Because you don’t wake up one morning thinking, “What if I’m gifted?” let alone, what if it’s ADHD?
Especially as an adult. And even more so when you’re a woman.
🗓️ Article updated on May 5, 2025
My path to the WAIS IV test and recognition of High Potential
How I discovered I was Gifted (2017) and then, a few years later, ADHD (2023). This is often one of the first questions I’m asked when I talk about neurodiversity.
So here’s my story. Not the story of an enlightened discovery, but the story of a path of construction, between ease, discrepancies, questioning, therapy, doubts… and finally relief. Because that’s what discovering your neuro-atypia is all about: a path towards your identity.
When I was little, I didn’t really know if I was different. By adolescence, you’re trying to be, so the question never arose. But I’ve always had this feeling of being different, which became even more pronounced as I entered the adult world.
A gap I noticed in high school and during my post-graduate studies
It was especially during my graduate studies that I felt at odds. It was hard for me to see myself in the future. Whether I was doing an internship or a sandwich course, the professional world seemed absurd. The others were making it. I couldn’t. I felt misunderstood, unstable and exhausted.
I didn’t understand and people didn’t understand me. It was a real dialogue of the deaf!
Looking back, I realize that some years were sweeter than others… but at the time, I didn’t make the connection between what I was experiencing and what I was feeling.
🔁 A pattern that repeats itself: personal and professional instability
I always found interesting jobs easily… but never for very long.
Every year, I changed: team, company, project. And in my personal life, it was the same: short, intense relationships, then nothing. The bond broke. Either because thepeople who managed me didn’t get on at all, or because I quickly got bored and needed a change. It was exhausting. On the personal side, it was a bit the same: I was quickly overwhelmed and the temptation to run away was always there.
I know now that I should have perceived here the disorders associated with ADHD… When you don’t know what it is, it’s hard to identify! But deep down, I knew there was an explanation….
🛋️ The quest for answers… and the waltz of diagnoses
I tried several therapies to try and understand. It took me a while to find the first answers. About ten years, after all! All the shrinks said more or less the same thing:
“You’re normal (implied, no mental health issues), maybe a little extralucid, impulsive but resilient and integrated enough for therapists…”
But deep down, it didn’t suit me. So I immersed myself in a lot of reading: psychology, personal development, personality disorders… This was between 2005 and 2015. At the time, Gifted and NDD (neurodevelopmental disorders) weren’t well known, so I even considered borderline disorder.
But the psychiatrist quickly referred me to a psychologist specializing in cognitive science. With her, I was able to move forward and take a step forward in discovering my identity. She saw my potential. Not “gifts”, not “talents”, just… potentials. And above all, the critical situations created by ADHD at the time: my mental agitation, my need for constant stimulation, my decision-making in “everything, right away” mode, but also my phases of sudden exhaustion.
🔎 The discovery of giftedness
Cognitive-behavioural therapy helped me to better manage my ADHD-related disorders. After a year’s work, I began to talk about High Potential and was referred to a specialist psychologist to take the WAIS IV, Weshcler’s scale for detecting High Potential in adults.
I waited three months for this test.
🧪 Passing the WAIS IV
The test takes place in three stages:
- An initial 1-hour interview
- WAIS IV test (approx. 2h to 2h30)
- A feedback meeting
It’s intense, sometimes confusing. But if you’re comfortable with the therapist, it goes well.
💰 How much does it cost? Around €300, depending on the region. 👉 See the list of specialized shrinks by region here
The first appointment lasts an hour, and is used to take an anamnesis. It enables the psychologist toassess your background and the way you function. In my case, ADHD-related disorders were glossed over because I was compensating a lot. And at the time, neuropsychologists had no training in comprehensive cognitive assessment. Today, there would certainly be little doubt about my dual Gifted and ADHD profile…
🧠 WAIS test: good conditions are essential
The psychologist is there to support you throughout the test. And it’s important to feel confident, in a reassuring environment. Why? Because it allows you to stay focused, without letting yourself be overwhelmed by stress or parasitic thoughts such as: “Does he think I’m bad? Am I answering correctly?”
During the test, it’s sometimes possible to find out whether your answers are right or wrong. Personally, I needed this live feedback, so that I could see where I stood: was I completely off the mark, or was I doing okay? But then again, everyone’s different. Some people prefer not to know at all, to stay focused.
🙋 Why I took the test
I needed a “yes” or a “no”. Not a label, but a marker.
Am I Gifted? Or just confused, maladjusted, “crazy”?
Some people don’t need to take the test. And that’s just fine!
But I needed it. To understand. To put in a word. To free myself.
The only person who knows what to do or not to do is you! Never let anyone choose for you, and above all never let anyone judge your choices or judge you for your choices.
Some people need clear validation. This was my case.
I had to know. I couldn’t go on with this nagging doubt:
“Is that it, or am I just completely off my rocker, unstable, maladjusted… crazy?”
And then there are others for whom it’s not necessary.
They know who they are, and that’s enough for them. They don’t need a test or an extra box to tick to feel legitimate. And frankly, so much the better!
👉 It’s really up to each individual. There’s no right or wrong way to do it.
But if you want to earn the famous Gifted / Surdoué “badge” – because yes, we love labels in France – then you need to take a test with a certified psychologist.
It seems to me that Mensa also offers an assessment, but I suggest you find out more directly.
And a little clarification: in schools, classes for high-potential children often give priority to those who have already been detected via an official test.
💬 My advice if you’re hesitating to take the WAIS
If you’ve been sensing this discrepancy for a long time…
If you’ve always operated “differently”…
If you’re trying to understand your own operating mode…
So maybe WAIS is a step to consider.
But whatever you decide:
You’re legitimate.
Your feelings count.
And you don’t need a number to be valuable.
What about ADD/ADHD?
After I was diagnosed as Gifted, part of my story became clear. In fact, I created Suivez le Zèbre around this time. In 2017, Gifted had become a bit of a catch-all box! So my ADD/ADHD personality traits were grafted onto the WAIS results. And I found myself without a solution for managing the fluctuations in my mood.
Some Gifted profiles show highly heterogeneous results on the WAIS, with high performance on some subtests and greater difficulty on others.
This type of profile can mask another associated disorder, such as ADHD, which is known as a differential diagnosis.
In my case, it was after a burn-out in 2023 that the subject came up again. I had already been identified as Gifted for several years, but certain things remained unclear: procrastination above all! Then increasingly frequent forgetfulness and increased mental agitation, a freewheeling brain with less patience and therefore more impulsivity…
As cobblers often wear the worst shoes, I was well aware of the characteristics of ADHD, and I quickly made the connection. I underwent another neuropsychological assessment, and was then officially diagnosed with ADHD by a specialist psychiatrist. For a long time, Gifted allowed me to compensate. But the day a grain of sand got in the way – in this case, a burn-out – my brain was no longer able to mask the dysfunctions linked to ADHD.
👉 If your WAIS test seems incoherent, or if you still feel profoundly out of step despite Gifted detection, a complementary assessment can really make a difference.
In particular around ADHD or other neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) often still unrecognized in adulthood, all the more so when you’re a woman.
🌱 Have confidence in yourself
The WAIS test can be a step, a revelation, a trigger… but it ‘s not an end in itself. In my case, it was a step that enabled me to discover my ADHD.
So pass it on if you feel the need. But above all, be confident in yourself, with or without a number, with or without a label.
Your value is not just a score. The WAIS only measures part of who you are – within a standardized, often fixed framework. And the norm isn’t an absolute truth, it’s just an average. What really counts is what you do with your uniqueness.
Because that’s what neurodiversity is all about:
✨ Learning to live together, each with his or her strengths, challenges and nuances.
As American diversity activist Verna Myers rightly puts it:
“Diversity is a fact, inclusion is a choice.”
📚 To find out more :
Discover my testimonial book on giftedness and the routines that helped me rebuild my life.
To go further, you can read
- Find a Gifted psychologist
- Personality test for atypical profiles
- Online IQ test, caution danger?
- 20 characteristics of Gifted profiles
- How to take the WAIS test
