ADHD in Women and Girls

For a long time, people thought ADHD was just an "energetic boy" condition. Because of this, many girls & women were (and still are) overlooked. While the brain chemistry is the same, the way the symptoms "show up" in daily life can look like two completely different worlds.

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The easiest way to understand the difference is to look at where the energy goes.

• Boys often "Act Out": Their symptoms are external. You can see them. They might run across a room, interrupt a teacher, or fidget physically.

• Girls often "Act In": Their symptoms are internal. They might be daydreaming, feeling a "racing mind," or struggling with intense emotions that nobody else sees.​

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Masking 

One of the biggest differences is Masking. Because girls are often pressured by society to be "polite" and "organized," they become experts at hiding their struggles.

A girl with ADHD might spend three times as much energy as her friends holding in her ADHD traits. She might stay up all night to finish a project she couldn't start earlier, or she might stay silent in class so she doesn't accidentally say the wrong thing.

 

The Result: She looks like she’s doing fine on the outside, but on the inside, she is exhausted and often feels like a failure. This is why many women aren't diagnosed until they hit a "breaking point" in high school or adulthood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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At Child Assessment Clinic we are neurodivergence-affirming (NDA) in all that we do. That means that we do not treat neurodevelopmental differences as disorders or disabilities but instead we consider them to be natural divergences in human nature.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​