How can understanding ADHD through a female lens, especially as a late‑diagnosed mum, change how we see ourselves and support our daughters?

In this episode of the All Aboard ADHD podcast, Claire is joined by Kate Moryoussef, host of the ADHD Women’s Wellbeing Podcast, author of The ADHD Women’s Wellbeing Toolkit, and a Women’s ADHD Wellbeing Coach.

Kate shares the story of her late diagnosis at 40 (alongside her then 9-year-old daughter), how ADHD showed up across her life, plus why sport, self-compassion, and the right environment can make all the difference for girls and women with ADHD. They discuss:

💡 Kate’s lockdown diagnosis: spotting ADHD traits in her daughter whilst homeschooling, being dismissed with “anxiety” by her GP, and the huge relief of receiving a “very strong combined ADHD” diagnosis.

📚 Viewing childhood through an ADHD lens: the school reports that “had it all written there”, being the “good, quiet” girl between two diagnosed ADHD brothers, the impact of masking, and how undiagnosed ADHD in girls is still missed today.

🚺 Gender and the emotional cost for women: people‑pleasing, RSD, anxiety, hormones, PMDD/PMS, postnatal struggles, and perimenopause.

🏃‍♀️ Sport, movement, and "energy in motion": why physical activity provides crucial regulation for ADHD brains, the important value for girls, plus the surprising link between ADHD and elite sport.

🏡 The neurodivergent home: trying to support ND kids while managing your own ADHD, capacity, and boundaries; plus letting go of the “perfect mum” myth.

🫶 Self‑compassion and small sustainable steps: how an ADHD diagnosis becomes an identity shift, how using this understanding can help us redesign life and model regulation for our children, plus the value of taking “little small steps each day”

🎙️ Diagnosis, curiosity, and learning: how understanding herself led Kate to create a platform that supports thousands of other late-diagnosed, mid-life women

If you're learning about your child's ADHD, while quietly wondering about your own, this conversation is for you. You'll come away with language to better understand yourself, practical ideas around movement, sport and regulation, and a little more compassion for yourself as a parent. Most importantly, you'll know you're not alone.

Further resources & links

• Listen to Kate’s podcast: ADHD Women’s Wellbeing Podcast: https://www.adhdwomenswellbeing.co.uk/adhd-podcast

• Buy Kate’s book: The ADHD Women’s Wellbeing Toolkit: https://www.adhdwomenswellbeing.co.uk/adhd-womens-wellbeing-toolkit

• Join Kate’s ADHD Women’s Wellbeing Membership: https://adhd-womens-wellbeing.mykajabi.com/more-yourself-membership

• Follow Kate on Instagram @kate_moryoussef and @adhd_womenswellbeing_pod

• Listen to Dr. Josephine Perry’s All Aboard ADHD episode on “ADHD in Sport”: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0PqFulsF5M10Ue9bhwZtNv?si=BKzHYMz_RdivtLuugEb0vg&utm_source=copy-link

• ADHD Coaching and Resources from Claire: https://allaboardadhd.com

• Follow Claire on Instagram & TikTok: @allaboardADHD

The views shared in this episode are those of the guest, based on their professional expertise and personal experience. This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, educational, or psychological advice. Please consult a qualified professional for personalised support relevant to your individual circumstances.

How do you fight for the SEND support your child is legally entitled to, within a system that’s underfunded, obstructive, and about to be reformed?

In this episode of the All Aboard ADHD podcast, Claire is joined by Douglas Hamer, a specialist SEND solicitor with expertise in special educational needs and disability law, alongside his owb lived experience of ADHD and autism. Douglas specialises in EHCPs, SEND tribunals, specialist placements, EOTAS, and judicial review.

They explore the ITV SEND Whistleblower Investigation, the upcoming SEND White Paper reforms, and what all this actually means for families struggling to access the support their children so desperately need. Together they discuss:

🎬 ITV Whistleblower: What Really Happened? Unpacking the allegations of Local Authority staff obstructing the EHCP process, avoiding paper trails, and “playing games” with families.

🚫 The Reality of Systemic Failure: how squeezed budgets, high staff turnover, and a “dehumanising culture” create delays, frustration and complete denial of support for so many families.

⚖️ Overwhelmed or Just Unlawful? When Local Authority behaviour crosses the legal line, and why accountability for their inaction is so weak.

🧱 The “Brick Through the Window” Moment: the importance of fighting for minority rights, and why we need more supportive MPs raising SEND issues in Parliament.

📜 Upcoming Reform: what the proposed White Paper could change in practice including EHCPs, ISPs, and Specialist Provision Packages; plus the potential impact on appeal rights and school choice.

🧭 What Parents Can Do Right Now: strategies such as maintaining a paper trail, staying calm in written communications, and why independent EP reports are so powerful.

🌱 Holding On to Hope: Douglas’s message to exhausted parents about persistence, pragmatism, and empowerment through knowledge.

If you’re battling for an EHCP or school placement and feel like you’re meeting resistance getting the right support for your child, this episode will validate your experience, explain what is allegedly going on behind the scenes, and provide concrete practical steps you can use today to move the process forward for your child.

Please note Douglas was in his office when this episode was recorded, so you will hear typing noises in the background.

Glossary:

• ABAS-3 https://www.pearsonclinical.co.uk/en-gb/adaptive-behavior/Adaptive-Behaviour-Assessment-System-%7C-Third-Edition/p/P100009113

• BAS3: https://www.gl-assessment.co.uk/products/bas3/

Further resources & links

• Douglas Hamer’s contact details: https://www.geldards.com/our-people/douglas-hamer/

• Geldard’s SEN Talks Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3aP6IMlKMWiaCce6bF2Uj5

• Listen to Douglas' previous All Aboard ADHD episode: EHCPs & SEND Law https://open.spotify.com/episode/7BrANDPqbNTgoskMjOhloo?si=8a9d803fb8d740eb

• ADHD Coaching and Resources from Claire: https://allaboardadhd.com

• Follow Claire on Instagram & TikTok: @allaboardADHD

The views shared in this episode are those of the guest, based on their professional expertise and personal experience. This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, educational, or psychological advice. Please consult a qualified professional for personalised support relevant to your individual circumstances.

How do sensory processing differences show up in children with ADHD, and how can parents offer better support?

In this episode of the All Aboard ADHD podcast, Claire is joined by Professor Samuele Cortese, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Southampton, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, and one of the world’s leading ADHD researchers, to understand sensory processing and ADHD.

Drawing on a major meta-analysis of 30 studies with over 5000 participants, Professor Samuele explains why sensory processing is highly relevant in ADHD, how it links to emotions, behaviour, and learning, what this means for ADHD assessment, plus how understanding our children's sensory needs can help us better support them at home and at school.

They discuss:

❓What sensory processing is: how our senses shape thinking, emotions, behaviour, and learning

🧩 ADHD and Sensory Processing: why sensory differences are not unique to autism, why it’s highly relevant for children with ADHD, and how they can also appear in neurotypical children

⚖️ Hypo vs Hyper: understanding sensory avoidance and seeking, plus how differences show up across tactile, visual, and auditory domains - not just touch or noise

📋 Why clinicians must start asking about sensory issues: the gap between evidence and diagnostic guidelines mean that sensory processing is often missed

🧠 What’s happening in the brain: the structural differences in white matter, changes in dopamine signalling, and how these may affect the way ADHD brains process sensory information.

💊 The effect of stimulant medications: why they might influence sensory processing, and why we need more research to understand the relationship in more detail

🌋 Sensory overload and emotional dysregulation: how sensory load can drive meltdowns and why clinicians must look for underlying causes to behaviours

🏫 Classrooms and school support: how the classroom environment can affect learning and regulation, plus the important role occupational therapists play

🫶 What parents can do: encouraging careful observation, recording concrete examples to share with clinicians and schools, as well as involving children in conversations about their own lived experience

If you’ve ever felt that professionals are missing something about your child’s overwhelm, meltdowns, or struggles, this episode gives you the language, the science, and practical next steps to join the dots between ADHD and Sensory Processing, to your child's emotions and behaviours, in order to advocate more effectively for the support your child needs.

Please note Professor Samuele was in his office when this episode was recorded, so you will hear notifications buzzing in the background.

Further resources and links

• Professor Samuele Cortese – University of Southampton profile: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/people/5xf5yj/professor-samuele-cortese

• Read the Sensory Processing in ADHD Meta-Analysis in full: https://www.jaacap.org/article/S0890-8567(25)00209-6/fulltext

• Listen to Professor Samuele Cortese’s previous All Aboard ADHD episode: ADHD Medication 101: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4D24IDKpNUJXPrdnK0o7ux?si=1b7708600d2844bc&nd=1&dlsi=e13c3972df164781

• ADHD coaching and resources from Claire: https://allaboardadhd.com

• Follow Claire on Instagram & TikTok: @allaboardADHD

The views shared in this episode are those of the guest, based on their professional expertise and personal experience. This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, educational, or psychological advice. Please consult a qualified professional for personalised support relevant to your individual circumstances.