Why Diagnosis Matters: My ADHD and Autism Journey as a Parent and Teacher

Host Amanda Werner shares why she is discussing her family’s diagnostic journey, describing years of feeling overwhelmed and not understanding why daily life felt so hard for her and her child. She explains pursuing evaluations through medical providers and insurance, how her child was diagnosed with ADHD and later autism, and how that helped their family understand needs, strengths, and challenges at school and home. Amanda then describes recognizing similar traits in herself, getting an ADHD diagnosis and finding stimulant medication helpful, and later completing an adult autism assessment that also identified OCD and alexithymia. She reflects on masking, skepticism and imposter syndrome, overlap among diagnoses, and her goal of helping teachers, parents, and students by sharing what she has learned.00:00 Why Share This Story03:54 Life Before Diagnosis06:27 Journal Entry Meltdown10:18 Starting Child Assessments11:38 Kaiser Screening And Switch16:21 Full Autism Evaluation Results20:29 Lockdown Distance Learning Clues24:17 Amanda Suspects ADHD26:52 Medication Struggles And Stimulants30:50 Adult Autism Assessment36:59 Imposter Syndrome And Overlap42:14 Closing Thoughts And Purpose