ADHD has significantly impacted me since I was a young child, but it wasn't until my fifth year of graduate school that I began actively asking for help from my teachers and seeking out assistance for this disability besides just coping on my own and with my partner. Acknowledging and learning to work with the at-times debilitating internal struggles of ADHD —emotional dysregulation, working memory issues, executive dysfunction, intrusive automatic thoughts— in addition to the often better-known external deficits —inattentiveness, impulsiveness, and unintentional voice modulation— has made a world of difference for my ability to cope with ADHD as an adult.

In December, 2020, I was invited as a guest on Rad Child Podcast to talk about my experience with ADHD and how we can do better by kids who have ADHD as well as how to explain it to parents and kids who do not. The resulting conversation aired on January 22, 2021.

It is important to me to talk about this disability, because public understanding is so lacking at the moment. 'ADHD' itself is a misnomer, based on the symptoms others are most likely to notice as opposed to the more central aspects of the disorder. It is often misunderstood as only impacting school, as opposed to the reality that it impacts all facets of life. It is a federally recognized disability (in the US) — and support and assistive technology is available!

I wish that I and the people around me growing up had known more about this disorder to be better equipped to support me. I wish I had seen folks with similar disabilities succeeding in life — accessing assistance and still being seen as worthy. It has taken decades for me to come around to these ideas on my own, and that shouldn't have to be the case for anyone.