Tag: adhd
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Neurodivergent Burnout: How Misdiagnosis and Dismissal Left Me Broken for Decades
For most of my adult life, I believed there was something wrong with me. I chased answers for my constant exhaustion, pain, and inability to function like everyone else. Doctor after doctor dismissed me as “hysterical,” “lazy,” or “just stressed.” What I didn’t know was that the problem wasn’t my body failing me—it was neurodivergent…
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I Avoided Burnout—And Maybe You Can Too
Burnout was looming—and for once, I saw it coming. Over the past three weeks, I faced a perfect storm of stress, overwhelm, and sensory chaos… but I didn’t crash. In this post, I’m sharing the real-life strategies that helped me dodge autistic burnout, protect my mental health, and stay (mostly) functional through it all. If…
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To Push Through or Withdraw? Managing Your Child’s Stress for Long-Term Success
Knowing when to push through and when to pull back is key to supporting neurodivergent children. In this post, I share how I’ve learned to read the difference between emotional venting and true distress in my autistic and ADHD kids—and how honouring those signs has helped them thrive at school without burning out.
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How Parenting My Neurodivergent Kids Helped Me Heal My Own Childhood Wounds
Parenting can be powerful and healing—especially for neurodivergent parents raising neurodivergent children. Here’s how one camping trip reminded me of how far we’ve come.
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How to Talk to Teachers About Your Neurodivergent Child (Without Getting Dismissed)
Is your child calm at school but melting down at home? You’re not alone. Many neurodivergent children “mask” during the day, only to unravel when they’re finally safe. This post explores why that happens and offers practical advice for talking to teachers when you feel dismissed or unheard. Learn how to advocate for your child…
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Finding Balance: Routine Strategies for Autistic ADHD Minds
If you’re both autistic and ADHD, chances are you know exactly what I’m talking about: the chaotic tug-of-war between craving routine and rejecting it entirely. I’ve never coped well with schedules. Free time is a minefield – too much to do, too little focus to do it, and I often end up frozen, doing absolutely…
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The Magic of Music: Easing School Transition for Neurodivergent Children
How a music session gave my anxious preschooler confidence and calm One Thursday afternoon, I arrived at preschool to collect my youngest, E. I already knew they’d had a music workshop that day with Boogie Mites, and I was fully expecting to hear that he had refused to join in—just like every other time. But…
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Burnout on Repeat: How Autism and ADHD Fuel the Cycle
Before I knew I was autistic and had ADHD, I lived in a constant state of frustration. I couldn’t understand why I seemed to swing between being completely in control—on top of everything, organised, productive—and then suddenly hitting a wall, unable to string together a coherent thought or get out of bed for days at…
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“ADHD? But That’s for Boys!”—A Woman’s Journey to an Unexpected Revelation.
I NEVER would have considered even the most remote possibility that I had ADHD. I’d seen ADHD—it affected some lads at school who couldn’t sit still, shouted out in class, and generally got written off as naughty kids. And anyway, ADHD was just a parenting problem, right? RIGHT?! My first real encounter with ADHD as…
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When You Learn Your Needs Don’t Matter: The Emotional Toll of Being Undiagnosed
I’ve often been asked why I push so hard for my kids to get diagnosed. To some, they seem “normal,” and the effort to secure assessments feels unnecessary. “They’ll be fine,” I’ve heard countless times. The answer to this question is simple: me. I’m the reason. My lived experience as an undiagnosed autistic and ADHD…
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