Indian River student with ADHD finds niche

Christopher S. Durgan's turning point came at the end of his sophomore year at Indian River High School.

When he was 5 years old, Mr. Durgan, now 17, was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism. He had trouble getting along with his classmates and he was suspended from school often.

Now, he is a member of the National Honor Society and the National Technical Honor Society. He just completed the two-year electronic engineering technology program at the Charles H. Bohlen Jr. Technical Center, Watertown. And next week, he will compete in the computer maintenance technology contest at the SkillsUSA National Leadership Conference in Kansas City, Mo.

"He has changed so much," said Ruth E. Jones, Mr. Durgan's mother. "It amazes me what has happened in his lifetime."

When he was younger, Mr. Durgan didn't get along very well with his classmates, often getting in trouble at school. He didn't feel as if he fit in because he was different from his classmates.

It was hard for him to adjust to being around other children, because he grew up in "an adult's world," Ms. Jones said. He had two brothers but both were more than 10 years older than him, so he wasn't used to being around children his own age.

"If you went up and tapped him on the shoulder, he'd take a swing at you," Ms. Jones said. "We had to use brushes against his skin with different textures so he would get used to it."

It was about the end of his sophomore year that Mr. Durgan learned how to control his anger, and learned that if he wanted to change something in his life, he could do that. It was also around that time that he discovered what makes him tick: electronics.

"I really liked learning about electronics because everything is run by them," he said.

One of his first projects was building a radio. His teacher at the technical center, C. Michael Fairbanks, said he thinks that when Mr. Durgan started in the electronic engineering program, it was the fact that he finally found a group of people with similar interests that helped him gain more confidence. And the hands-on electronics program provided a better outlet for his energetic personality than sitting in an English or social studies classroom.

"Everyone has a basic interest in electronics in the group, so they gelled very well," Mr. Fairbanks said. "Chris helped his classmates quite a bit. If I was busy, he could answer almost any question they had. He's a sharp kid."

Next week at the conference, Mr. Durgan will compete against 50 other students from across the country, doing what he does best: working with electronics. Contestants are required to identify and repair computer hardware malfunctions, solve configuration problems and install common components.

When Mr. Durgan's peers at Indian River are crossing the stage at graduation June 25, he will be waiting to hear whether he won the competition.

He isn't too disappointed that he won't get to walk at graduation because he's really looking forward to competing next week. And in the fall, he will be attending SUNY Potsdam for computer science, and he can't wait for that next step, he said.

"I haven't ever really felt accepted for who I am," he said. "I'm looking forward to college because it will be a new start for everything."