NeuroCurious

This might be something we have heard before. Your kid comes up to you wanting something, like a snack before dinner or play at their friend’s house, so they ask you for permission. The dad’s response was, “Go ask your mother.” Now they go to their mother and say, “Dad said I can have a snack” or “Dad said I can go over to Bobby’s.” Or, perhaps having divorced parents. “Well, Dad lets me stay up p...

I’ve been hearing this a lot lately, over social media or in conversation, that “everyone has a little ADHD in them”. That is a myth. Some people may have some ADHD traits, but are they the same as symptoms and criteria? Just because you forgot your keys doesn’t mean you have ADHD. It means you are human. TikTok and Instagram influencers don’t have the clinical experience or education that qualifi...

Have you ever stopped to wonder why two children can grow up in similar homes and yet become two completely different people throughout their lives? Why is it that one may develop confidence while another might struggle with shame? Well, this is something that may have been decades in the making, from needing a bottle to driving a car. In this episode, we will explore Erikson’s Stages of Psychosoc...

I want you to imagine with me that you are taking your car in to see a mechanic because that cursed check engine light turned on. But this time, you decided to do things differently. You take it into three different mechanics and get three completely different diagnoses. One says it's the transmission. Another says it's the engine. A third says it's just a sensor. Would you spend thousands of doll...

On this episode, we will dive into a question I hear from parents and teachers a lot: "Is the child just defiant, or is it their ADHD?" A child refuses to follow directions. They argue with teachers, have emotional outbursts, so the quick assumption is “They have Oppositional Defiant Disorder”. But what is the full story here? What if what looks like defiance is just the child feeling overwhelmed?...

If there are three things teenagers tell me in my office that they wish their parents understood, it’s this: 1) “I’m trying harder than you think in school.” 2) “Video games are more than just wasting time.” 3) “My phone isn’t just a screen, it’s my lifeline”. For many parents, poor grades, video games, and cell phones can feel very frustrating and confusing at the same time. But sometimes, it can...

Welcome back, friends. In this episode, we will talk about something that affects a lot of families but doesn’t always seem to get the attention it needs, which is the stress parents feel when raising children with a neurodevelopmental disorder. If you are a parent, caregiver, educator, or know someone having ADHD and just want to understand them better, this episode will help break that down in w...

Parenting a teenager with autism, ADHD, or an intellectual disability, or even one that is a bit snoody? I am certain you had moments that sounded like: “What am I supposed to do right now with you right now!?” “It is not that hard!!” “What is wrong with you?!” Let’s take a step back and reflect that maybe your teen is overwhelmed, burned out, and overly exhausted—but no matter what you do, it doe...

Welcome back to NeuroCurious —where we explore the brain, behavior, and the human experience. Today, I want to challenge a really common assumption: When a child has an intellectual disability…Are behaviors just a part of the disability ? Or… are we missing something deeper? Because for many families, what looks like defiance, aggression, or shutdown is actually something else entirely— something...

Imagine being a child who is constantly told to try harder , pay attention , or sit still —but no matter how hard you try, your brain seems to move in a completely different direction than everyone else’s. Teachers see distraction. Parents see unfinished homework. Peers sometimes see the “weird kid.” But what if what we’re really looking at isn’t a lack of effort… but a different wiring of the bra...

About 1 in 10 children in the United States between the ages of 3 and 17 are treated for ADHD. But ADHD rarely shows up alone. Research shows that nearly 80% of those children also experience another mental, behavioral, or developmental condition . That might include anxiety, depression, oppositional defiant disorder, or intense emotional outbursts. For parents, this can feel confusing. Is it ADHD...