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The ADHD presentation that often gets overlooked There’s a version of ADHD that doesn’t disrupt the classroom, doesn’t draw attention, and doesn’t fit the stereotype many of us still carry. It’s the girl who is trying very hard to get it right. She’s not bouncing off the walls. She’s holding it together. And often, what we do see… is anxiety. ADHD in girls can frequently be overlooked because it doesn’t always present as externalised behaviour. Instead of impulsivity or hyper

Names changed. Shared with permission. Over the past year I’ve been working with late-identified autistic women who wanted their stories...

Maybe your child has recently been assessed, and as you read their report, memories from your own childhood come flooding back.The...

Rachel Richardson, Registered Psychologist | Thriving Young Minds Clinic Perhaps the biggest difference in neuroaffirming practice isn't what we do. It's the questions we ask. For many years, psychological intervention was often driven by questions such as: "How do we stop this behaviour?" "How do we increase compliance?" "How do we reduce autistic traits?" "How do we help this child fit in?" While these questions usually came from good intentions, they sometimes overlooked s

Parents and teachers regularly find themselves trying to make sense of emotional reactions that feel out of proportion to what just happened. In the classroom, this could look like a simple correction or redirection. On the playground, a disagreement on what game to play, or a task that doesn’t go as expected, can quickly escalate into distress, shutdown, or refusal. For children with ADHD, these responses are not random or attention-seeking. They reflect how their brain proc

Many people come into therapy believing that being hard on themselves will help them improve. It shows up in subtle but consistent ways; pushing through exhaustion, replaying mistakes, comparing themselves to others, or feeling like they “should be doing better.” This is especially common in those struggling with anxiety, motivation, or negative self-talk. On the surface, it makes sense. If we apply more pressure, we’ll get better results. From a neuroscience perspective, thi

(ADHD and autism in motherhood explained) Last year I wrote about autistic motherhood and late identification — how many women move through life “holding it together” until parenting shifts something. ( Read Here) Now, new data from Centre of Perinatal Excellence (COPE, 2026) confirms this is more than a pattern observed in the therapy spaces, it is a significant statistic that warrants more support and screening during the perinatal period. 62.2% of neurodivergent individual

Physical symptoms of anxiety in children A common conversation I have with parents and teachers often starts like this: “They keep saying their tummy hurts, but there’s nothing wrong.” “She feels sick every morning before school.” At first, it makes sense to look for a physical cause. But over time, patterns often emerge and these body sensations tend to show up at certain times, in certain places, or around specific expectations. This is often where we begin to consider anxi

The importance of neuroaffirming narrative based Autism and ADHD assessments. People often ask why I focus so strongly on neuroaffirming autism and ADHD assessments. My answer is typically from the lens of a neuroaffirming psychologist. But if you were to ask me again, the honest answer is: because this is personal. I grew up in a neurodivergent household — we just didn’t have that language at the time. At the time, it was just “our family”, colourful, blended and loud. But

At Thriving Young Minds we are privileged to be a part of so many lives, particularly neurodivergent young people. We believe in an affirming assessment to give a narrative on how they experience the world, so they can not only understand themselves better but can then be equipped to advocate and navigate neurotypical demands and environments. This can be a confusing time for parents who know instinctively that their child experiences the world differently but do not know wh

What Is the Persistent Drive for Autonomy? PDA is a term still often used in autism discussions, but many prefer to describe it as a...

Anxiety is one of the most common emotional challenges children experience, yet it often goes unnoticed in the early stages. It can show...

When a child begins showing early signs of neurodivergence, it can bring up a lot of questions for families. You might notice intense...