A mother-son ADHD combo, plus teaching with ADHD (Emilia McGuckin’s story)

04/15/25 • 25 min

Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now.

Emilia McGuckin was surprised when a teacher suggested her son might have ADHD. As a teacher herself, she thought she would have spotted the signs. But after diving into the research, an even bigger surprise hit her: Could she have ADHD too?

Emilia, a high school and college teacher, was hesitant to pursue an ADHD evaluation. She’d felt dismissed by medical providers in the past, an experience all too common for many women. But when she finally got diagnosed, everything started to make sense. What she once saw as “character flaws” or “personal failings” turned out to be overlooked symptoms of ADHD.

Related resources

Timestamps

(01:10) Emilia’s son’s ADHD diagnosis

(04:42) Hyperfocusing on ADHD to help her son, and realizing she has symptoms too

(06:49) Apprehension about seeking an ADHD evaluation, after not being believed by doctors in the past

(09:20) Feelings and coping after diagnosis

(11:56) An “avalanche of ADHD” in the family

(17:02) How Emilia and her son’s diagnoses changed how she teaches

(20:29) Busting ADHD myths

For a transcript and more resources, visit the episode page on Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at [email protected].

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now.

Related resources

Timestamps

(01:10) Emilia’s son’s ADHD diagnosis

(04:42) Hyperfocusing on ADHD to help her son, and realizing she has symptoms too

(06:49) Apprehension about seeking an ADHD evaluation, after not being believed by doctors in the past

(09:20) Feelings and coping after diagnosis

(11:56) An “avalanche of ADHD” in the family

(17:02) How Emilia and her son’s diagnoses changed how she teaches

(20:29) Busting ADHD myths

For a transcript and more resources, visit the episode page on Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at [email protected].

Previous Episode

My full-circle ADHD experience (Laura’s story, continued)

Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now.

On this 100th episode of ADHD Aha!, host Laura Key looks back on the powerful conversations she’s had with guests from all walks of life about their unique ADHD experiences. She also opens up about a deeply personal new chapter: her 9-year-old daughter’s recent ADHD diagnosis. Laura reflects on what this milestone means for her both as a mom and a person with ADHD.

Joining Laura is her friend, co-worker, and Hyperfocus podcast host, Rae Jacobson. Together, they explore how Laura’s understanding of ADHD has evolved over the course of the show — and how she’s navigating the emotions of raising a child who shares her diagnosis.

Related resources

Timestamps

(00:50) What has it been like making 100 episodes of ADHD Aha!?

(03:03) Laura’s daughter’s diagnoses, and being a mom with ADHD

(08:21) Laura’s daughter’s ADHD and anxiety evaluation

(10:51) Sleep and ADHD parenting challenges

(12:19) Feeling the pressure to be a “perfect ADHD mom”

(14:14) How hard it can be to be a kid with ADHD

(16:40) Keeping ADHD mom perfectionism in check

(20:58) Has Laura’s outlook on ADHD changed throughout making this show?

For a transcript and more resources, visit the ADHD Aha! page on Understood.

Want to share your “aha” moment? We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].

Next Episode

I didn’t want to have ADHD (from the Climbing the Walls podcast)

In this bonus episode, we’re sharing the first episode of a new Understood.org podcast, Climbing the Walls.

Climbing the Walls is an investigative limited-series podcast that explores why women were historically underdiagnosed with ADHD — and how the recent surge in diagnoses is reshaping our understanding of ADHD.

In this episode, host Danielle Elliot finds herself among the many women diagnosed with ADHD during the pandemic, and she gets curious. Why women? And why now?

This question takes her to northern Michigan, to meet a friend’s mom.

For more on this topic:

For a transcript and more resources, visit the Climbing the Walls show page on Understood.org. We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at [email protected].