By Dr Rachel V. Gow, PhD, RNutr, FHEAChild Neuropsychologist, Nutritional Neuroscientist and Founder of Nutritious Minds Trust Charity The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) has arguably reduced ADHD to a somewhat simplistic account of inattentiveness (distractibility/disorganisation), hyperactivity and impulsive behaviour. Pharmacological funded research carried out by psychiatrists and researchers has long focused on the somewhat outd

By Dr Rachel V. Gow, PhD, RNutr, FHEA Child Neuropsychologist, Nutritional Neuroscientist and Founder of Nutritious Minds Trust Charity The field of psychiatry has primarily focused on observable behaviour to diagnose Attention Deficit, Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) for close to 60 years. The formal diagnostic manual initially began with the American Psychiatric Association in 1968, and in 1952, the first version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, w

By Dr Rachel V. Gow, PhD, RNutr, FHEAChild Neuropsychologist, Nutritional Neuroscientist and Founder of Nutritious Minds Trust Charity Perhaps you have watched a bright, imaginative child begin to lose confidence in a system that was supposed to help them flourish. The child who once asked endless questions now avoids putting up their hand. The child who can speak with extraordinary knowledge about animals, space, music, gaming or engineering has begun to call themselves “stu

As a child growing up in the 1980s and early 1990s, my ADHD and mental health issues did not get the attention they deserved nor diagnosed. I guess it just wasn’t a thing back then. I was told I was just a very naughty child and I needed to JUST stop. If only it was that easy! I was expelled from my infant’s school at five years old (a record I have never, ever heard anyone beat!). I was put into a school with a special unit for troubled kids. Some of these kids come from bro

I always knew Jonathan wasn’t like most children his age. From the age of two he began having extreme temper tantrums and meltdowns that would leave us both exhausted. As he got to the age of three he wasn’t talking and had severe speech delay. He would become frustrated by not being able to communicate with me and became aggressive. I felt very judged when we were out in public as Jonathan would lash out at me. He was extremely impulsive and would run across the road, refuse

My brain has always felt like a bit of a circus. I suffered for many years at the hands of my neurodiversity, having not received the support I so desperately needed. I went 28 years of my life never meeting another girl or woman with ADHD, which was incredibly isolating. But there was always music and writing. My hyper-focus, I truly believe, has saved my life. In my first few years on this planet, I was displaying behaviour of a relatively neuro-typical child. There was no

As a child my ADHD was undiagnosed. I had a very tumultuous childhood, and back then there wasn’t much help or understanding for what I was going through. In the nineties, the extent of support I was given by my school was an anger management class, which I had difficulty in understanding because I’d spend every day in fits of hysterics laughing at my own ridiculous behaviour. I certainly didn’t consider myself an angry child. The only other support I was given was when I was

They called him names. Lots of them, pretty much every day right back since he could remember. They said he was careless, disorganised, clumsy, naughty, lazy, a disruption, that he didn’t seem to learn from his actions. He felt bad inside most days. Nothing he ever did seemed right, even though he really did try. The boys in his class were in many ways worse than the teachers. They would tease and try to push him to the ground. He would punch them back – hard where it hurt –

In sharing these personal experiences, I hope to shine a light on the problems disability students face throughout college ​ Robyn Silber, Computer Scientist, Blogger, Disability Advocate. Undergraduate Studies: Round 1 One of the reasons I decided to attend The George Washington University (GW) for undergraduate was because of its nationally-recognized Disability Support Services (DSS) program. At GW’s DSS, I received counseling, coaching, private test room accommodations, a

Having been through it already with my older son, I thought I was prepared for having another active child. However, I was unprepared for having a child with ADHD. The first noticeable difference was that he never switched off and seemed to need very little sleep. During the nights my husband and I would take it in turns to stay up with him. Yes, you expect this when they are a baby, or even teething when a toddler, but this went on for years until we were able to give him me

After seven years of despair, evaluations, and a myriad of meetings with teachers and Early Intervention workers, my son’s behaviour continued to spiral out of control and his self-esteem plummeted to dangerously low levels. His teachers didn’t understand him, his friends didn’t understand him, and most of our family didn’t understand him. I was the only one fighting his corner because I understood him completely without judgement. However, by this point I was emotionally dra

Recently I connected with an incredible woman, Dr. Rachel Gow. She asked me to share my story; and I would also love to share ways for you to support someone with ADHD by taking a mindful, holistic approach - Rebecca Nicholls, Energy Master and Fullness Coach I wish I could type as fast as I can talk. I wish the world could keep up with my brain. If only you could see the world through my eyes you wouldn’t want to change me, because life is so magical and beautiful and charmi