Ologies with Alie Ward

Attention-Deficit Neuropsychology (ADHD) Part 2 Encore with How to ADHD, Black Girl Lost Keys, Jahla Osborne + more

December 31, 2025

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  • The spike in recent ADHD diagnoses is partly due to increased mental health awareness and the fact that societal demands, especially during the pandemic, overwhelmed existing coping mechanisms for many previously undiagnosed individuals. 
  • ADHD diagnosis is often subject to systemic biases, where symptoms in people of color or females can be dismissed or misattributed to behavioral problems, necessitating culturally competent clinicians. 
  • Self-acceptance and working with one's brain strengths, rather than conforming to neurotypical expectations through exhaustive strategy adoption, is crucial for long-term well-being and success for individuals with ADHD. 
  • The ultimate goal for managing ADHD is not to eliminate the condition but to live a life aligned with one's values, requiring a complex collaboration between personal strategies and societal accommodation for neurodiversity. 
  • ADHD symptoms, such as forgetfulness or lateness, are rooted in executive function deficits, not a lack of importance or care, which should reframe relationship conflicts and reduce self-shaming. 
  • Success in managing ADHD involves developing self-awareness to know one's needs, advocating for necessary accommodations (like a wheelchair needs ramps), and shifting focus from controlling symptoms to accomplishing necessary life tasks. 

Segments

Guest Introductions and Context
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(00:03:24)
  • Key Takeaway: Jessica McCabe and René Brooks offer lived experience perspectives bridging science and neurotypical world navigation.
  • Summary: Jessica McCabe of How to ADHD and René Brooks of Black Girl Lost Keys are introduced as experts documenting lived ADHD experiences. The segment emphasizes the need to bridge gaps between ADHD brains and a world built for neurotypicals through tips and self-acceptance. Dr. Jahla Osborne, a neuroscientist, is also introduced to discuss research.
ADHD Diagnosis Validation
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(00:05:42)
  • Key Takeaway: ADHD is a real neurodevelopmental disorder with measurable brain differences, not a result of bad parenting or lack of discipline.
  • Summary: The reality of ADHD is affirmed, noting that it is a well-researched mental condition with measurable brain differences that persist into adulthood. Jessica McCabe notes that recent years have shifted perspectives on the necessary support for people with ADHD. Jessica McCabe has authored a book, How to ADHD: An Insider’s Guide to Working with Your Brain, Not Against It.
Renee Brooks’ Diagnosis Story
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(00:08:33)
  • Key Takeaway: Renee Brooks’ diagnosis resulted from mentioning a childhood attempt at diagnosis to a therapist treating her depression.
  • Summary: Renee Brooks’ diagnosis was accidental, stemming from a passing comment about a childhood ADHD evaluation while being treated for depression. Receiving the diagnosis provided relief, making sense of past experiences that felt eroded by not understanding her brain wiring. The relief is likened to finding out one is secretly royalty, requiring a complete recontextualization of one’s life.
Pandemic Diagnosis Spike Reasons
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(00:12:18)
  • Key Takeaway: The recent spike in ADHD diagnoses is linked to increased general mental health discussion and executive function demands exceeding coping limits.
  • Summary: Increased talk about mental health generally has led more people to seek evaluation when life demands become too high. For many, a diagnosis threshold is crossed when existing coping mechanisms fail under new pressures, such as homeschooling during COVID-19. Dismissing potential adult ADHD based on past elementary school performance is a common pitfall for clinicians.
Bias in Diagnosis Seeking
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(00:14:56)
  • Key Takeaway: Individuals, particularly people of color, face systemic dismissal during diagnosis attempts, making culturally competent specialists essential.
  • Summary: Research shows that Black boys are more likely to be diagnosed with conduct disorders than ADHD compared to white boys, highlighting racial bias. Advice for those overlooked is to seek out a doctor specializing in ADHD who is more likely to recognize symptoms across intersectional identities. Dr. Tiara Moore’s experience confirms that Black individuals in STEM were often labeled as ‘acting out’ instead of being assessed for ADHD.
Jahla Osborne’s Distractibility Research
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(00:19:57)
  • Key Takeaway: ADHD distractibility research is assessing whether individuals are equally susceptible to external stimuli versus internal mind-wandering.
  • Summary: Dr. Jahla Osborne’s research focuses on distinguishing susceptibility to external distractions (noise, visuals) versus internal distractions (daydreaming, negative thoughts) in adults with ADHD. Early studies use surveys, while later phases employ computer tasks embedding visual stimuli as external distractors. Established psychological tests like the flanker task are used to measure cognitive control, which relates to cortical thinning in the anterior cingulate cortex in ADHD.
Dr. Osborne’s Post-PhD Update
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(00:24:08)
  • Key Takeaway: Delays in goal-directed processing, rather than fast habitual responses, are implicated as a factor in inhibitory control challenges in ADHD.
  • Summary: Dr. Jayla Osborne completed her PhD studying ADHD using computational models to understand attention and cognitive control over time. Using a forced response method that separates fast, stimulus-driven responses from slower, goal-directed responses, her work points to delays in goal-directed processing. She is now a postdoctoral researcher developing cognitive training strategies for ADHD and Alzheimer’s risk.
ADHD and Autism Overlap
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(00:32:15)
  • Key Takeaway: ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) frequently overlap, and the differences can be conceptualized as distinct operating systems (Windows, Mac, Linux).
  • Summary: The overlap between ADHD and autism is significant, with estimates suggesting 37% to 85% of individuals with one condition also have the other. Jessica McCabe uses an analogy where neurotypical brains are like Windows, ADHD brains are like Macs, and autistic brains are like Linux, highlighting that trying to force one system to run another’s commands leads to perceived dysfunction. Neurodiversity is valuable because different brain perspectives drive innovation.
Thriving Work Environments
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(00:36:19)
  • Key Takeaway: ADHD brains thrive in environments that are passion-fueled, high-intensity, lightning-paced, or hands-on creative, such as emergency rooms or entrepreneurial settings.
  • Summary: Work environments where ADHDers thrive include those that are fast-paced and high-intensity, like emergency rooms, or those that are hands-on and creative. ADHDers are 300% more likely to start their own businesses, leveraging traits that suit entrepreneurial risk-taking. However, success often requires hiring support for administrative tasks like taxes, as organizational skills remain a struggle.
Rebelling Against Conformity
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(00:40:46)
  • Key Takeaway: It is neither possible nor necessary to completely overcome ADHD; success can be achieved while embracing one’s neurodivergent traits.
  • Summary: Jessica McCabe realized that trying to conform to neurotypical standards through endless strategies was costly in self-esteem and finances without achieving complete conformity. The realization that she was successful despite her ADHD, not because she fixed it, led to a rebellion against toxic self-reproach. Making the world friendlier for neurodivergent people by working with strengths benefits future generations.
Medication Trial and Error
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(00:52:49)
  • Key Takeaway: Finding the right ADHD medication is a process of trial and error involving honest communication with the doctor about dosage and side effects.
  • Summary: Medication efficacy is still somewhat a crapshoot, requiring patients to be honest with their doctors about how they feel, as dosage adjustments can be key. Medication should not create more side effects than the benefit it provides, and non-stimulant options exist for those who cannot tolerate stimulants. Pills do not teach skills, meaning strategies remain necessary even when medicated.
Medication Administration Tips
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(00:57:06)
  • Key Takeaway: Acidic foods and Vitamin C can reduce stimulant effectiveness, and taking stimulants with protein instead of sugar can mitigate anxiety or jitters.
  • Summary: Acidic foods, like juice, can break down stimulant medication quickly, making it less effective. If experiencing anxiety or jitters from stimulants, taking the medication with plenty of protein instead of sugary snacks may help manage side effects. Financial assistance programs, like Takeda’s Help at Hand, exist for expensive brand-name medications like Vyvanse.
Clinician Partnership
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(00:58:19)
  • Key Takeaway: A clinician is an expert hired to work for the patient, and if they do not listen or respect the patient’s self-knowledge, it is time to find a new one.
  • Summary: Patients must remember that clinicians are partners in healthcare, not bosses, and their expertise should be respected alongside the patient’s knowledge of their own body. If a clinician fails to listen or respect the patient’s input, the relationship is flawed. Seeking professional diagnosis is important because conditions like bipolar disorder or trauma can mimic ADHD symptoms.
Self-Care Basics for ADHD
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(01:15:27)
  • Key Takeaway: Consistent sleep, eating habits, and managing basic needs like clean clothing are fundamental areas where individuals with ADHD must focus self-care efforts.
  • Summary: Sleep and consistent eating are major struggle areas for those with ADHD, impacting mood and overall function. Individuals should examine basic self-care tenets like sleep quality, consistent food intake, and having accessible clean clothing. Shifting focus from eliminating symptoms to supporting necessary accomplishments like eating and sleeping is a crucial management switch.
Irresponsibility vs. Effort
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(01:17:31)
  • Key Takeaway: People with ADHD are generally not irresponsible; they expend significantly more energetic effort to meet standards than neurotypical peers, which often leads to burnout.
  • Summary: True irresponsibility is characterized by not caring about meeting requirements, which differs from the high effort expended by those with ADHD who still struggle. The effort required to perform certain tasks can cost multiple times more energetically for an ADHD brain, fueling burnout from feeling constantly driven by a motor with no idle button. Understanding this effort helps reframe perceived negative qualities like irresponsibility.
Executive Function Misunderstanding
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(01:19:40)
  • Key Takeaway: Forgetting important things or missing deadlines is not a choice or a reflection of importance, but a failure of executive function skills and tools.
  • Summary: A core message is that executive function deficits mean that importance does not guarantee remembrance or punctuality without the necessary skills and tools in place. Forgetting a critical appeal hearing that results in losing an apartment demonstrates that memory failure is independent of consequence severity. Removing the assumption of intent from these failures reduces frustration in relationships and communication.
Navigating Relationships with ADHD
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(01:21:51)
  • Key Takeaway: True friendship and love involve adjusting to a partner’s inherent traits, such as chronic lateness, by offering grace and finding relationship structures that work for both parties.
  • Summary: Cultural messaging often demands cutting people out for perceived prioritization failures, which conflicts with understanding the underlying motives of neurodivergence. Close friends must adjust their expectations, such as planning around known lateness, rather than demanding the person change their core functioning. If grace and mutual effort are not possible, it is acceptable to respect the relationship but acknowledge the close friendship may not be sustainable.
Acceptance Over Erasure
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(01:29:15)
  • Key Takeaway: The goal for neurodivergent individuals should be accepting their inherent traits and asking, ‘Given this, where do we go from here?’ rather than trying to erase their differences to become neurotypical.
  • Summary: Neurodivergent individuals are constantly corrected on behaviors like fidgeting or excitement, leading to pressure to train these traits out entirely, even when they aid focus. Aspiring to be neurotypical is a terrible goal because it ignores the potential benefits of traits like creative thinking or hyperfocus. Acceptance allows for building a life and finding strategies that work within one’s actual brain structure.
Host’s Personal Update and Tools
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(01:37:04)
  • Key Takeaway: The host is re-evaluating past workarounds as genuine adaptations after realizing that self-criticism based on perfectionism is unsustainable and counterproductive.
  • Summary: The host is personally grappling with an ADHD diagnosis, noting that medication attempts caused anxiety, suggesting focus issues may stem from a compulsive fear of messing up. A new narrative is being adopted: ‘I’m a person who does things at the first minute,’ which combats perfectionism by prioritizing immediate, imperfect action. A physical device called a ‘brick’ is recommended as a $50 tool that adds friction to lock out distracting phone apps.