Breaking the Stigma: Dr. Carrie Jackson on ADHD in Girls & Navigating Neurodivergence

In this interview, Dr. Carrie Jackson, a San Diego-based ADHD specialist and graduate instructor at the University of San Diego, shares her personal and professional journey with ADHD. Dr. Jackson was diagnosed with ADHD after graduate school, inspiring her to help others, especially parents and their children, navigate ADHD's challenges. She notes an increase in girls receiving ADHD diagnoses, a shift from the past when boys were diagnosed more frequently. Dr. Jackson sees a mix of younger children and teens, with girls now being diagnosed as young as six. Parents are often the first to recognize ADHD symptoms, though teachers and therapists also play significant roles in early identification.Dr. Jackson also works with many neurodivergent girls who have both ADHD and autism, describing how these conditions can conflict in terms of routine preferences—autism often favoring consistency, while ADHD may resist it. She emphasizes the importance of supporting young people in understanding and advocating for their needs.Find The ADHD Girls is a project of the Inattentive ADHD Coalition (www.iadhd.org)The mission of this project is to give all girls who have ADHDa fair start in life by getting them diagnosed by age 8.COULD YOUR DAUGHTER HAVE ADHD?ADHD can look different in girls - meaning that often, they are missed for ADHD diagnosis.Find out if your daughter has ADHD at findtheadhdgirls.orgLearn about inattentive ADHD at www.iadhd.org, the only website solely about inattentive ADHD