This line of reasoning was precisely why I ended up missing a diagnosis of ADD by 17 years. It was because the specialist said that since I could pay attention to the things I "liked," a diagnosis was not appropriate for me. My life could have turned out a lot differently if I was medicated sooner.
I believe that people should no longer treat AD(H)D as an acronym. It isn't accurate to call it a chronic "deficit of attention" and hyperactivity isn't necessarily a symptom. It's unfortunate that the name has to stay for the purpose of recognition in the face of the new evidence we've gathered in the past few decades.
>Why did they disqualify you based on being able to focus on things you like?
Lack of knowledge on the part of the person assessing them. Some people who go for diagnosis wind up going to people who don't specialise in it and they wind up being told these kind of things.
I believe that people should no longer treat AD(H)D as an acronym. It isn't accurate to call it a chronic "deficit of attention" and hyperactivity isn't necessarily a symptom. It's unfortunate that the name has to stay for the purpose of recognition in the face of the new evidence we've gathered in the past few decades.