Understanding ADHD Across a Lifetime: Facts, Myths, and Everyday Strategies #ADHD

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Forget the old stereotype of a “hyper kid who can’t sit still.” We dig into what ADHD really looks like across childhood and adulthood, why it’s more than attention and energy, and how the right mix of support can turn daily frustration into steady progress. Drawing on evidence and lived experience, we break down the three presentations of ADHD, common signs at different ages, and the executive function challenges that sit beneath missed deadlines, lost items, impulsive choices, and that familiar cycle of burnout and guilt.

We also get practical. You’ll hear the tools that consistently help—timed focus sprints, visible checklists, task chunking, buffer blocks, and environmental tweaks that lower friction. For kids, we talk visual schedules, movement breaks, positive reinforcement, and collaboration with teachers to formalize supports that actually fit the student. For adults, we cover planning around your energy curve, minimizing distractions, using accountability partners, managing impulsive spending, and building a weekly review rhythm that keeps priorities clear. Medication and therapy options, including stimulants, non-stimulants, coaching, and mindfulness, are explained in plain language so you can navigate choices with confidence.

Because it’s ADHD Awareness Month, we highlight ways to push back on stigma, share accurate info, and connect with resources—think CDC toolkits, local webinars, and community groups. Most of all, we center strengths: creativity, energy, resilience, and the drive to build systems that work for your brain. If you recognize yourself or someone you love in these stories, consider this your invite to seek evaluation, ask for accommodations, and try one small strategy today. If this resonated, follow along, share with five friends, and leave a review—what’s one myth about ADHD you’re ready to retire?

https://www.cdc.gov/adhd/about/index.html

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Episode Transcript

Wondra (00:00):
Welcome to the Motivational Fuel Podcast.
Happy Friday.
And this is your weekly dose ofinspiration, empowerment, and
real talk.
Whether you're tuning in frommy YouTube channel or listening
on your paved favorite podcastplatform, I am so grateful that
you are here with me today.
I am your host, Wondra, thefounder of Inspire and Drive

(00:24):
LLC, and I am a firm believer inmotivation from within.
And thanks for joining me onthe podcast.
I can see you from all over theworld.
So thank you so much.
And I want to help everyoneuplift each other.
If you're thinking about someclarity, a sense of purpose, a

(00:47):
stability, you are at thecorrect podcast.
And today we're going toexplore some topics regarding
love, health, self-care,lifestyle, finances, personal
growth, and spirituality.
And alongside the listenerslike you, I hope this podcast

(01:08):
today can give you some insight.
So grab your some tea, somecoffee, water, take a deep
breath, and let's fuel yourdrive from inside.
ADHD isn't just hyperactivity.
In this episode, you will hearwhat most people miss about

(01:28):
adult and children's ADHD.
So ADHD stands for AttentionDeficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
Today's episode UnderstandingChildren and Adults with ADHD
Beyond the Hyperactivity.
So what is ADHD?

(01:48):
It is one of the most commonneurodevelopment disorders of
childhood.
Neurodevelopment refers to theprocess of how the brain grows
and develops.
ADHD is usually first diagnosedin childhood and it can last
throughout the adulthood.
Children with ADHD, they mayhave trouble paying attention,

(02:13):
controlling and postalbehaviors.
They may act without thinkingabout the results, and they can
be overly active.
So this month, we definitelywant to get your support in
ADHD, which is ADHD AwarenessMonth.
So every year, this month isdedicated to shining a spotlight

(02:37):
on ADHD, celebrating thestrength, the challenges, and
triumphs of those living withADHD.
According to the NationalSurvey Appearance in 2022, an
estimated 7 million, which is11.4%, of United States children
ages 3 to 17 have beendiagnosed with ADHD.

(03:02):
ADHD is a neurodevelopmentdisorder that affects attention
and postal control activitylevels, often beginning in
childhood and to adulthood.
So here's a deeper look intoADHD and how it impacts people.
So what is ADHD?

(03:24):
It is most one of the mostcommon neurodevelopment
disorders, is typicallydiagnosed in childhood, and can
be persistent into adulthood.
ADHD affects the brain,executive functions such as
attention, memory, motivation,and self-regulation.

(03:44):
So here are the three main waysin the types of ADHD.
So the inattentive type,trouble focusing, forgetfulness,
disorganization, thehyperactivity, impulsive type,
excessive movement, impulsiveactions, restlessness.

(04:07):
And this can be a combinedtype, which is a mixture of
inattentive and hyperactiveimpulsive symptoms.
So some of your common symptomsin children, difficulty, paying
attention, they're likefidgeting, they're squirming,
interrupting others, forgettingtasks, or losing items.

(04:30):
For the ADHD in adults can belateness, trouble, prioritizing,
risky behavior, relationshipchallenges, and memory issues.
The causes and the riskfactors, this can be linked to
genetics, the differences in thebrain structure and chemistry.

(04:53):
And this that cause isn'tknown, but research suggests
it's a hypergenetic component.
Some treatments for ADHD can bemanageable with a couple of
combinations, such as behaviortherapy medications like

(05:16):
stimulants or non-stimulants,lifestyle changes, such as a
routine, some exercise,mindfulness, like your
meditation, and you can workwith the school or your
workplace accommodations.
So living with ADHD, it doesn'tdefine the person.

(05:38):
It is one part of theneurological makeup.
Many people with ADHD, they'recreative, they're energetic,
they're resilient.
With the right type of support,they can thrive in school and
work in with relationships.
So for this month to raiseawareness for everyone to

(06:01):
support ADHD, you can share yourwearing of own wrench, which
can be on your social mediapage.
So it's a month-long observanceand it grew from awareness
efforts into a combinationcampaigning and advocacy groups.

(06:24):
The campaign purpose is tocorrect any misconceptions,
promote access to the diagnosisand treatment, and celebrate
diverse ADHD experiences.
So by raising the awareness,it reduces the stigma, improves

(06:44):
access to care across thelifestyle, and highlight ADHD
often starts in childhood and itcan continue into adulthood.
So public education increasethe awareness, awareness and the
likelihood that people who needhelp and they can get evaluated

(07:06):
and supported.
So again, you can sharepersonal stories, some facts.
Go to your local CDC website.
You can do hashtag ADHD,hashtag adhd awareness is the
key.
Find your local webinars, localtalks, some podcasts, online

(07:31):
panels and groups for support.
And also put a page up.
Some pictures of you wearingorange or orange ribbon show
that you're showing some supportof ADHD awareness.
And it could be visible toothers, your local organization
within your local community.

(07:51):
Look at the CDC website, ADHDwebsite, and you can look into
your schools, workplaces, andthey can share some good
resources.
So on the CDC website, they dohave some social media content

(08:15):
there, they have support there,some health line of summaries,
so you can celebrate ADHD.
And if you need some moreinformation about it.
So with kids, patterns ofinattention, hyperactivity, this

(08:35):
can be problems that can behelped and solved with the help
of the school, with friends,neighbors, they can support too.
So with the inattentive, theycan make mistakes, they're not
listening, followinginstructions, they can lose

(08:57):
things, they can behyperactivity, such as they
can't stay seated, they'rerunning, they're climbing,
excessive talking, blurting outanswers.
So preschool, three to fiveyears old, very active, short

(09:41):
attention span, and post of theycan disrupt the teacher at
times, elementary, school,difficulty, and structured
learning environments,intention, follow instructions,
and the teacher can be a littlebit concerning for this.

(10:05):
Adolescence, hyperactivity, andintention disorganized poor
time management, and it'saffecting their driving and
academics.
So with your social and schoolimpacts, children they can
struggle with classroomroutines, completed homework,

(10:28):
conflicts, self-esteem.
They can have learningdisorders, anxiety, and behavior
issues.
So this will be a great time totalk to your healthcare
professional, which is yourprovider.
And you can get your childevaluated from six months,

(10:52):
starting at six months, 12 yearsold.
The earlier the better, whichwill be helpful to support
yourself and your child.
If they're homeschooled,they're going to school on site.
So definitely get that supportfrom everyone.
And you can discuss this withthe pediatrician.

(11:17):
If you're an adult, you candiscuss with your internal
medicine provider, any provider,any mental health professional.
So some strategies for parentsand teachers, a structure
routine like printableschedules, written checklists,
clear expectation, maybe sometask chunking.

(11:41):
So break up the assignments inshort, manageable steps with
some breaks in between andreally celebrate the positive
reinforcement and their littlewins.
If they did their schedule fortoday, they wrote out their
schedule, really praise them andreward for those behaviors

(12:03):
because they will help.
In the environment, a lot ofbreaks will be helpful if you're
focusing.
Break up that break for 15minutes, 30 minutes, another 15
minutes.
Collaboration.
So collaborate with theteachers, the classroom, and

(12:24):
seek out some accommodation.
So ADHD in the adults,persistent neurodevelopment
condition, difficulties withattention, impulsive, then it
can begin in the childhood,daily life and working
relationships and home settings,some more symptoms similar to

(12:48):
the children, traveling,focusing on tasks, poor
organization, missingappointments, interrupting
others, hasty decisions, makingimpulsive purchases, driving
behaviors, restlessness, needsto move forward, cannot relax,

(13:10):
hyperactivity may be lessenedwith age, internal restlessness
often remains, and they'rehaving mood swings, quick
frustration, occasional burnout,or left low self-esteem.
So the diagnosis can bediagnosed in the childhood,

(13:32):
again, six months or longer, orthey can be diagnosed in the
adulthood.
You can do the typicalprocesses like an interview,
listing out the checklist fromyour family, your childhood
records, occurring conditionssuch as anxiety, depression, and

(13:53):
learning disorders.
So your treatment options,medications, stimulant, a
non-stimulant when monitored bythe provider or your clinician,
some coaching, planning,organization, emoji, emotional
regulation, and combine carewith medications, plus the

(14:14):
strategies and the skillstraining.
So some couples, some copingtechniques would be time
management, blacking out thattime, use a timer, which is
pretty cool to use, focusperiod, building a buffer,
buffer time.
Maybe you're focused more inthe morning versus the

(14:37):
afternoon.
Use a planner, use apps on yourcell phone, dump out things in
your brain, such as your tasks,and that can reduce working
memory load.
Break your tasks up into smallsteps, so very small sprints.
Have a visible checklist, whichis helpful.

(15:00):
With your environment, minimaldistractions, have
accountability partners orteams, which is helpful.
The movement, which has fidgetytools, make it purposeful,
schedule some exercise, can helpwith the restlessness, plan and

(15:21):
pause routines, really take agood look at your purchases.
You can do some breathingexercise and meditation.
So this will help out with theimpulse controls.
So when to seek help,definitely seek help before if

(15:44):
you suspect ADHD relationshipsfor your safety coping
strategies, your providercondition can help with ADHD,
some conditions, and sometreatment.
So definitely if you suspectyour child or yourself or your
loved ones having ADHD, you canreach out to them, help them get

(16:09):
a provider, and help is thereif you need it.
And if you know someone not inyour family or suspect, just
lend a helping hand and you canshare this podcast with them.
So thank you for listening tothis podcast and the ongoing

(16:29):
support.
I hope this has helped youunderstand ADHD in adults and
children.
So my upcoming episode, whichis about the mammogram day,
which is awesome for this monthand breast cancer awareness.
I do have a podcast that'sabout a few minutes long, not

(16:54):
too long about breast cancer,but it has some great
information about it.
But I do want to talk about themammograms.
You can purchase my books on mywebsite, local retails.
Remember, you have the power toshare your story and uplift
your spirit.

(17:14):
My podcast is brought to you bythe Inspire and Drive team.
If today's episode spoke toyou, share with five others on
these social media apps andYouTube.
You can follow me at WondraSpencer on Facebook, Instagram,
TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn, andAlignable.

(17:36):
And I can see everyone fromacross the world.
Keep sending those emails.
I'll send one back.
Until next time, protect yourenergy, honor your growth, and
keep driving forward.
Happy Friday.
Thanks.
Bye bye.