Lift your child’s spirits (and your own!) with these feel-good, strengths-focused tips informed by the principles of positive psychology.

1. At the dinner table, emphasize the good they did that day.

Use dinnertime as an opportunity to focus on everything that went well that day and how your child’s efforts contributed to positivity. Ask questions or prompts like the following:

• “Tell us what you got right today.”
• “Tell me when you stayed on task and got your work done.”
• “Did you stay calm when something upsetting happened today? What was it?”
• “Did you almost do something bad today, but decided not to do it? What was it? How did you stop yourself?”
• “Tell us something you remembered to do today, that you used to forget.”
• “Did you get along well with other kids today in a group? You welcomed ideas and listened? Tell us about it.”

2. Point out their strengths every chance you get.

Children with ADHD have their challenges pointed out to them every day by everyone in authority. What often gets forgotten or overlooked, though, is building awareness of their strengths.

Children with ADHD will grow into successful, happy adults not because their deficits were erased, but because their strengths were identified, nurtured, and developed through adolescence and into young adulthood. Good teachers, coaches, and other leaders understand this. You’ll observe it in how they talk about children.

[Get This Free Download: Conversation Starters for Parents & Kids to Foster Bonds]

“Your daughter is dynamic in class. When she expresses a strong opinion, she expresses herself well, and the other students listen.”

“Your son took a leadership role and organized the whole project, delegating duties to the others. He really has leadership skills.”

Make it a rule to point out the positives, even as you’re navigating challenges.

“You push my buttons sometimes, but I noticed that you were so kind to your grandmother today at the assisted living home, and to the others as well. The way you show kindness to others is amazing.”

3. Focus on the progress, not the gaps.

Children and adolescents with ADHD often lag behind their peers in some key skills, such as staying on task, remembering important information, and controlling their impulsive behavior.

Awareness of gaps is important, but it shouldn’t be the whole picture. As I learned from a wise parent many years ago, focusing too much on where your child ought to be leads to discouragement and despair. “My child will never grow up! They’ll never make it!”

[Read: Shake Loose of Your Limiting Beliefs — A Guide for Teens with ADHD]

Instead, it is much better to look backward in time and focus on the progress your child has made. In my own practice, I work with families to create a list of small, reachable goals for their child for the next six months, not unlike a school IEP. At the end of this period, we do a review, that might go something like this:

• My child struggled to flush the toilet in the past, but now they are doing it more than half the time.
• My child would argue with me about starting homework, but now they get started on their own about half the time.
• We’ve worked on cleaning up messes, and now they’re doing it almost all the time.  I have to remind them a few times here and there.
• My child has made it through a whole semester without getting suspended, not even once.

4. Close out the day with affection and empathy.

Raising a child with unique needs can put a great deal of undue stress on the parent-child bond. At the end of the day, repair the bond. Understand that your child is not purposefully trying to give you a hard time. No one wants to live a life with challenges.

Give your child a hug. Offer empathy. “It’s not easy, is it? I forgive you. Forgive me for yelling at you. I need a hug, too. Tomorrow is a new day, and we’ll start over, trying to get things right.”

5. Send positive messages of hope and optimism for the future.

Be a beacon of light for your child, especially as they pass through the adolescent and young adult years. Even a kind text message here and there can be well received.

• “You have many strengths (name them). Use those today to be successful.”
• “Today is a new day. Make a fresh start. Get things right. I know you can do it.”
• “You have family and friends all around you who love you and are rooting for you. They are ready to help you, anytime.”
• “You are growing, changing, and learning from your mistakes. You have a way to go, but you’re making progress. Keep at it.”

Positive Attitude in ADHD Kids: Next Steps

• Read: “I Believe In You!” How to Vanquish a Child’s Low Self-Esteem
• Read: How to Invest In Your Child’s “Emotional Bank Account”
• Read: How to Explain ADHD in Positive, Empowering Terms
• Get This eBook: The ADHD Positive Parenting Guide

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Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

References

Seligman, M.  2006.  Learned Optimism. Vintage.

Seligman, M.  2004.  Authentic Happiness. Simon Element / Simon Acumen

In my clinical experience as a music therapist, I’ve seen how music and other sensory experiences help individuals improve their focus, impulse control, and emotional regulation. Try these fun (and whimsical!) activities, designed to stimulate the sensory pathways (sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell) to relax the body and mind.

The Scarf’s Serenade

Grab a light scarf. Put on some instrumental, relaxing music of your choice. Glide the scarf over your body. The calming and repetitive action works well to regulate hyperactivity, racing thoughts, and impulses, as your attention will be drawn to the sensory experience of the scarf over your skin to the tune of soothing music.

A Symphony of Mist

Put on a relaxing, instrumental music track. (Not sure what to select? Try “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” by B.J. Thomas. You’ll see why.) Grab a spray bottle and fill it with water. Spray it over your head and let the mist fall onto your face. The light touch of the mist paired with familiar, rhythmic music activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the body’s calming response. This helps shift the brain and body from a hyper-aroused to a more regulated and calm state.

The Balloon’s Dance

Put on some music and bounce a balloon to the beat. Music adds a predictable auditory rhythm, to which you can naturally sync your movements. Meanwhile, repetitive bouncing will provide a target for your focus and give your body an outlet for restless movement, without being overly stimulating.

Sticks and Sounds

Turn on your favorite music and grab two pencils or chopsticks. Then, tap along to the beat on any surface you can find! If you’re already in the habit of drumming along, keep at it. Tapping is a controlled, safe outlet for movement — you may not realize how it has probably helped you manage restlessness and reduce impulsive behaviors! Moving and grooving to a beat supports body regulation and coordination, promoting a sense of internal calm.

Music Therapy and ADHD: Next Steps

• Read: Music Therapy — Sound Medicine for ADHD
• Read: Rhythm Notion — 10 Benefits of Music for ADHD Brains
• Read: Music Is Magic — 9 Hacks to “Beat” ADHD Symptoms

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
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Many of us with ADHD, autism, and other forms of neurodivergence only started to “bring our whole selves” to work quite recently. As a result of neurodiversity training and DEI efforts, we began to unmask. We spoke more openly about executive dysfunction and sensory needs. We asked for accommodations, formally and informally.

But today, as DEI programs fade and inclusion efforts stall, many of us feel a familiar pressure returning. Overtly or covertly, we are no longer encouraged to be ourselves at work. Instead, we’re expected to mask and conform to neurotypical standards again. The pressure is back — to people-please, to be extra easy, extra agreeable, extra adaptable, and to act like everything is fine.

And it’s exhausting. We expend energy in ways most people never notice: suppressing our stims, rehearsing conversations, monitoring our behaviors. The extra cognitive load carries consequences: more burnout, more dysregulation, and far less access to our actual strengths.

What do we do when the progress we counted on begins to recede?

1. Avoid Personalizing It

Sometimes it’s easy to recognize what’s happening because the signs are obvious: The DEI team is cut. The language in the handbook changes. Sometimes it’s just a vibe shift — silence replacing celebration. The unspoken expectations to get things done and avoid standing out or speaking up. Either way, the signal is the same: Masking is back on the table.

Recognizing what’s actually happening – that these are structural changes and not a reflection on your abilities – will, I hope, help you avoid internalizing these changes as personal failures. As with all structural changes, the problem is not yours alone to fix.

[Read: “DEI – and Neurodivergence – Are Under Attack”]

2. Redefine Professionalism Before It Defines You

Too often, “professionalism” is code for “hide what makes you different.” But professionalism isn’t about being quiet or predictable. It’s about communication, accountability, and showing up with intention.

From scripts and stim toys to time-blocking apps and task batching, plenty of  tools and supports exist to help you do your job. Just remember: You don’t have to become someone else to meet expectations.

3. Find Safe Micro-Spaces

Even when company culture shifts, individuals inside it often don’t. Think of the co-worker who quietly advocates. The manager who gets it. The group chat where you can be blunt. These safe micro-zones can make a big difference. Tread carefully and look for the places where you can breathe. If you can’t find safe spaces at work, try participating in anonymous online support groups.

4. Don’t Trade Peace for Your Job

If your workplace culture no longer holds space for who you are, protect your energy accordingly. Set boundaries. Scale back. Exit as soon as you can. Do your best to remember that your job does not define you or anyone. You’re not being lazy, dramatic, or “too much” by keeping your peace. You’re responding to an environment that no longer feels safe — and your body knows it before your brain does.

[Q&A: “How Can I Stop People-Pleasing Behaviors at Work?”]

5. Look for the Helpers

In these trying and unprecedented times, it’s important to focus on the people who are doing the work to bring positive change. Whether it’s recognizing the manager or colleague at your job who continues to advocate for inclusive workplace practices or following like-minded, outspoken advocates on social media, make an effort to look for signs that not all is lost.

Perhaps the masking era never really ended. But the promise of inclusion gave many of us hope that we could work — and live — a little more authentically. If that promise is gone, it’s OK to grieve. But it’s also OK to hold your ground. You’ve already learned how to show up. You don’t need to shrink just because the culture did.

Lack of Inclusion in the Workplace: Next Steps

• Read: 4 Steps to Claiming the Career You Deserve
• Read: “Great Leaders Foster a Positive Work Environment for All Employees”
• Read: “Women with ADHD Prefer Silence Over Disclosure. This Needs to Change.”

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
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Yes, I could be seeing patients inside a clinical office to discuss suppressing or ignoring old behaviors while allowing a deeper self to arise. Or I could just remind them to bring an umbrella to our session today as we delve into these issues.

Three months into the COVID-19 pandemic, I moved across the country with my three young children to Palo Alto, California, for the University and College Mental Health Fellowship in psychiatry at Stanford University. But instead of joining a vibrant academic community, I worked from my apartment. Alone. A few months later, forest fires made the air quality so bad that we couldn’t even go outside.

[Free Download: How to Choose the Right ADHD Treatment Profesional]

As the pandemic began to lift, we wore masks when we treated patients in person. But in doing this emotional work, revisiting the difficult moments of a patient’s childhood, it is so important to see kindness on a psychiatrist’s face. So I made a decision: Whenever possible, I met with patients outside in nature, where masks weren’t required.

Benefits of Nature Therapy

After the pandemic ended, even as we sat in coats under umbrellas during the rainy season, I repeatedly asked my patients, “Do you want to do this in an office?” The answer was always the same: “Absolutely not.”

When patients are diving deeply into old pain, desperately hoping for connection while also fearing it, I can simply say: “What do you see, right now? What do you hear?” They look around at the grass and the trees, hear the birds, feel the sun on their skin, or hear the rain drumming on their umbrella. They discover that their fear is about the past, not the present. Try as they might, they can’t force their fear away any more than they can stop the rain. But they can notice it. They can choose to ignore the narrative it generates in their inner monologue. They can breathe and let the tears fall so that something new can grow.

The rainy season of change can be hard. But it doesn’t last forever. Eventually, spring comes. And the grass grows. To allow growth to change us for the better, we need to trust this deeply in our bodies. For my patients, I’ve found there is great power in learning from the change of the seasons. So we do the work. Outside. And sometimes it rains.

[Read: Go Take a Hike! (No, Really, It Helps.)]

Nature Therapy for ADHD: Next Steps

• Free Download: Everything You Need to Know About Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
• Read: How Green Time Promotes Better Focus
• Read: Never Underestimate the Healing Power of Mother Nature

Aaron Winkler, M.D., is a board-certified psychiatrist in California. He founded and directed the Adult ADHD Clinic at Stanford University before deciding to pursue private practice.

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The anticipated MAHA Commission report released yesterday misrepresents ADHD causes and care in the U.S., misinterpreting studies and disregarding compelling new research and patient voices to suggest that ADHD is contributing to a “crisis of overdiagnosis and treatment” in American children.

The MAHA Report, spearheaded by Health and Human Service (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., equates ADHD with obesity, heart disease, and diabetes in calling these harmful contributors to the “childhood chronic disease crisis” in the U.S. It disregards the genetic underpinnings of ADHD to suggest it is solely caused by environmental factors and foods, twists data to stoke fear over rising diagnosis rates, and excludes a wealth of studies that link stimulant medication use to improved health outcomes.

It assumes ADHD is a disease caused and cured by environmental factors. And it suggests that curing ADHD will “make America healthy again.” We disagree, and so does the research.

Should the U.S. government take a long, hard look at the impact of ultra-processed foods, environmental chemicals, and declining physical activity on American children? Absolutely. Should it invest in programs to provide healthy foods, affordable health care, and screen-free activities for all children, regardless of socioeconomic status or means? Yes. Do we support efforts to eliminate toxins from our kids’ food, water, and air? To protect them from unhealthy screen use? To help them live longer, healthier lives? 100%.

Will any of these efforts “cure” ADHD, as the MAHA Report suggests? No, the research does not support that notion. But these efforts, if undertaken by Kennedy, do stand to improve quality of life for many children, and so they should be seriously considered by HHS through investment in the FDA, CDC, and NIH.

Do you know what else improves quality of life for kids? Less stigma and shame, and more investment and solutions. The MAHA Report, sadly, increases ADHD stigma by claiming the condition is overdiagnosed and disparaging its treatment as ineffective without any credible evidence to support these claims. On the flipside, it makes no mention of the proven, life-saving benefits of ADHD treatment or the risks associated with undiagnosed, untreated ADHD. It makes no mention of behavioral parent training, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, or classroom interventions for ADHD, all of which are shown to improve outcomes for individuals with ADHD. Instead, the report’s “solutions” for ADHD suggest more scrutiny of and restricted access to stimulant medication.

Finally, it is notable that the commission included few scientists or experts in pediatric health care. The commission conducted no new research and it apparently did not seek comment or insight from the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (APSARD), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), or the World Federation of ADHD regarding the established science on ADHD causes and treatments. No patients were interviewed for or quoted in the report.

The next steps outlined in the report are vague and we expect the commission to propose more detailed strategies in August, but here are three takeaways from the May 22 MAHA Report that may impact the ADHD community.

#1: The Report Misrepresents the Causes of ADHD

ADHD is a highly genetic condition, as confirmed by brand-new research that identified measurable genetic traits that essentially act as biomarkers for ADHD. Lifestyle factors such as nutrition, exercise, and sleep exert epigenetic changes on DNA that influence how strongly or weakly ADHD genes are expressed. However, diet, physical activity, sleep, or screen use alone do not cause — and have not been shown to “cure” — ADHD.

Scientific research has established no causal link between consumption of sugar, food additives, or food dyes and ADHD, though some studies show a heightened sensitivity among children with ADHD to these foods, which may exacerbate existing symptoms. Likewise, scientific research has established no causal link between excessive screen time, video game play, or social media use and ADHD.

Despite clear evidence to the contrary, the MAHA Report claims that ADHD is caused by all of the following, but it never mentions genetic factors:

• Antibiotics: The report cited as evidence a study that “could not disentangle the effects of antibiotics from those of the underlying conditions” and “could not verify adherence to antibiotic prescriptions.” Other recent studies have found gut microbiome alterations in children with ADHD but no causal link between antibiotic use and ADHD in humans.
• Food additives: Research shows that food dyes may worsen symptoms of inattention or hyperactivity in children with ADHD, however there is no evidence of a causal relationship.
• Environmental toxins: This article by Joel Nigg, Ph.D., contains a thorough overview of all existing research on environmental toxins and ADHD, but the bottom line is this: “Genes and environments work together to shape development of the brain and behavior throughout life, but especially — and most dramatically — in very early life. ADHD, like other complex conditions, doesn’t have a single cause. Both nature and nurture influence its development.”

#2: The Report Casts Doubt on the Validity of an ADHD Diagnosis

The MAHA Report claims that “research shows ADHD has the strongest evidence of overdiagnosis,” however no such research is cited in the report. Perhaps that is because there is no definitive evidence that ADHD is overdiagnosed in America today. ADHD diagnosis rates have increased over the last few decades, however this may be a result of any of the following, and other factors:

• The high diagnosis rate cited in the report comes from a problematic and misleading CDC study that is “terribly designed to assess the prevalence of the disorder,” says Russell Barkley, Ph.D., a leading authority on ADHD. “In this survey, there is one question about ADHD: ‘Has a doctor or other healthcare provider ever told you that this child has ADD or ADHD?’ That could be anybody associated with the healthcare profession who has no training in ADHD… and there is no effort in this study to follow up to see if these children were, in fact, diagnosed.” Barkley goes on to say that meta-analyses of better-conducted studies that apply diagnostic criteria to their research populations find that the prevalence of ADHD among children ranges from 5 to 8 percent, not 10 to 11 percent.
• Revised diagnostic criteria published in the DSM-5 changed the age of onset from 7 to 12 and added the first-ever qualifier symptoms for ADHD in adulthood
• With ongoing research and clinician training on ADHD, education and symptom recognition have improved
• Twenty years ago, ADHD was viewed as a disorder that affected young males. As research on females began to take hold, girls and women were able to secure ADHD evaluations for the first time
• Likewise, as mental health stigma dissipates within time, historically underserved populations are seeking care for the first time

The report further suggests that “the harms associated with an ADHD diagnosis may often outweigh the benefits” without naming those supposed harms or acknowledging the many health risks associated with undiagnosed ADHD. Research shows that undiagnosed and untreated individuals face a higher risk for fatal car accidents, unwanted pregnancies, serious injury and hospitalizations, job loss, academic interruptions, self-harm, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and more. The harms associated with undiagnosed ADHD are too severe to ignore, yet the MAHA Commission does just that.

#3: The Report Misrepresents the Efficacy and Risks of ADHD Medication

The MAHA Report draws faulty conclusions from the ​​Multimodal Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (MTA) study to argue that ADHD medication use offers no benefits “in grades, relationships, achievement, behavior, or any other measure” after 14 months of use. This is untrue.

In reality, the MTA study ended after 14 months, so the control group members with ADHD who did not initially receive medication were free to seek it out after 14 months. As many of the controls began treating their ADHD symptoms with medication, the differences between the control and treatment groups faded because the control group members began to improve on medication, not because the treatment group began to do worse. It is wrong and irresponsible to suggest that no patients experienced benefits from ADHD medication use after 14 months.

“The groups became very contaminated after that 14-month follow-up,” Barkley says in a video on his YouTube channel. “Therefore, we can’t make comparisons at years 2, 3, or 4 between or among the treatment groups and draw any conclusions about them because the treatments were mixed up among all the groups.”

The report claims that stimulants, “when stopped, often lead to disabling and prolonged physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms.” This is untrue. The research cited in the report was a study of antidepressants, not stimulants. There is no evidence to support this assertion regarding stimulant medication. In addition, we know that half of teens and adults with ADHD stop taking stimulant medication within one year of starting it, often due to stigma or access problems. This suggests that it is not addictive. In fact, stimulant medication has been used safely and effectively for nearly 100 years — more than enough time for long-term adverse outcomes to come to light, yet none has.

Finally, the report’s claim that stimulant medication use does “not improve outcomes long-term” is also false.

Research dating back more than 40 years has documented the positive impact of ADHD treatment on specific symptoms like inattention and hyperactivity, and on life expectancy overall. Recently, a Swedish study, published in JAMA Network Open, documented these findings:

• ADHD medication use reduced overall risk of death by 19%. Among people with ADHD who did not receive medication, there were 48 deaths for every 10,000 people, contrasted with 39 deaths per 10,000 people within the medicated cohort.
• ADHD medication use reduced the risk of overdose by 50%. Medication use also reduced the risk of death from other unnatural causes, including accidental injuries, accidental poisoning such as drug overdoses, and suicide.
• ADHD medication use reduced the risk of death from natural causes, such as medical conditions, for women.

People with childhood ADHD are nearly twice as likely to develop a substance use disorder as are individuals without childhood ADHD. However, research suggests that patients with ADHD treated with stimulant medications experience a 60% reduction in substance use disorders compared to those who are not treated with stimulant medication. Considerable evidence also suggests that children taking ADHD medication experience improvements in academic and social functioning, which translates to improved self-esteem, lower rates of self-medication with drugs or alcohol, and decreased risk of substance abuse.

Given all of the above, it’s difficult to view the increase in stimulant medication use flagged by the MAHA Report as anything but positive. “Why isn’t that evidence of improvement in good public mental health?” Barkley asks. “The fact that there is a rise in the occurrence of a particular treatment does not provide prima facie evidence that there is something bad, wicked, evil, wrong going on here; it simply means that, over time, we are getting closer and closer to identifying conditions that produce harm in individuals, and that we try to alleviate that harm and suffering.”

The Threat to ADHD Care Access

The MAHA Commission plans to release its recommended strategies in August, but it’s easy to see the writing on the wall now. The arguments presented in Thursday’s MAHA Report, based largely on outdated or poorly interpreted research, suggest that Kennedy may seek to restrict access to ADHD care and that he’s building a foundation of doubt and misinformation now to support that action.

We fear efforts to dissuade physicians from diagnosing and treating ADHD may be forthcoming from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) with support from the CDC, which Kennedy oversees. Of course, we hope we are proven wrong. We hope that, instead, HHS chooses to fully restore funding for ADHD research efforts through the National Institutes of Mental Health, for mental healthcare initiatives through the CDC, and for nationwide nutrition assistance programs through the FDA.

ADDitude supports an investment in unbiased research into the root causes of and effective treatments for ADHD to support, not ‘cure,’ individuals living with neurodivergent brains. We welcome the opportunity to engage in transparent dialog with the MAHA Commission and to introduce the voices and viewpoints of individuals and families living with ADHD, which were excluded from this report. And we hope that this administration will fund initiatives to improve food quality and access, eliminate harmful food additives, provide mental health services to all children, and crack down on the industries and companies contributing toxins to our environment.

We also stand ready to defend the legitimacy of the robust library of credible, science-backed research studies that confirm ADHD’s genetic underpinnings, that validate its diagnostic tools, and that confirm the benefits of its uninterrupted treatment.

Reactions from the ADHD Community

Mark Bertin, M.D., PLLC, of Developmental Pediatrics

“Lifestyle changes that promote child health are a wonderful idea. However, the MAHA paper ignores the reality of ADHD, a common medical disorder with genetics nearly as strong as the inherited trait of height. Undertreated ADHD is a public health concern that affects school performance, relationships, and driving; increases the risk of substance abuse; and shortens lifespans. Research and clinical experience show clear benefits to ADHD medication, which has been used for a century without evidence of chronic side effects. Supporting individuals with ADHD requires more understanding, not less, while making medical, educational, psychological, and health-related supports affordable and easily available. The MAHA document completely misrepresents ADHD in ways that are judgmental, demeaning, and will be harmful to individuals, our health care system, and society.”

Russell Barkley, Ph.D.

The ADHD Evidence Project, Founded by Stephen Faraone, Ph.D.

“ADHD is one of the most discussed neurodevelopmental disorders in the MAHA Report, but many of its claims about ADHD are misleading, oversimplified, or inconsistent with decades of scientific evidence, much of which is described in the International Consensus Statement on ADHD, and other references given here.”

Millions of Reddit users seeking reliable, science-backed advice about living with ADHD have been barred access to a valuable resource. The ADHD subreddit has blocked content from ADDitude, a leading source of trusted, evidence-based support for the ADHD community.

Moderators of the ADHD subreddit have blocked any post or comment that mentions ADDitude, preventing people — including newly diagnosed adults, families seeking help for loved ones with the condition, educators, and medical professionals — from obtaining expert guidance to improve ADHD understanding and outcomes. In addition, when a subreddit user attempts to cite information from ADDitude on the platform, the moderators distribute an auto-response message attacking ADDitude with false statements and defamatory language.

The ADDitude team’s request — that the subreddit moderators immediately discontinue distributing its inflammatory automated message — has been denied. No reason was given.

For 27 years, ADDitude has worked to bring the latest evidence-based practices and guidance to support adults and families touched by ADHD, coexisting conditions, and learning differences. Earlier this year, Media Bias / Fact Check rated ADDitude as “pro science” with high marks, citing its commitment to providing evidence-based information on ADHD and related conditions.

Despite this, the subreddit auto-response message continues to propagate these false claims:

• That ADDitude solicits donations from people with ADHD to fund their operation. This is false. ADDitude has never solicited or accepted donations from individuals or organizations of any kind.
• That ADDitude prioritizes advertising dollars over people’s best interests. This is false. ADDitude provides free of charge 8,400 articles, weekly webinars with leading experts, numerous newsletters, and hundreds of downloads to help people with ADHD live better. Our small, dedicated team is guided not by profit but by a passion and dedication for helping people.
• That ADDitudeMag.com is “full of articles promoting the use of homeopathy, reiki, and other unscientific quack practices.” This is false. Six articles out of thousands mention homeopathy, and all of them clearly state that it is not recommended for treating ADHD. In contrast, ADDitudeMag.com houses more than 1,000 articles about treating ADHD with medication and complementary approaches, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, parent behavior training, and mindful meditation.
• That ADDitudeMag.com contains “sketchy advertising.” This is false. All three examples cited by Reddit are invalid URLs; these pages do not exist.
• That ADDitude publishes “junk science.” This is false. The URLs cited by Reddit contain a combined 40 footnotes and links to credible, respected research. ADDitudeMag.com publishes fully footnoted content written by leading experts in the field of ADHD and we take very seriously our responsibility to serve this community with accurate, credible information.

The moderators’ criticisms of ADDitude distributed to untold numbers of Reddit members are not only baseless; they appear to be motivated by an intent to harm our publication and community.

It’s important to note that section 230 of the Communication Decency Act protects social media companies from defamation lawsuits for statements made by their users and moderators. Publishers like ADDitude are left with few legal options for fighting defamation and bias, despite the injury to their reputation and business.

As such, ADDitude encourages its community members to reconsider their membership and participation in the ADHD subreddit. The Reddit Moderator Code of Conduct requires moderators to “moderate with integrity,” and users may report moderators for violations here.

Above all, individuals living with ADHD deserve access to reliable, expert information that supports their wellbeing. Blocking trusted guidance does a disservice to the very communities these platforms claim to serve.

Thank you,
Anni Rodgers
General Manager of ADDitude

In research examining eating disorder symptoms among women aged 45 to 61, body dissatisfaction was cited as a key risk factor.¹ I have seen this firsthand. In 2024, more than 21% of calls to the National Alliance for Eating Disorders, a support and advocacy organization I founded in 2000, were from individuals (primarily women) age 40 and older.

Eating disorders are serious, brain-based mental illnesses with a strong genetic link.² They have the second-highest mortality rate among all psychiatric disorders.³ Yet many middle-aged and older women may not even recognize that they’re struggling with eating disorders due to misconceptions about these conditions and who they affect.

[Self-Test: Do I Have an Eating Disorder?]

An adult might have an eating disorder if they:

• experience extreme weight loss or dramatic weight fluctuations
• refuse to eat certain foods or skip meals
• exercise excessively
• show signs of purging

Calorie restriction, or bingeing and purging, can have a particularly adverse effect on an older body, possibly leading to poor health outcomes. When eating disorders go untreated, they can lead to bone loss, heart problems, and, in people who force themselves to vomit, lung conditions. And research shows that 11% of women with ADHD, compared to 1% of women without it, have a history of bulimia nervosa, a common eating disorder that involves gorging followed by vomiting or laxative use.
Other eating disorders common in older adults include:

• anorexia nervosa (extreme food restriction)
• binge eating (consuming large amounts of food beyond the point of feeling full)

Eating Disorder Triggers

For some women, the battle with eating disorders began in childhood. For others, body image struggles may be triggered by later-in-life events. These include:

• Perimenopause and menopause. The transition to menopause is now recognized as a high-risk time for eating disorders to develop or redevelop, in part because women are seeking ways to “control” their changing bodies amid significant estrogen shifts.⁴
• Aging and unrealistic ideals. The anxiety and stress of aging in a society that values youthfulness provides fertile ground for increased symptoms of disordered eating and dysfunctional attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors around food and physical appearance.
• Transitions. Divorce, an empty nest, widowhood, and other life events may lead to or reactivate disordered eating.

[Watch: “Eating Disorders Comorbid with ADHD — ARFID, Anorexia, and Others”]

“Too Old” for an Eating Disorder

Eating disorders are considered diseases of the young, and, consequently, they often go unrecognized in older women. Many clinicians believe their mature patients are “too old” to have such conditions.

If you suspect that you or a loved one may have an eating disorder, talk with a doctor trained in this area. The National Alliance for Eating Disorders offers guidance, resources, and referrals for treatment and care. It provides free, therapist-led virtual support groups for women at midlife and older to connect with others who are experiencing or recovering from eating disorders.

Do I Have an Eating Disorder: Next Steps

• Free Download: Types of Eating Disorders Associated with ADHD
• Read: We Demand Attention! A Call for Greater Research on Women with ADHD
• Read: ADHD and Eating Disorders: Research, Diagnosis & Treatment Guidelines
• Watch: “Eating with ADHD: Improving Your Relationship with Food”

Johanna Kandel is the founder and CEO of the National Alliance for Eating Disorders and the author of Life Beyond Your Eating Disorder: Reclaim Yourself, Regain Your Health, Recover for Good. (#CommissionsEarned)

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Sources

¹Kilpela, L.S., Hooper, S.C., Straud, C.L., Marshall, V.B., Verzijl, C.L., Stewart, T.M., Loera, T.T., Becker, C.B. (2023) The longitudinal associations of body dissatisfaction with health and wellness behaviors in midlife and older women. Int J Environ Res Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20247143

²Berrettini W. (2004). The genetics of eating disorders. Psychiatry (Edgmont), Nov;1(3):18–25. PMID: 21191522; PMCID: PMC3010958

³van Hoeken, D., & Hoek, H. W. (2020). Review of the burden of eating disorders: mortality, disability, costs, quality of life, and family burden. Current opinion in psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1097/YCO.0000000000000641

⁴Khalil, J., Boutros, S., Kheir, N., Kassem, M., Salameh, P. et al. (2022). Eating disorders and their relationship with menopausal phases among a sample of middle-aged Lebanese women. BMC Women’s Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-022-01738-6

Use the examples below to help you explain ADHD to your child in easy-to-understand language that diminishes shame and accentuates strengths.

Executive Dysfunction: A Short-Staffed Airport Control Tower

Our brains are like busy airports with control towers that guide the airplanes of executive function — planning, prioritizing, organizing, managing time, and other skills that help us get through everyday life — to take off and land smoothly.

Except the ADHD brain’s control tower isn’t always well-staffed. It often feels like you’re the only one who showed up to work! You scurry around ensuring that airplanes take off and land without incident — a feat that requires enormous amounts of energy. Sometimes, airplanes become delayed in their take off, or fail to take off altogether.

This is called executive dysfunction. It’s why an ordinary day at school feels so exhausting for you, and why some things may seem harder for you than for your classmates.

How to Support Executive Function Skills: Next Steps

• Read: Your Child’s 7 Executive Functions — and How to Boost Them
• Read: How to Sharpen Executive Functions — Activities to Hone Brain Skills
• Free Download: Common Executive Function Challenges — and Solutions

Regulation: A Volume Button (Sometimes) Gone Haywire

Do you sometimes feel absolutely stuck, unable to get started on your homework even though everyone tells you to “just do it?” Does it ever feel difficult to wind down and get to sleep?

If you answered yes, your brain’s volume button may be stuck or off kilter. The volume buttons in our brains help us regulate and moderate energy, emotions, appetite, sleep, and activity levels. In ADHD brains, the volume button sometimes gets jammed, or it develops a mind of its own, tuning to sound levels that don’t match your commands.

You know your volume button is at zero when it feels impossible to get anything done. It looks like a lack of motivation and procrastination. Maybe you have no appetite, and you struggle to get out of bed.

Sometimes, for no reason in particular, your brain’s volume button will ramp up to 100. Big feelings will flood your brain, your appetite will surge, and it will feel impossible to stop scrolling through social media or to turn off your video game. Even falling asleep will be difficult with a mind that is going full blast.

Self-Regulation: Next Steps

• Read: How to Teach Emotional Regulation Skills
• Read: How to Motivate an Unmotivated Teenager
• Read: Why Task Switching is Difficult for ADHD Brains — and 7 Ways to Smooth Transitions

Sensory Sensitivity: Operating with No Filter

Every minute of every day, our brains filter through sensory input from inside and outside of our bodies. But the filters in ADHD brains are sometimes unreliable — allowing too much or too little information to break through. Often, every little input is received and processed in your brain, making you ultra-sensitive to things like how clothes feel on your body, the intensity of certain smells, the lighting in your classroom, and other sensations. Everything competes for your attention.

This is why hanging out with friends can feel so tiring sometimes. It’s not that you don’t like spending time with them, it’s just that your brain heightens the sensations of everything around you, draining you of your energy as you try to handle competing stimuli.

Sensory Sensitivities: Next Steps

• Read: What Is Your Child’s Sensory Profile?
• Read: Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Sticky!
• Free Download: Sensory Issues — Triggers, Symptoms & Types of SPD

Rumination: A Sticky Gearbox

We all have bad days. To move past challenges, you rely on your brain’s gearbox to shift out of negative thinking and cruise into a lighter perspective. If you find that you’re stuck in loops of negative, toxic thoughts, it’s because your gearbox is sticking — a common problem in ADHD due to emotional dysregulation. Once you notice what’s happening, strategies from cognitive behavioral therapy can be incredibly helpful in getting you unstuck.

How to Shift to Healthier Thoughts: Next Steps

• Read: How Do I Teach My Teen to Manage Emotions?
• Read: When Your Child Wants to Give Up
• Read: How Can I Help My Teen Adopt a Growth Mindset?

How to Explain ADHD to Kids and Teens: More Resources

• Free Download: 5 Ways to Build Self-Advocacy Skills
• Read: Your Brain Is a Ferrari
• Read: How Do You Talk to Your Child About ADHD? Advice from Fellow Parents
• Read: Your Brain Is Amazing! 5 Things All Neurodivergent Teens Need to Hear

The content for this article was derived, in part, from the ADDitude ADHD Experts webinar titled, “The Emotional Lives of Girls with ADHD [Video Replay & Podcast #488]“ with Lotta Borg Skoglund, M.D., Ph.D., which was broadcast on January 23, 2024.

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

When Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. calls autism a “preventable disease” and floats the idea of an autism registry, he’s not only spouting fringe opinions. He’s echoing a long and harmful legacy of framing neurodivergent people — especially autistic people — as broken, burdensome, and in need of fixing.

As an autistic adult raising two autistic children, I know firsthand how this rhetoric shapes public perception, policy, and everyday life. I know how much damage it can do.

In casting autism as a public health crisis and something that “destroys families,” RFK, Jr. is stripping autistic people of their humanity. Our identities become problems to be solved, not lives to be understood or supported. The implication is that people like me and my children should not exist — or at the very least, should be feared, tracked, or corrected.

[Read: “Rising ADHD and Autism Rates Reflect Education — Not a Crisis”]

These comments from the secretary of Health and Human Services aren’t new. They echo decades of pathologizing narratives, including from some mainstream autism organizations that have historically centered some parents’ despair at raising neurodivergent children while ignoring autistic perspectives. But when the nation’s health secretary proposes a government registry of autistic people, it takes that fear-based framing out of the shadows and puts it on a national stage. It taps into old eugenic ideas and weaponizes public health rhetoric against a marginalized group.

Research shows just how dangerous this framing is. Autistic people already face higher rates of discrimination, mental health challenges, and suicidality — especially when we lack acceptance and community.¹ Portraying autism as a tragedy increases stigma, which in turn predicts worse well-being and reduced access to needed supports.² It also correlates with more negative parenting experiences: studies show that when caregivers view autism through a deficit lens, they report higher stress and lower family quality of life.³ In contrast, when autism is understood as a neurotype rather than a disease, outcomes improve — not just for autistic individuals, but for their families as well.

In raising two young children — both delightful, both autistic — my days are filled with sensory swings and deep chats and meltdown management and belly laughs. It’s not always easy, but parenting never is. The hard parts don’t necessarily come from my kids’ neurotypes. They often stem from systems and expectations that were never built for people like us.

When public figures portray autism as a tragedy, they reinforce those broken systems. Insurance becomes harder to access for affirming therapies. Schools and workplaces feel justified in denying accommodations. Families are instructed to control and conform instead of adapt. And autistic people — especially those who are also queer, BIPOC, or multiply disabled — internalize the message that their very being is a mistake.

[Read: ADHD, Autism, and Neurodivergence Are Coming Into Focus]

But there is another story we can tell, one rooted in dignity, interdependence, and acceptance. It’s the story I live every day as I advocate for my kids and unlearn the shame I once felt about my own mind. It’s the story of thousands of autistic adults who are fighting not just for services, but for belonging. It’s the story the neurodiversity movement has been telling for years, and it deserves a louder megaphone than RFK, Jr.’s.

We don’t need a registry, and we don’t need a “cure.” We need a revolution in how we understand autism — not as something to be feared, but as a natural part of human diversity. Our job isn’t to eliminate autism. It’s to eliminate barriers and provide support so that all autistic people can live joyful, self-directed lives.

Autism and Neurodiversity: Next Steps

• Free eBook: The Truth About Autism in Adults
• Read: MAHA Commission Means Fear, Stigma, Health Threats for Two-Thirds of ADDitude Readers
• Read: “ADHD Is an Actual Condition. You Can’t Beat It Out of a Child.”

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Sources

¹ Cassidy, S., Bradley, L., Shaw, R., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2018). Risk markers for suicidality in autistic adults. Molecular Autism, 9(1), 42. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-018-0226-4

² Botha, M., & Frost, D. M. (2020). Extending the minority stress model to understand mental health problems experienced by autistic people. Society and Mental Health, 10(1), 20–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156869318804297

³ Botha, M., & Frost, D. M. (2020). Extending the minority stress model to understand mental health problems experienced by autistic people. Society and Mental Health, 10(1), 20–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156869318804297

Grown-ups write a weekly meal schedule on a Sunday and do careful calculations before drilling holes. They make sandwiches the night before and remember to take them to work.

Grown-ups quell their transient urges in the pursuit of long-term goals. They commit, they save, they resist, and they toil. They get where they were planning to go.

Tedium does not torment the regular grown-up. If a boring job needs doing, they simply get on and do it. They are not hijacked by the urgent need to be anywhere else but the present.

Grown-ups don’t pull their phone-charger cable out while chatting and distractedly plug it into their mouth. They hardly ever go to bed with their keys left hanging on the outside of the door, and I very much doubt that they have 14,000 unread emails. Grown-ups absolutely do not tell someone they’ve just met that their underwear is stuck up their bum.

So, nope. Not much grown-uppery going on around here.

Even motherhood has failed to rebirth me as a convincing adult, if I’m honest. I love with abandon, but I do not have the skill set of an executive PA, despite what my children’s school might assume.

I’m the parent with the kid in full uniform on wear-whatever-you-want day and no cash for the cash-only book fair. I’m the mum at the bounce party who demos an illegal maneuver and then watches as a 6-year-old copies and knocks out his tooth.

[Read: Diaries of “Adulting” (or Not) with ADHD]

I Don’t Feel Like an Adult: The Fallout from Falling Short

Like lots of people acutely aware of their flaws, I’ve learned to jump in and laugh at myself before others can take a shot. But I still feel small when I fail to measure up to societal norms, no matter how many jokes I churn out at my own expense.

I am also reduced to jelly by the ice-cold dead eye of those proudly logical humans repulsed by malfunctions of common sense. I see their disdain as a sign of deep self-loathing, but I nonetheless crumble at their condemnation of me and the faults I may well never fix.

My lack of adulting acumen has cost me. Failure to plan, persist, and apply what I learn from experience has thwarted my ambition and harmed my self-trust. It limits my capacity to meet my potential and avoid repeating mistakes. It hurts.

Why Can’t I “Adult?” It Was ADHD All Along

I cannot describe how I felt when I read about the symptoms of inattentive-type ADHD in women. I ticked almost all of the boxes and made sense to myself for the first time ever. A single condition explained what I had always viewed with quiet shame as manifestations of immaturity, weak character and sloth.

I waited 30 months for an assessment and then sobbed the whole way through it. When my diagnosis came, it felt like a big “welcome home” by people who finally got me. You are not alone! Come on in! Sorry about the mess. It was truly the biggest relief of my life.

[Take This Self-Test: ADHD Symptoms in Women]

Now I’m busy learning how my traits and behaviors conspire to keep me feeling like a child.

Of course I have trouble resisting temptation. My brain yearns for dopamine to bolster its fragile supply. And I leave things to the last minute not out of preference or bravado but because concentration evades me until a deadline is so close I can smell it.

There’s a reason too why I struggle to stay on-task when a job is neither urgent nor appealing. My filter for blocking out irrelevant stimuli has the authority of wilted spinach. Distracting noises and thoughts roll in freely while I’m trying to focus and the effort it takes to ignore them leaves me feeling drained and frustrated.

I am not devoid of reason (though I never really thought I was). My prefrontal cortex is clear-thinking and analytical. But when my lizard brain floods with emotion, the rational part of me doesn’t carry sufficient clout to talk it out of a spiral.

It’s empowering to have language and insights about ADHD to help me understand and convey to others what I’ve always known but lacked the words or concepts to explain.

Learning How to Be an Adult

My ADHD diagnosis hasn’t magicked me into a grown-up. But it has made me feel happier and more in control of my choices. I’ve grieved for lost dreams and stopped beating myself up all day long. Decades of self-castigation, it turns out, yield little positive change.

And ADHD is not all bad, let’s be honest. My neurodivergent strengths and leanings make life a lot more fun. They predispose me to creativity, which brings me joy and flow. It can feel like the meaning of life itself when ideas spill forth with apparently mystical ease. I’m entertained by my daydreaming too, which helps me spot links and patterns that don’t always jump out at others. I’m flexible and adaptable and I come alive under pressure. I’m pretty sure ADHD makes me more tolerant as well. Being aware of my own annoying quirks makes it natural for me to cut others some slack over theirs.

I’m not sure I’d swap any one of these traits for an immaculate car or the ability to tell you what I’m having for dinner next Tuesday.

Will I ever feel like a grown-up? Never completely, I hope. I’m pleased my diagnosis has helped me find ways to manage. But I plan to grow more than just upwards. I intend to grow outwards, inwards, and in any direction that my passion and curiosity take me. That is the most authentic, and surely therefore the most grown-up thing I can do.

“I Don’t Feel Like an Adult:” Next Steps

• Sign Up: Essential Support for Women with ADHD
• Read: The Adult in the Room — I’m Not It!
• Read: 42 Raw Confessions from Women with ADHD
• Read: “I Learned I Couldn’t Trust Myself, Then I Found I Had Undiagnosed ADHD.”

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Since its publication last Sunday, The New York Times Magazine article “Have We Been Thinking About ADHD All Wrong?” has been called provocative and controversial. We would like to add a few adjectives: misrepresentative, biased, and dangerous.

In his 8,800-word article, writer Paul Tough used cherry-picked bits of decades-old data, very small studies, and interviews with three patients (all men) to exhume long-debunked ideas about ADHD and its treatment with prescription stimulant medication. Tough dismissed the lifelong work of esteemed ADHD researcher Russell Barkley, Ph.D., and suggested that the diagnosis of ADHD was unreliable or subjective because it relies not on a biomarkers or genetic tests, but on a trained clinician’s careful review of patients’ self-reported and observed symptoms in several settings.

To be clear, identifiable biomarkers do not yet exist for many psychiatric, neurodevelopmental, and neurodegenerative disorders. In the case of ADHD, medical experts use rating scales, neuroimaging studies, and/or criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5) to assess whether patients meet the threshold for a diagnosis.

“There’s no genetic marker for most psychiatric illness, but there is very clear heritability, as Dr. Russell Barkley has pointed out for years,” says Wes Crenshaw, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist and author. “I wonder if the Times author doubts depression? Or autism? Or anxiety? Or bipolar disorder?”

Though he was also quoted in the Times article, Crenshaw says he was never interviewed by the reporter, who pulled quotes out of context from his ADDitude articles.

ADHD Biases Divorced from Fact

Tough cited findings from the Multimodal Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (MTA) Study to suggest that the benefits of stimulant medication wear off after 36 months. In arguing that Ritalin’s “advantage had completely faded,” Tough failed to report that long-term medication adherence among the MTA subjects was inconsistent — an important fact that undermines the author’s contradictory argument that stimulant medication is somehow both ineffective and “powerfully addictive,” as he claims in the article. (If it were addictive, wouldn’t the MTA subjects have taken it every day without fail? We know that half of teens and adults with ADHD stop taking stimulant medication within one year of starting it, suggesting that it is not addictive and shining a light on how woefully irresponsible it is to claim the ineffectiveness of a medication that is not taken consistently.)

Tough was guilty of biased reporting, or a deep misunderstanding of the subject he was covering, when he suggested that the increase in ADHD diagnosis rates — from 3 percent nearly 40 years ago to up to 11.4 percent of American children today, according to the CDC — represents a medical crisis or evidence of overdiagnosis. In truth, this uptick is is due, in large part, to a revised set of diagnostic criteria for ADHD in the DSM-5, a dramatic improvement in both clinician and patient understanding of ADHD, and critical research on its manifestations, especially in girls, women, and people of color — populations that have been historically overlooked and underserved, with serious consequences.

Perhaps the Times reporter was unaware of the basic fact that, 40 years ago, the scientific community screened almost exclusively only boys for symptoms of ADHD. It did not acknowledge the inattentive subtype of ADHD that many girls and women exhibit. And it insisted that symptoms only caused impairment in school settings. We now know much better.

Sloppy Reporting, Inaccurate Conclusions

Tough did Times readers a disservice by choosing not to interview more esteemed physicians, researchers, and clinical psychologists at the forefront of ADHD care. Instead, he plucked their quotes from the pages of ADDitude, stripped them of context, and did not pursue conversations with authors, like Crenshaw, or patients they suggested. [Crenshaw told ADDitude that, prior to the article’s publication, he offered “the author (through fact checker) a chance to interview an almost infinite number of ADHD people whose lives have been radically changed by integrative treatment.” No interviews were granted.]

For example, Tough quoted a feature from the Fall 2021 issue of ADDitude magazine in which Crenshaw addressed parents’ top concerns regarding ADHD medication. In the article, Crenshaw used established, evidence-based research to suggest that, if your child has ADHD, then stimulant medication paired with behavioral parent training and/or cognitive behavior therapy is shown to produce the greatest results in symptom management. Tough took Crenshaw’s words out of context to make it seem that he was arguing that ADHD exists as a binary, on-off diagnosis without any heterogeneity or symptom fluctuation. This is contrary to Crenshaw’s views and contradicts ADDitude‘s own recent reporting.

In its Spring 2025 issue, ADDitude magazine published a cover story titled “ADHD’s Vanishing (and Reappearing) Act,” in which author Maggie Sibley, Ph.D., explained her recent research into the sometimes unpredictable ebbs and flows of ADHD symptoms over a lifetime. Rather than acknowledge ADDitude‘s work to cover the scientific community’s evolving understanding of ADHD, Tough’s reporting painted ADDitude and its contributors as outdated. This is an unfair depiction.

He manipulated ADDitude content again in quoting an article published in 2020 and written by Roberto Olivardia, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and Harvard Medical School lecturer. Tough did not interview Olivardia. Instead, he pulled a quote from Olivardia regarding the ways in which stimulant medication may quell a child’s social impulsivity. Tough deliberately omitted this vital precursor to the quoted statement in the ADDitude article: “Clinicians should assure parents that any medication that appears to mute the child’s positive aspects and core personality is indicative of an unsuccessful medical trial. Another medication should be tried.”

Olivardia didn’t mince words in his response to the Times article. “The suggestion that I and other ADHD clinicians would uniformly placate parental concerns with a canned response is insulting,” he says. “This is not the first time this has happened within the ADHD community, and it’s so frustrating. Some things in the article are accurate, but they are mixed in with very inaccurate, overly simplistic information.”

Unraveling a Dangerous Narrative About Medication

Of perhaps greatest concern is Tough’s inaccurate and harmful portrayal of stimulant medication as an ineffective Band-Aid that fails to improve students’ academic test scores and, therefore, must be unnecessary. He cited limited research casting doubt on ADHD medication’s ability to make kids score higher on timed tests, sort specific puzzles more efficiently, or excel in summer school. “If these studies are accurate, stimulant medications don’t do much to improve cognitive ability or academic performance,” Tough wrote. “And yet millions of young Americans (and their parents) feel that the pills are essential to their success in school. Why?”

Inexplicably, Tough did not report that ADHD medication has been shown to reduce impulsivity and, by extension, the risks of car accidents, substance abuse, unplanned pregnancy, comorbid depression and anxiety, incarceration, self-harm, and suicide. In fact, research has found that stimulant medication use among individuals with ADHD reduces the risk of premature death by a staggering 19%.

In a study published in The British Journal of Psychiatry in 2025, the life expectancy for adults with ADHD was found to be 7.5 years shorter than it was for those without the condition. Women with ADHD live 8.6 years fewer years than women without ADHD, while the life expectancy of men with ADHD was 6.8 years shorter than that of their peers. ADHD is a serious condition, and to willfully misrepresent its proven treatments is dangerous at best.

Research has documented the positive impact of ADHD treatment on life expectancy. A Swedish study, published in JAMA Network Open, followed nearly 150,000 adults and adolescents for two years after they received their ADHD diagnoses. The researchers shared the following insights about the use of stimulant medication — amphetamine or methylphenidate — which is effective for roughly 70% of patients with ADHD:

• ADHD medication use reduced overall risk of death by 19%. Among people with ADHD who did not receive medication, there were 48 deaths for every 10,000 people, contrasted with 39 deaths per 10,000 people within the medicated cohort.
• ADHD medication use reduced the risk of overdose by 50%. Medication use also reduced the risk of death from other unnatural causes, including accidental injuries, accidental poisoning such as drug overdoses, and suicide.
• ADHD medication use reduced the risk of death from natural causes, such as medical conditions, for women.

People with childhood ADHD are nearly twice as likely to develop a substance use disorder as are individuals without childhood ADHD. However, research suggests that patients with ADHD treated with stimulant medications experience a 60% reduction in substance use disorders compared to those who are not treated with stimulant medication. Considerable evidence also suggests that children taking ADHD medication experience improvements in academic and social functioning, which translates to improved self-esteem, lower rates of self-medication with drugs or alcohol, and decreased risk of substance abuse.

What’s more, researchers at the University of Michigan and Massachussets General Hospital studied 40,000 high school seniors, more than 4,000 of whom had ADHD. The research team compared the risk for marijuana abuse — the most common drug misused by this age group—among teens with ADHD to the overall population. They found that the students with the lowest incidence of substance abuse started ADHD treatment with stimulants before 9 years of age. When treatment began between ages 10 and 14, it was helpful, but the students still had a significantly higher likelihood of smoking marijuana. The highest risk of marijuana use was found among students with ADHD who started medication after age 15.

The late Joseph Biederman, M.D., the former Chief of the Clinical and Research Programs in Pediatric Psychopharmacology and Adult ADHD at Massachusetts General Hospital, along with researchers at the hospital and at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, conducted a study in which teens with ADHD were separated into two groups, then tasked with driving through a virtual roadway featuring surprise events, including oncoming traffic. The teens in the first group received stimulant medication (lisdexamfetamine: brand name Vyvanse) while the teens in the second group did not. Compared with the group of non-medicated ADHD teens, the medicated group was 67% less likely to have a collision during these events.

“For families that stop ADHD treatment on weekends and during ‘downtime,’ I emphasize the importance of driving only while medication is active,” Dr. Biederman had said. “A short-acting medication taken about half an hour before hitting the road may just be lifesaving.”

Why Ignore Patients’ Real-World Experiences?

Indeed, ADHD treatment with medication is lifesaving for many children, adolescents, and adults with ADHD for many reasons beyond the decreased risks for car accidents, illegal drug use, unprotected sex, and the other dangers outlined above.

ADDitude readers write to us daily about the social, emotional, professional, and psychological benefits they experience while using prescription stimulant medication to treat their ADHD symptoms. By excluding these patient perspectives, Tough’s reporting could place lives at risk by telling a story that may scare caregivers and adult patients away from the ADHD treatments that are shown to safely, effectively improve and protect lives.

On that note, let us leave you with a few quotes from ADDitude readers explaining, in their own words, the benefits of stimulant medication and the threats they feel in 2025.

“Adderall is literally the difference between crippling depression due to executive function disorder and not. If my access to my much-needed medication goes away, the impact will be exponential.”

“If they mess with my stimulants or access to stimulants, I could lose my job and even my marriage. I rely on it to maintain focus as a design engineer. It also helps communication with my wife when I have my stimulants.”

“ADHD medication has huge benefits. It’s frustrating that the discourse is being steered from the top by someone so willfully ignorant, bringing out everyone who has totally misinformed ‘reckons’ about ADHD.”

Rebuttal from Russell Barkley, Ph.D.

More NYTimes Rebuttals

• 4-Part Video Response from Russell Barkley, Ph.D.
• The Child Mind Institute
• The ADHD Evidence Project

ADHD Article Corrections: Next Steps

• Free Download: The Ultimate Guide to ADHD Medication
• Reader Reactions: MAHA Commission Means Fear, Stigma, Health Threats for Two-Thirds of ADDitude Readers
• Read: Is ADHD Real? Yes — and Still Heavily Stigmatized

Corrections

This article was updated on April 25, 2025, to reflect the following:

• Wes Crenshaw, Ph.D., reported to ADDitude that he invited the author to interview several ADHD patients, not himself, and that invitation was not accepted
• The CDC’s 2022 estimate for the prevalence of ADHD in American children aged 3-17 years, which is 11.4 percent, not 5 to 7 percent
• Author Paul Tough did not directly describe the ADHD diagnosis process as “arbitrary,” but rather his quoted source, Edmund Sonuga-Barke, did. This quotation was removed.
• The full quote from Tough’s text was included: “If these studies are accurate, stimulant medications don’t do much to improve cognitive ability or academic performance. And yet millions of young Americans (and their parents) feel that the pills are essential to their success in school. Why?”
• This phrase was removed, “…and then questioned why American parents and students would accept the ‘risks inherent in taking prescription stimulants.'” The original article stated: “Researchers acknowledge that there are other risks inherent in taking prescription stimulants.”

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Daily life is interesting, to say the least, with two conditions that try to pull me in different directions.

I don’t really lose car keys or paperwork. Still, my home office is a mess.

I can focus for hours on my favorite topics and watch video after video on YouTube. But I seriously lose focus when I have to read lines and lines of text, especially if the information does not engage me.

I have quicker access to my emotions than most men, I suppose, which I’ve been bullied and teased over since childhood.

I wait until the last possible moment to get something done. (Though procrastination is something I’m getting better at addressing.) And I used to struggle a lot more with anxiety, especially over changing plans, and experience frequent meltdowns that left me feeling angry and ashamed.

Sensory sensitivities? I have a few. Noise-cancelling headphones are my source of comfort. I cover my ears when an ambulance blares by. Wood floors prevail over carpeted ones. You’ll seldom catch me barefoot.

Growing Up AuDHD and Not Knowing It

Much of my life did not make sense to me prior to my diagnoses. I was the quirky kid who struggled to fit in and who didn’t think and act like his peers. I lived in my head most of the time, coming up with all kinds of stories and doodles. In many ways, being neurodivergent, even if I didn’t know it, kept me out of trouble.

When I was placed in special education classes in elementary school, the only explanation I was given was that I was “slow.” Though teachers and psychologists told my mother that I had ADHD, she did not accept the diagnosis for fear of stigma. What would become of a Black boy with the ADHD label who also took meds? So, the diagnosis was kept from me — as were accommodations that could have helped me.

[Read: Why ADHD Is Different for People of Color]

My life began to slowly fall apart in adulthood. I felt like an impulsive, uninterested kid inside the body of a fully grown man. Finally, I sought answers for myself.

Being AuDHD Has Opened Up My World

Learning I was autistic and had inattentive ADHD gave me so many answers and set me on a path to better coping. On me most of the time are my trusted noise-cancelling headphones and a sketchbook with my favorite pens and pencils. My phone and laptop help me stay organized and keep up with day-to-day tasks. I am careful about carving out time to journal and sketch, which curbs my anxiety. I also have a support system that includes my wife, friends, family, and my church family. And I’m learning to rest and take time for myself when I need to, without guilt or shame, and well before reaching burnout.

Like many people who learn of their neurodivergence later in life, I was relieved, but I also mourned. I realized how hard I had been on my younger self — the autistic Black kid with ADHD who had no clue why he was so different. I didn’t think or behave in ways that fit cultural stereotypes. I masked a lot, and most of my interactions with people were scripted, a skill learned from years of studying the communication styles of TV news anchors.

At the same time, being ADHD and autistic has opened my world. I think differently and help others do the same. I often find answers and solutions that haven’t occurred to others. I feel deeply, which makes me compassionate and sensitive to the needs of people. The knowledge I’ve picked up from my special interests and hobbies makes me a reliable source, or at the very least someone who makes good conversation.

If ADHD and autism separately are still widely misunderstood, auDHD is on a different level. I share my diagnosis regularly with people looking for evidence of what I have, not realizing that auDHD doesn’t have a look or race, and that there isn’t a singular auDHD experience.

My advice for late-diagnosed auDHD adults, especially for Black men, would be to be patient as you begin to uncover your layers. It is natural to dwell on the many years you pushed through feeling different. But it is also an opportunity to advocate for others who grew up just like you. Your diagnosis will serve as an open door, inviting others to explore their mental health needs and challenge their thoughts about neurodivergence.

Could You Be AuDHD? Next Steps

• Take our self-tests:
  • Adult ADHD
  • Adult autism
  • ADHD in women
  • Autism in women
• Learn: How to get evaluated for autism as an adult
• Free Download: Bring this checklist to your autism evaluation
• Learn: Autism and ADHD in adults
• Understand: The auDHD experience

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In reality, there is no crisis.

The rise in diagnoses reflects a long-overdue recognition of neurodivergence — particularly among girls, women, and people of color who were historically overlooked — rather than a sudden explosion in neurodivergent individuals.

Neurodivergence Overlooked: A Well-Documented Pattern

My own neurodivergence was overlooked for many years. As a child, the only label my brain was ever given was “gifted.” At the same time, I struggled with sensory overload, social exhaustion, and the inability to complete simple tasks despite excelling in areas that schools valued. Yet, like many high-achieving girls, my difficulties were attributed to personality quirks rather than neurological differences.

It wasn’t until adulthood, while seeking evaluations for my own children, that I saw myself in the screening questions and research, leading to my own diagnoses of ADHD and autism. Like many women, I only began to understand my brain after fighting for my children to be understood.

[Take This Free Screening Test: Autism in Women]

What Explains Rising Rates of ADHD and Autism?

At first glance, rising autism and ADHD diagnoses may seem like evidence of a true increase. But research points to three other drivers: changes in diagnostic criteria, greater awareness, and increased access to evaluations.

Decades ago, autism was largely understood in terms of its most visible and disabling presentations, meaning that countless individuals — especially women, people of color, and those with high-masking traits — were overlooked. Research shows, for instance, that autistic females often camouflage their autistic traits, leading to delayed or missed diagnoses.

Similarly, ADHD was historically viewed as a disorder affecting only young boys. We understand today that women with ADHD often exhibit internalized symptoms, such as inattentiveness and emotional dysregulation, which deviate from the hyperactive, disruptive stereotypes commonly associated with the condition.

Increasing awareness of neurodiversity in general has made many people more likely to recognize signs of autism and ADHD that may have gone unnoticed in previous generations. The availability of evaluations has expanded as well, making it somewhat easier to obtain a diagnosis. And since a formal diagnosis is often required to access educational accommodations or workplace protections, many individuals have a stronger incentive to pursue assessment than in the past.

It’s also possible that neurodivergence itself has increased slightly over time due to environmental or societal influences. Some researchers have investigated whether prenatal exposures — such as pollution, maternal stress, or certain medications — could play a role, though no consensus has emerged. Others speculate that modern life, with its increasing reliance on digital stimulation, structured schooling, and high cognitive demands, may be making traits associated with autism and ADHD more noticeable or challenging.

[Watch: An Open Conversation with Temple Grandin – Autism Expert, Author, and Scientist”]

However, there is no clear evidence that these conditions are becoming more biologically prevalent, only that we are finally recognizing and understanding them on a broader scale. It’s not that more people have suddenly become neurodivergent, but that more of those who were always neurodivergent are now being identified.

Celebration, Not Alarm

Some worry that broadened diagnostic criteria has blurred important distinctions, grouping together individuals with vastly different experiences and needs. They argue this could make it harder for neurodivergent people to secure the right support, especially if those with lower support needs are seen as “using up” resources meant for those with greater needs.

But from what I’ve seen, the opposite seems to be happening. The increase in diagnoses is driving greater awareness and acceptance of varied neurodivergent experiences and that, in turn, is fueling a more unified and politically powerful advocacy movement.

The fact that more people are receiving diagnoses should be cause for celebration, not alarm. It means that more of us are gaining access to self-understanding, accommodations, and community. Autistic adults who receive a formal diagnosis report higher self-esteem and overall psychological well-being, attributing their improved mental health to better self-understanding and acceptance. Many autistic adults describe their newfound understanding of their neurodivergent mind as transformative, giving them a greater sense of identity.

The rise in diagnoses is a sign that we are finally beginning to recognize and support the diversity of human minds. Rhetoric to the contrary reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of what is happening in the neurodiversity space, and threatens to roll back progress, reinforce stigma, and making it harder for people to seek the support they need.

The answer isn’t to reduce diagnoses by retreating to outdated ideas about neurological differences. The answer is to build a neurodiversity-affirming world — one where fewer people need a diagnosis just to be seen, heard, and supported.

ADHD and Autism: Next Steps

• Take our self-tests:
  • Adult ADHD
  • Adult autism
  • ADHD in women
  • Autism in women
• Learn: How to get evaluated for autism as an adult
• Free Download: Bring this checklist to your autism evaluation
• Learn: Autism and ADHD in adults
• Understand: The auDHD experience

Charlotte Hill, Ph.D., is a policy analyst and neurodiversity educator in Oakland, California. 

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Nevertheless, a mixture of anger, grief, and relief washed over me when I was officially diagnosed. ADHD and autism, or auDHD, were my “new” realities (new only in label, of course). Though I was prepared for the evaluation, I never thought to research the emotional aftermath — an oversight I deeply regret.

Chances are that your autism and ADHD diagnoses will come with their own aftershocks. From someone who has lived it, here’s a bit of what you might experience, so you can prepare.

1. Mourning the Childhood You Never Had

The moment I walked out of my assessment, my brain flooded with unpleasant childhood memories. Many of these highlighted moments in which auDHD had been on full, plain-as-day display. My neurodivergence absolutely should have been picked up by the teachers and mental health professionals around me.

The desk that I couldn’t keep organized. The room that I couldn’t keep clean. My inability to focus on anything beyond my passions and interests. The executive dysfunction that plagued me. My zero tolerance for boredom. My lack of eye contact. My tendency to self-isolate. And the stims. Oh, the stims.

[Take This Self-Test: Autism in Girls]

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I was misdiagnosed, hospitalized, over-medicated, and left without improvement or answers. Every aspect of my life had been a baffling uphill battle.

Post-diagnosis, I was thrust into a period of mourning for the little girl who should have had a much easier childhood. I cried for the preteen who couldn’t keep up. I desperately wanted to time travel and reassure the younger versions of myself that everything would be OK, that help was coming.

Your diagnosis, like mine, will be validating. It may also set off intense grief for what could have been. No amount of obsessive scientific research could have given me the tools to grapple with that.

2. You’ll Unmask — Willingly or Otherwise

Don’t be surprised if your auDHD symptoms appear to intensify immediately after your diagnosis. I struggled to focus, and my socializing abilities (which were already abysmal) plummeted. My friends and family began to comment on my fidgeting. A couple of rude people even asked questions like, “How come you weren’t like this before your diagnoses?”

While their inquiries were decidedly insensitive, I actually asked the same questions in my own head. Why was I suddenly struggling more? It was mystifying, until I realized that my symptoms and struggles had not changed, but my relationship to them had shifted. More specifically, I was more accepting of them.

[ADHD, Anxiety, and Autism: Your AAA Guidebook]

My diagnoses, while emotionally draining, also illuminated all the shame I had buried deep within. The dual diagnoses felt like a permission slip — an unspoken authorization to ditch the neurotypical façade. The mask I had donned all these years was probably why I was able to fly under the radar for so long, but it never really camouflaged my otherness.

My diagnoses gave me the courage to gently remove the mask altogether, examine it, thank it for its service, and bid it farewell. It was terrifying, like saying goodbye to a lifelong toxic friend. But it also felt like an important step in the radical acceptance of myself as an autistic woman with ADHD. And that meant that more people were able to observe my fidgeting, hyperactivity, executive dysfunction, stimming, disorganization, and a host of other symptoms to an extreme they hadn’t seen before.

It was, and still is, nerve-racking. But it felt, and still feels, deeply necessary.

3. You’ll Develop a New Interest: AuDHD Awareness and Advocacy

One of the pleasant surprises of my post-diagnosis existence was the opportunity to hyperfixate on a good cause. I now co-exist with the insatiable urge to learn, speak, and write more about neurodivergence. I revel in building connections with others (especially women) who are autistic and/or have ADHD, and I hope to raise awareness about the realities and nuances of these conditions.

With all its challenges, my post-diagnosis life is brimming with a new sense of purpose. I have an identity outside of auDHD, but this part of me is loud and large. It’s integral to who I am, who I was, and who I will become.

In a world full of misinformation and stigma surrounding neurodivergence, I feel uniquely positioned to speak up. It is incumbent upon me – while still figuring out life with auDHD — to share my joy, my struggle, and my truth. I hope my perspective can help other women with auDHD expand their own awareness and become inspired to advocate, too.

Could You Be AuDHD? Next Steps

• Take our self-tests:
  • Adult ADHD
  • Adult autism
  • ADHD in women
  • Autism in women
• Learn: How to get evaluated for autism as an adult
• Free Download: Bring this checklist to your autism evaluation
• Learn: Autism and ADHD in adults
• Understand: The auDHD experience

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

March 4, 2025

As the Trump administration moves to dismantle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies in the public and private sectors of the United States, my thoughts turn to one of our country’s largest minority groups: people with disabilities.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 in 4 Americans — or 70 million individuals — live with a disability. This diverse group spans all age groups, racial and ethnic backgrounds, gender identities, sexual orientations, socioeconomic statuses, and religious beliefs. Disability doesn’t discriminate.

DEI programs and initiatives designed to encourage diversity and promote fairness in education and in the workforce benefit people with disabilities, including those with ADHD. And with the dismantling of these programs, we are witnessing a surge in discrimination toward people with disabilities. The full impact of the Trump administration’s dismantling of DEI policies on people with disabilities is difficult to measure but impossible to discount.

Disability In Dire Straits

I have served as a disability advocate for the past 25 years; 15 of those years were in higher education as a professor, program coordinator, and director of disability services. I have a graduate degree in rehabilitation sciences and am a nationally certified rehabilitation counselor. This is not a field I chose; rather, it chose me.

You see, I am also a mom to three children with disabilities and a fierce advocate for many more. In recent years, I have seen a gradual erosion of the services and protections available to individuals living with disabilities. I have been hesitant to voice my concerns over these changes because, by nature, I am a people pleaser. I stay in my lane, keep my head down, and get my work done. But that all changed two years ago.

[Free Resource: Classroom Accommodations for Children with ADHD]

In April 2023, as an assistant professor and rehabilitation counselor, I was offered the opportunity to train more than 500 rehabilitation counselors on multicultural competencies in counseling, among other things, under Florida’s Vocational Rehabilitation program. Cultural competencies help us, as counselors, support our clients by taking into account their backgrounds and acknowledging our own internal biases. I was excited about this collaboration — until Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the training was no longer permitted under the state’s new DEI policies.

Soon after, DeSantis signed a bill into law banning the state’s public universities from spending funds on DEI initiatives. This included training counselors on their ethical obligations as professionals. I explained that people with disabilities are from all demographic backgrounds and that counselors who understand cultural differences can more effectively support their clients’ vocational and mental health needs. I even offered to do the workshops for free. I was shut down.

Colleges and universities live under the threat of having funding withheld if they do not comply with political mandates to eliminate courses, programs, student organizations, support services, and other initiatives with DEI components.

[Read: “Here’s What Happened When I Revealed My ADHD on LinkedIn”]

The Escalating Attack on DEI

Florida’s assault on DEI initiatives two years ago foreshadowed what is happening today in American politics, and the threats to public and private institutions alike is real. I fear that President Trump is setting a national agenda and tone that does not value people with disabilities and their vital contributions to society. The evidence of this is everywhere:

1. The standard Accessibility Statement on the White House website was removed by the Trump administration. This lack of visibility and accessibility underscores a lack of concern for Americans with disabilities, who had visible accessibility statements under Presidents Biden and Obama.
2. The U.S. government has eliminated DEI efforts in all federal agencies and is pressuring private companies to do the same.
3. The Trump administration aims to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education (DOE).
• The DOE oversees federal funding for K-12 schools servicing students with disabilities and handles discrimination complaints in education, including non-compliance, under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Roughly 7.5 million students, or 15 percent of the student population, receive special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which provides $15 billion to support students with disabilities. Without the federal DOE, funding for students with disabilities would be eliminated, as well the ability to enforce allocation of services to these students.
• The DOE provides protection. Seventeen states are actively working to eliminate 504 Plans in their education systems. The absence of strong federal oversight would leave millions of students vulnerable to discrimination and lacking the resources needed to be successful in school.
• The DOE provides funding to Title 1 Schools. Federal dollars target schools in low-income areas to “provide all children significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education, and to close educational achievement gaps by allocating federal funds for education programs and services,” according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
• The DOE oversees federal student aid to college students. Students could lose untold dollars in loans, grants, and federal student aid if the DOE is eliminated.

Disability rights are human rights. Disability rights are civil rights. Disability rights matter.

We must not turn a blind eye to the strategic maneuvers at play in our national politics. America’s leaders are making calculated decisions that threaten to upend the lives of thousands of Americans with disabilities. We must speak out.

What can we do today?

1. Take a stand. Educate yourself and those around you. Advocate for disability rights.
2. Call or write to your local, state, and federal legislators, your local news organizations, and to President Trump and Vice President Vance. Write op-eds explaining these harmful policies.
3. Organize grassroots efforts in your community to support people with disabilities.
4. Check in on people who are affected by these changes. Let them know they are not alone.
5. Boycott businesses that do not value diversity, equity, and inclusion.
6. Practice self-care. Go for a walk. Have dinner with a friend. Dance. Laugh. This is a marathon, not a sprint. We all need to take care of ourselves.

What Does DEI Mean: Next Steps

• Free Download: 40 Winning Accommodations for Your Child with ADHD or LD
• Read: “DEI – and Neurodivergence – Are Under Attack”
• Read: “Justice for All: What We Lose When the Country Abandons DEI”

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.