Episode Details

A tangled ball of spaghetti. That’s how aspiring therapist Rebecca Gonzalez-Ojeda describes her ADHD brain. Diagnosed with ADHD in fifth grade, Rebecca grew up hearing messages to “just try harder” while struggling with school and self-esteem. It felt like giving 110% still wasn’t enough. 

Rebecca reflects on painful IEP meetings, discouraging comments from teachers, and the emotional drain of being misunderstood for years. She also shares what it was like “raw-dogging” life after losing access to treatment, then getting re-diagnosed with ADHD after college — and how ADHD medication changed her life.

For more on this topic

• Listen: The “devastating” findings of a decades-long ADHD study
• Read: ADHD and self-esteem: What to say to kids
• Watch: Psychologist explains the biggest challenges of adult ADHD

For a transcript and more resources, visit ADHD Aha! on Understood.org. You can also email us at adhdaha@understood.org

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As kids head back to school, it's a good time to remember: not every student experiences the classroom the same way. Through My Eyes, a free interactive experience from Understood, lets you step into a day in the life of a kid with ADHD, dyslexia, or dyscalculia. See their strengths and challenges in a whole new way. Try it out here.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

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