Pediatrician Josh Maxwell had two “aha” moments that led to his ADHD diagnosis. One came from talking with a teenage patient whose ADHD symptoms were different from what he’d seen in other patients. It wasn’t that the teen couldn’t pay attention, but rather that they were paying attention to everything all at once. Josh related to that feeling.  Josh’s other ADHD “aha” came from his experience with depression. After starting antidepressants, he could more clearly see his own ADHD symptoms....

Have you ever noticed that people with ADHD say some pretty negative things about themselves? After recording 50 episodes of the “ADHD Aha!” podcast, we certainly had noticed this. In this special episode, host Laura Key and producer Jessamine Molli count down the five most common labels and adjectives guests use to describe their ADHD symptoms and behaviors. They listen to clips and dive deep into ADHD myths and stereotypes. Laura also shares her take on what the “ADHD Aha!” podcast is...

Max Siegel (he/they) was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. Throughout that process, Max encountered some of the same fears and myths around ADHD as he does around transness: “You just want an excuse.” “You just want to be lazy.” Max, an LGBTQ+ transgender and neurodiversity inclusion speaker and consultant, found that coming out gave him resilience. And that same resilience helped him cope with his ADHD diagnosis. Max and host Laura Key also talk about ADHD symptoms and gender identity....

ADHD coach Cathy Rashidian spent the first 20 years of her career climbing the corporate ladder. She was a workaholic with undiagnosed ADHD. Then two major life events shifted her path and perspective. At 35, she was diagnosed with cancer. She kept craving going back to work after treatment, even though she wasn’t ready. Then she had a baby at age 40. She felt overwhelmed and like she had control over nothing. Finally, after her doctor’s fourth suggestion, she got tested for ADHD. From...

Growing up, Henry Lang kept hearing that he was too disorganized and “not smart enough.” Then in high school, he was diagnosed with ADHD and started getting support through a 504 plan. Now, Henry is a teacher in Vermont dedicating his career to — and even writing his thesis on — teaching kids with ADHD. He has trouble giving himself the same empathy he shows his students, though. Henry, like many of us with ADHD, often calls the mistakes he makes because of his ADHD “dumb.” Henry and host...

Mallory Band was diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety when she was 8 years old. She has two brothers with ADHD, but their ADHD looked different. They were hyperactive on the outside. But Mallory felt hyperactive on the inside. She struggled with perfectionism, people pleasing, and big emotions. As with many women who have ADHD, imposter syndrome set in as she got older. Mallory’s “aha” moment came well after her ADHD diagnosis — when she was in graduate school learning about executive function....

Dr. Roberto Olivardia returns to the show to talk about ADHD and eating disorders in this bonus episode. He explains the different types of eating disorders — and why ADHD and eating disorders, like binge-eating disorder (BED), often co-occur. Dr. Olivardia shares how ADHD symptoms like impulsivity play a role in eating disorders. He also talks about treatment options and what to do if you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder and needs support. Understood.org is a...

René Brooks was diagnosed with ADHD three separate times — at ages 7, 11, and 25 — so she’s had plenty of “aha” moments. When René was a child, mental health and medication stigma kept her family from receiving vital education about ADHD. But when she was diagnosed at age 25, she was ready to tell everyone about her ADHD diagnosis. René started Black Girl Lost Keys to empower Black women with ADHD. She’s an advocate, a content creator, and the host of the “Life With Lost Keys” podcast....

Dr. Roberto Olivardia is a clinical psychologist and ADHD expert who was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. As he learned about ADHD in his career, the signs felt familiar: impulsivity, trouble with focus, and more. He procrastinated constantly in college and was mischievous as a kid. He was even kicked out of Sunday school. Once he got his sleep apnea under control, his ADHD difficulties became even clearer — and it wasn’t just what you’d typically find in the DSM. (That’s the handbook...

Bonus episode! Laura talks with film writer and editor Ariel Fisher about Best Picture winner “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and its many connections to ADHD. How making the movie was an ADHD “aha” moment for director Daniel Kwan. How the film itself feels like a depiction of the ADHD brain. And how characters in the film show ADHD behaviors. Fisher, who has ADHD, also talks about how the film reflects her own ADHD journey — from getting evaluated and diagnosed to taking ADHD...

When Shaun saw a clip of someone describing ADHD as “squirrels running on a conveyor belt in your brain,” his ears perked up. Then his wife discovered his doom bags. (“Doom” stands for “didn’t organize; only moved.”) Shaun started thinking about his trouble with organization and other signs of ADHD, and he decided to get evaluated. Now just three months after his ADHD diagnosis, Shaun, a listener who wrote in, is reflecting on how ADHD impacted him as a kid. He remembers feeling bored all...

Tony Tran decided to get evaluated for ADHD during his last year of college, after starting a part-time IT job. His grades began to slip, and his brain would scream at him: “Don’t be lazy!” Then he realized that the fake scenarios he had to solve alone in class were boring compared to the real-life problems he collaborated on with his co-workers. When Tony was a child, his family immigrated to Australia from Vietnam. Growing up, Tony’s ADHD symptoms were missed. But now his mom even sees...

John Hazelwood was diagnosed with ADHD shortly after he graduated from college. He was in therapy and had trouble with test anxiety. Music was the only thing that helped him study and actually remember what he read. Then he got curious about ADHD medication and talked about it with his doctor, who recommended an ADHD evaluation. John, a mechanical engineer in Virginia, co-founded the Men’s ADHD Support Group, an organization aimed at helping men with ADHD find community and acceptance. John...

From a very young age, Emily Hamblin’s son would have meltdowns and get intensely angry. He was also really bright. He was ahead of the curve academically and scored in the 99th percentile on standardized testing. His teachers would say he was just “smart and quirky.” That didn’t sit right with Emily, though. She knew something else was going on. Then one day, a friend suggested that Emily look into ADHD. Emily was skeptical at first. But when she learned more, it was clear that this was...

Nabil Abdulrashid was diagnosed with ADHD as a child growing up in Nigeria. Now a London-based comedian, Nabil credits his ADHD brain as an advantage in his comedy career. He’s quick-witted, both driven and stifled by inertia, tumbling into funny thoughts and scenarios as he speaks. He doesn’t even write down any of his material — it’s stuck in his head and just flows. Nabil’s teachers in Nigeria thought he wouldn’t amount to much. They didn’t even want him in their classes. He got into...

Catie Osborn’s ADHD flew under the radar until she had to get an ovary removed in her late 20s. Left with one ovary ( “Han Solo-vary”), she experienced a hormone shift that made her ADHD symptoms much more noticeable. Catie is a former “gifted kid” who excelled in school. Growing up, she didn’t fit ADHD stereotypes, aside from being a bit messy. Once she was diagnosed, she started seeing ADHD flags everywhere. Hear what she’s learned from her experience and her work, like how hormones —...

How might ADHD affect your sex life? Host Laura Key chats again with sex therapist Catie Osborn, this time about how executive function challenges can affect sex and intimacy. Spoiler: Sex is a task, and people with ADHD can struggle with task management. Understood.org is a resource dedicated to shaping the world so the 70 million people in the U.S. with learning and thinking differences can thrive. Learn more about “ADHD Aha!” and all our podcasts at u.org/podcasts. Copyright © 2023...

Katy Weber’s ADHD symptoms took center stage during the pandemic. She was stuck in “waiting mode” and experiencing “time blindness.” And then she learned about executive function and dug into signs of ADHD in women. Before the pandemic, the stereotypes that surround ADHD never felt relatable to Katy. Once she was diagnosed, she started talking to other women with ADHD and found her community. Now, she sees how ADHD shows up in her children, and she’s getting them the support they need —...

Before getting diagnosed with ADHD, comedian Jenny Lorenzo felt like she was “dumb” and “not good enough” — a race car without brakes that left disaster behind. As she learns more about ADHD and how it impacts her, she’s pushing back on people who think ADHD is “a joke” and who don’t believe ADHD is real. Jenny co-hosts the “Hyphenated” podcast, an English-language podcast about living in the hyphen that connects American and Latin culture. On this episode of “ADHD Aha!,” she shares her...

What does ADHD sound like? What does hyperactivity feel like? Yinan Shentu, a voice actor, theme park performer, and world-class collector of hobbies, hits the nail on the head with his impressions and descriptions. Yinan was diagnosed with ADHD last year after starting yet another new hobby: stock trading. When reading about trading, he realized he was re-reading the same sentence seven times and still couldn’t remember what it was about. One online ADHD test later, and he felt certain he...

Ange Nolan once suspected she had ADHD, but she was dismissed by her doctor. Years later, she saw an ADHD iceberg infographic and related to almost every ADHD symptom it listed — including forgetting to use the bathroom. That’s when she decided it was time to approach a different doctor about ADHD. After getting diagnosed with ADHD last year, Ange realized how it had been affecting her many romantic relationships. She’d crave the chaos of an intense connection and become a “chameleon” who...

Eric Tivers had always struggled with reading. Then someone told Eric her own story about how ADHD made it hard for her to read. And it clicked with Eric that he could have ADHD, too. Before his “aha” moment, Eric had trouble studying and keeping his GPA up in college. He’d been evaluated as a child, and he’d had an IEP in school. But they hadn’t picked up on his ADHD. Reading his old report cards now, it’s obvious to Eric that he was struggling with ADHD all along. Eric, a licensed...

Kids and adults with ADHD are more likely to be bullied than their peers. So in honor of National Bullying Prevention Month this October, we’re doing a special episode to shed light on the problem. Psychologist and Understood expert Dr. Andy Kahn — who has ADHD himself — answers Laura’s questions on ADHD and bullying. What behaviors make kids with ADHD targets for bullying? Are people with ADHD more likely to bully others? What can we do about it? You’ll also hear bullying stories from a...

Miya Kofo is a 16-year-old high school student with ADHD — and the star of Understood’s “Be the Reason” campaign to fight stigma around learning and thinking differences. Miya was diagnosed in middle school. Her dad, who also has ADHD, helped her see it was nothing to be ashamed of and that she could accomplish anything. Host Laura Key and Miya talk about how ADHD is still often ignored in girls, and how the pressure to be perfect can make symptoms even worse. Miya also shares her thoughts...

Erin Lazoen is a listener who wrote in about her “aha!” moment during the pandemic. Working full time, and a newly single parent, Erin had a lot going on stuck inside four walls. She was diagnosed with ADHD and struggled with reading comprehension as a kid, but she didn’t realize just how much was going on inside her head as an adult. She decided it was time to revisit her ADHD diagnosis. During the pandemic, Erin wasn’t able to push all her thoughts to the back of her head like usual....