很聪明，所以没人会担心。
It wasn't until middle school, when I was responsible for getting myself to classes on time and remembering to bring my own homework,
直到上了初中，我才真正开始自己负责按时去上课，并且记得要带自己的作业。
that being smart wasn't enough anymore, and my grades started to suffer.
仅仅聪明已经不够了，我的学习成绩也开始下滑。
My mom took me to the doctor and, after a comprehensive evaluation, I was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD.
妈妈带我去看医生，经过全面的检查后，我被诊断出患有注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）。
If you're not familiar with ADHD, it has three primary characteristics: inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity.
如果你对注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）还不太了解的话，它主要有三个特征：注意力不集中、冲动行为以及过度活跃。
Some people with ADHD have more of the inattentive presentation.
有些患有多动症（ADHD）的人主要表现为注意力不集中。
Those are the daydreamers, the space cadets.
那些人就是爱做白日梦的人，也就是那些幻想中的“太空飞行员”（即对太空生活充满憧憬的人）。
Some have more of the hyperactive-impulsive presentation.
有些人表现出更明显的多动-冲动症状。
Those are the kids that usually get diagnosed early.
这些孩子通常能够被及早诊断出来。
But the most common presentation is a combination of both.
但最常见的表现形式是这两种情况的结合。
My doctor and my parents decided that, given my shiny, new diagnosis, maybe stimulant medication would succeed where spankings and lectures had failed.
我的医生和父母认为，鉴于我刚刚被诊断出的病情，或许使用兴奋剂类药物能够取得效果——而这些方法（比如打屁股或训斥）之前都失败了。
So I tried it, and it worked.
于是我试了一下，结果真的成功了。
The first time I took my medication, it was like putting on glasses and realizing I could see without squinting.
我第一次服用药物的时候，感觉就像戴上眼镜后突然发现自己不用眯眼就能看清楚东西一样。
I could focus.
我现在能够集中注意力了。
And without changing anything, my GPA went up a full point.
而且，在没有任何改变的情况下，我的平均绩点（GPA）竟然上升了整整一个百分点。
Honestly, it was kind of miraculous.
说实话，这简直就像是个奇迹。
By 14, I had friends that liked me.
到了 14 岁的时候，我已经有一些喜欢我的朋友了。
By 15, I had published my first poem.
15岁时，我发表了我的第一首诗。
I got a boyfriend.
我交了一个男朋友。
By 17, I knew I wanted to be a journalist.
17岁的时候，我就已经确定自己想成为一名记者。
My local college had a program that would guarantee admission to USC.
我所在的当地学院有一个项目，能够确保学生被南加州大学（USC）录取。
They had a really great journalism program.
他们有一个非常出色的新闻学项目。
So, I signed up at my local college and I started taking classes.
于是，我在当地的大学注册了学籍，并开始上课了。