{"version":"1.0.0","segments":[{"startTime":87.35,"endTime":93.91,"body":"Here's a question. What if ADHD doesn't always look the way you think it does?"},{"startTime":94.19,"endTime":101.08,"body":"What if in some pupils, the signs are so easy to miss that whole generations of children have"},{"startTime":101.35,"endTime":108.99,"body":"slipped through the net and are 50% less likely to get the diagnosis and the support that they need?"},{"startTime":109.05,"endTime":116.41,"body":"In today's episode of School Behaviour Secrets, I'll reveal why ADHD in girls is so often overlooked"},{"startTime":116.41,"endTime":118.97,"body":"and what that means for the classroom."},{"startTime":157.61,"endTime":161.26999999999998,"body":"Hi there, my name's Simon Currigan and welcome to School Behaviour Secrets."},{"startTime":161.79,"endTime":168.57,"body":"I'm the kind of man who spends a lot of time weighing up the pros and cons of crinkle cut chips versus straight cut ones."},{"startTime":168.82999999999998,"endTime":170.75,"body":"I've got a decision matrix in everything."},{"startTime":171.49,"endTime":177.32999999999998,"body":"Today, we're diving into an issue that doesn't really get enough attention. ADHD in girls."},{"startTime":178.32999999999998,"endTime":183.39,"body":"For decades, ADHD has been stereotyped as a boy's problem."},{"startTime":183.89,"endTime":189.53,"body":"The kid who's bouncing off the walls, blurting out answers, fidgeting constantly, engaging in"},{"startTime":189.53,"endTime":192.03,"body":"risky behaviours without considering the consequences and so on."},{"startTime":192.49,"endTime":202.14999999999998,"body":"And because of that stereotype, potentially too many girls with ADHD are being missed, misdiagnosed or misunderstood."},{"startTime":202.85,"endTime":207.69,"body":"And that's important because it means that they aren't getting the help they need to thrive"},{"startTime":207.69,"endTime":213.58999999999997,"body":"in school and it affects the way they think about themselves, both personally and as a learner."},{"startTime":213.75,"endTime":219.75,"body":"So if you've ever taught a pupil, a girl who seems daydreamy, forgetful, disorganised or overly"},{"startTime":219.75,"endTime":225.79,"body":"sensitive, but somehow doesn't fit the ADHD picture that you've been told to look for, then"},{"startTime":225.79,"endTime":227.60999999999999,"body":"this episode is for you."},{"startTime":227.63,"endTime":230.35,"body":"And just before we get started, I've got just one re..."},{"startTime":236.44,"endTime":237.42,"body":"Thank you."},{"startTime":248.76,"endTime":251.82,"body":"I really appreciate it. It really does make a difference."},{"startTime":251.92,"endTime":255.04,"body":"All right, let's jump into it. Here's the big picture."},{"startTime":255.82,"endTime":260.36,"body":"For girls, how ADHD looks and presents is different."},{"startTime":260.38,"endTime":264.58,"body":"And that difference means it often slips under the radar."},{"startTime":265.22,"endTime":271.41999999999996,"body":"In the US, the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control report that 15% of boys have received"},{"startTime":271.41999999999996,"endTime":277.52,"body":"an ADHD diagnosis at some point, compared to only 8% of girls."},{"startTime":277.58,"endTime":279.64,"body":"Now that's nearly double the rate."},{"startTime":279.88,"endTime":286.52,"body":"That figure comes from the CDC's National Survey of Children's Health, which is a large parent-reported"},{"startTime":286.52,"endTime":289.28,"body":"survey carried out every few years across the US."},{"startTime":290.06,"endTime":296.62,"body":"Parents are asked whether a doctor or a health professional has ever told them that their child has ADHD."},{"startTime":296.84000000000003,"endTime":302.24,"body":"So it's not based on clinical assessments, but on parents reporting previous diagnoses."},{"startTime":302.56,"endTime":309.62,"body":"It's reliable for spotting large-scale trends like the gender gap, but it can't catch undiagnosed cases."},{"startTime":309.84000000000003,"endTime":315.64,"body":"And in England, data shows that boys are diagnosed nearly four times as often as girls."},{"startTime":316.02,"endTime":321.03999999999996,"body":"And that number comes from a study of NHS population data, where the researchers looked at official"},{"startTime":321.03999999999996,"endTime":327.82,"body":"medical records of how many kids were either given an ADHD diagnosis or prescribed ADHD medication."},{"startTime":328.32,"endTime":331.46000000000004,"body":"Both sets of data tell the same story."},{"startTime":332.12,"endTime":339.34000000000003,"body":"Girls are far less likely to get an ADHD diagnosis than boys, even when their difficulties are just as real."},{"startTime":339.34000000000003,"endTime":344.43999999999994,"body":"So does that mean boys simply have more ADHD?"},{"startTime":344.72,"endTime":348.78,"body":"Are they more likely to have the condition? Well, no, not really."},{"startTime":349.20000000000005,"endTime":356.20000000000005,"body":"It means that the diagnostic system and the way those symptoms present are probably stacked against girls."},{"startTime":356.28,"endTime":362.48,"body":"You see, one of the biggest reasons that ADHD in girls get missed is history."},{"startTime":362.58000000000004,"endTime":369.67999999999995,"body":"The original diagnostic tools for ADHD were developed by observing how boys with the condition behaved."},{"startTime":370.24,"endTime":374.54999999999995,"body":"And when those scales and those diagnostic criteria, which are the things that doctors look"},{"startTime":374.54999999999995,"endTime":381.54999999999995,"body":"for when they're diagnosing ADHD, when they were developed, the focus was on obvious hyperactive behaviours."},{"startTime":381.68999999999994,"endTime":387.47,"body":"Things like, you know, running around, climbing, shouting out, fidgeting. These became the yardstick."},{"startTime":387.66999999999996,"endTime":394.09000000000003,"body":"And because girls often present differently, usually more along the inattentive lines or having"},{"startTime":394.09000000000003,"endTime":399.89,"body":"more internalised behaviour, more masked behaviours, those tools weren't built to pick them up."},{"startTime":399.89,"endTime":406.75,"body":"And that's a huge problem because it creates the illusion that ADHD is mostly a boy's condition."},{"startTime":407.35,"endTime":408.92999999999995,"body":"But here's the important bit."},{"startTime":409.54999999999995,"endTime":418.42999999999995,"body":"The latest research shows it's not that girls have lower rates of ADHD, it's that they're being missed, they're being underdiagnosed. How do we know?"},{"startTime":418.95000000000005,"endTime":425.80999999999995,"body":"Well, in the UK Millennium Cohort Study, researchers compared children who met the actual ADHD"},{"startTime":425.80999999999995,"endTime":431.27,"body":"symptom criteria with those who had been a formal diagnosis."},{"startTime":431.75,"endTime":438.15,"body":"And they found that boys with high levels of ADHD symptoms were way more likely to get diagnosed,"},{"startTime":438.65,"endTime":444.85,"body":"but girls with the same level of symptoms were much more likely to slip through the net."},{"startTime":445.07000000000005,"endTime":451.18999999999994,"body":"So that means, right, if you put two kids side by side, one boy, one girl, same symptoms, the"},{"startTime":451.18999999999994,"endTime":453.42999999999995,"body":"girl was half as likely to be diagnosed."},{"startTime":453.99,"endTime":457.16999999999996,"body":"Same struggle, completely different outcome."},{"startTime":457.16999999999996,"endTime":463.85,"body":"In other words, the difficulties were there in the girls, but they weren't being recognised as ADHD."},{"startTime":464.68999999999994,"endTime":469.61,"body":"And we also know that parents and teachers tend to underrate girls' hyperactive and impulsive"},{"startTime":469.61,"endTime":477.13,"body":"behaviours when compared to boys, which means they're less likely to be flagged for assessment in the first place."},{"startTime":477.27,"endTime":484.25,"body":"And then, right, let's just chuck masking into the mix, which is where girls copy their peers,"},{"startTime":484.71000000000004,"endTime":491.83000000000004,"body":"overcompensate with perfectionism, or just work incredibly hard to give the appearance that they're coping."},{"startTime":492.45000000000005,"endTime":494.89,"body":"And it's no wonder so many get missed."},{"startTime":494.99,"endTime":500.16999999999996,"body":"But the cost of that masking is huge to the individual girls."},{"startTime":500.51,"endTime":502.57000000000005,"body":"It results in real emotional damage."},{"startTime":503.27,"endTime":509.97,"body":"One study of 11 to 14 year old girls with conditions like ADHD found that those who masked were"},{"startTime":509.97,"endTime":514.97,"body":"also the ones most likely to develop anxiety and depression."},{"startTime":515.1899999999999,"endTime":521.74,"body":"So the takeaway here is... it's not that ADHD is necessarily rarer in girls, it's that we're"},{"startTime":521.74,"endTime":527.48,"body":"not seeing it because the way ADHD is diagnosed was built around how it shows up in boys and"},{"startTime":527.48,"endTime":531.74,"body":"because girls with ADHD tend to hide or mask their struggles."},{"startTime":532.6,"endTime":536.34,"body":"And this really connects with a theme I'm quite preoccupied with right now."},{"startTime":536.7,"endTime":542.3,"body":"I'm writing a book on student dysregulation, how pupil behaviours are often misunderstood because"},{"startTime":542.3,"endTime":548.24,"body":"we don't see the real pressures underneath that are driving student behaviour, and the book's"},{"startTime":548.24,"endTime":552.52,"body":"still a work in progress, but this is exactly the kind of issue I'm going to tackle in it."},{"startTime":553.22,"endTime":559.4,"body":"So that's the state of the nation, but the first step to helping girls who have ADHD is to spot it."},{"startTime":559.76,"endTime":564.26,"body":"We have to know how ADHD for girls presents in the classroom."},{"startTime":564.38,"endTime":565.58,"body":"What does it actually look like?"},{"startTime":565.6,"endTime":566.4,"body":"What do we look for?"},{"startTime":566.84,"endTime":573.22,"body":"Not so we as teachers can diagnose it, but so we can get the right professionals involved and ask the question."},{"startTime":573.54,"endTime":578.8,"body":"Often a diagnosis starts with a teacher or a teaching assistant asking the question, well, what"},{"startTime":578.8,"endTime":580.42,"body":"is driving this behaviour in class?"},{"startTime":580.96,"endTime":583.5,"body":"So what does that mean for a practitioner in the classroom?"},{"startTime":583.88,"endTime":589.04,"body":"Well, instead of the hyperactivity that you usually see in boys, not all the time, but usually,"},{"startTime":590.22,"endTime":594.4399999999999,"body":"girls often present with the inattentive type of ADHD."},{"startTime":594.68,"endTime":597.12,"body":"So here's what that can look like in school, right?"},{"startTime":597.54,"endTime":604.7,"body":"Daydreaming or zoning out in lessons, forgetting homework, PE kits or equipment, getting lost"},{"startTime":604.7,"endTime":611.0600000000001,"body":"in the middle of a task, struggling to organise their work or their time or get the homework"},{"startTime":611.0600000000001,"endTime":617.86,"body":"in in time, talking a lot and sometimes slightly oversharing socially with their friends and"},{"startTime":617.86,"endTime":624.48,"body":"having high emotional sensitivity, things that it might look like overreacting to adults' constructive"},{"startTime":624.48,"endTime":629.86,"body":"criticism or small comments from their schoolmates. And here's the kicker."},{"startTime":629.86,"endTime":635.2,"body":"Those behaviours often get labelled as personality traits instead of ADHD."},{"startTime":635.58,"endTime":640.6800000000001,"body":"We don't tend to look for an underlying cause for those behaviours, we tend to label them."},{"startTime":640.96,"endTime":647.5,"body":"We say she's just shy or she's a bit scatterbrained or she's too chatty or she's very touchy."},{"startTime":647.84,"endTime":654.9,"body":"So the underlying need never gets addressed, but we label the identity of the pupil in question."},{"startTime":655.1800000000001,"endTime":656.5400000000001,"body":"And here's where it gets serious, right?"},{"startTime":656.66,"endTime":661.3100000000001,"body":"Because when ADHD in girls is missed... the consequences then snowball."},{"startTime":661.8100000000001,"endTime":670.73,"body":"There was a large Swedish study that found that girls are diagnosed with ADHD on average four years later than boys."},{"startTime":671.3100000000001,"endTime":677.39,"body":"And often by the time they're then diagnosed, they've already been treated for anxiety or depression."},{"startTime":677.61,"endTime":682.35,"body":"And that was because the underlying condition flew under the radar."},{"startTime":682.39,"endTime":689.37,"body":"In other words, the ADHD was there all along, but it was overlooked, overshadowed, and that"},{"startTime":689.37,"endTime":693.59,"body":"then did emotional damage, resulting in the anxiety or depression."},{"startTime":693.71,"endTime":699.97,"body":"Now, think about what that means in real life for the girls in that study. Years of struggling academically."},{"startTime":700.75,"endTime":707.07,"body":"Years of being cast or thinking of yourself as lazy or stupid because you can't seem to stay"},{"startTime":707.07,"endTime":712.59,"body":"on task or organised like everyone else. Years of eroded self."},{"startTime":712.75,"endTime":718.59,"body":"And those years matter because truth is, once a child believes I'm not good enough, it changes"},{"startTime":718.59,"endTime":725.0500000000001,"body":"their relationship with school, their learning, their work, their peers and themselves."},{"startTime":725.33,"endTime":731.51,"body":"And just before we move into practical classroom strategies, I've got another quick request."},{"startTime":731.59,"endTime":737.13,"body":"If you're enjoying this episode or finding it helpful, please do me a favour, hit the subscribe button right now."},{"startTime":737.13,"endTime":739.49,"body":"And if you can, leave us a review for the podcast."},{"startTime":739.65,"endTime":744.59,"body":"It helps spread the word, spread the podcast to get this information into the hands of more"},{"startTime":744.59,"endTime":748.33,"body":"educators that need to know about it. It really helps us."},{"startTime":748.39,"endTime":750.39,"body":"It's all we ask you to do. Thanks again."},{"startTime":750.53,"endTime":754.99,"body":"And by the way, if you're looking for more practical ideas and strategies to support children"},{"startTime":754.99,"endTime":760.15,"body":"with SEND needs in your classroom around SEMH, social, emotional, mental health needs, we've"},{"startTime":760.15,"endTime":762.15,"body":"put together something you'll find really useful."},{"startTime":762.21,"endTime":763.99,"body":"It's called the SEND Behaviour Handbook."},{"startTime":765.07,"endTime":770.53,"body":"Inside, you'll find simple bite-sized guides to common conditions like ADHD, autism, trauma"},{"startTime":770.53,"endTime":777.25,"body":"and more, plus a behaviour analysis grid that helps you connect classroom behaviours to possible"},{"startTime":777.25,"endTime":779.77,"body":"underlying needs like the ones we're talking about today."},{"startTime":779.7900000000001,"endTime":787.0500000000001,"body":"It's all about giving you simple, clear tools to spot difficulties early and put the right support in place."},{"startTime":787.13,"endTime":791.25,"body":"And the best part, you can download it completely free."},{"startTime":791.37,"endTime":794.6700000000001,"body":"I'll put a link to the handbook in the show notes."},{"startTime":795.15,"endTime":799.45,"body":"All you have to do is tap your podcast app and look at the episode description, scroll down"},{"startTime":799.45,"endTime":801.89,"body":"and you'll see a link, or you can head directly to beaconschool.support.co.uk/send-hyphen handbook."},{"startTime":807.1800000000001,"endTime":809.58,"body":"That's beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/send-handbook to grab your copy. So let's talk solutions."},{"startTime":817.26,"endTime":820.98,"body":"What can we as teachers actually do about this?"},{"startTime":820.98,"endTime":825.5600000000001,"body":"Well, first of all, we need to spot the masking. So here's a clue."},{"startTime":825.5600000000001,"endTime":832.08,"body":"If a girl always looks fine in class, but parents come to us and they say she's falling apart"},{"startTime":832.08,"endTime":834.66,"body":"at home, well, that's a red flag."},{"startTime":835.4,"endTime":842.36,"body":"Kids who mask are often storing up, kind of holding back lots of emotional churn on the inside."},{"startTime":842.46,"endTime":848.64,"body":"And then when they get home, like a damn bursting, those emotions have to go somewhere when"},{"startTime":848.64,"endTime":850.5,"body":"the child finally feels safe."},{"startTime":850.62,"endTime":856.1800000000001,"body":"So if a parent comes into school to tell you their daughter, when she gets home, just explodes"},{"startTime":856.1800000000001,"endTime":862.46,"body":"or falls to pieces or becomes incredibly tearful or withdrawn, and you don't see that in the"},{"startTime":862.46,"endTime":865.8000000000001,"body":"classroom or at school, don't just dismiss it."},{"startTime":866.5400000000001,"endTime":870.5,"body":"Listen to them because they could be sharing some useful information with you."},{"startTime":870.88,"endTime":873.76,"body":"The way she's behaving in school might be different."},{"startTime":873.98,"endTime":876.2,"body":"She might be masking her difficulties."},{"startTime":876.7,"endTime":882.1,"body":"And then that behavior looks different at home when all that emotional churn has to go somewhere."},{"startTime":882.34,"endTime":888.0400000000001,"body":"Secondly, if you do suspect a girl in your class is struggling because of undiagnosed ADHD,"},{"startTime":888.58,"endTime":891.3000000000001,"body":"you don't have to wait for a label from the professionals."},{"startTime":891.44,"endTime":895.1800000000001,"body":"Now, I'm not saying go up to the girl and say, I think you've got ADHD."},{"startTime":895.5400000000001,"endTime":902.24,"body":"What I am talking about is start implementing ADHD friendly strategies for that child."},{"startTime":902.34,"endTime":904.7,"body":"So every child with ADHD is an individual."},{"startTime":904.9200000000001,"endTime":908.12,"body":"So you have to adapt what I'm going to say to the pupil in question."},{"startTime":908.6,"endTime":913.84,"body":"But for attentiveness, that might be things like reducing cognitive load."},{"startTime":914.12,"endTime":921.48,"body":"So things like simplifying instructions, stripping back the language, chunking bigger tasks"},{"startTime":921.48,"endTime":929.08,"body":"into smaller steps, using visuals as reminders and repeating directions and instructions."},{"startTime":929.22,"endTime":934.22,"body":"Often what helps ADHD also helps every child in the room."},{"startTime":934.32,"endTime":942.84,"body":"And I think that's true more for ADHD than it is virtually any other condition. Thirdly, support emotional regulation."},{"startTime":943.76,"endTime":946.47,"body":"ADHD often comes with high heightened emotions."},{"startTime":946.47,"endTime":951.07,"body":"So the children that you're teaching, they kind of look like they're on a hair trigger emotionally."},{"startTime":951.07,"endTime":958.21,"body":"And that means offering predictability, safe spaces and validating their feelings rather than"},{"startTime":958.21,"endTime":961.0500000000001,"body":"just dismissing them or saying the child is overreacting."},{"startTime":961.0500000000001,"endTime":968.15,"body":"And finally, build up your student's sense of self-worth.Give pupils with ADHD opportunities"},{"startTime":968.15,"endTime":975.11,"body":"to shine, whether that's through responsibilities or creativity or a subject or a topic they"},{"startTime":975.11,"endTime":977.99,"body":"love being able to share that subject or topic."},{"startTime":977.99,"endTime":983.41,"body":"Often, and this is true for all students with social, emotional and mental health needs actually,"},{"startTime":984.07,"endTime":990.23,"body":"we tend to highlight where they're not so good, where the deficiencies are or highlight their"},{"startTime":990.23,"endTime":994.91,"body":"negative behaviours or highlight the things that they've done wrong in school."},{"startTime":994.91,"endTime":1004.33,"body":"But in terms of engagement and pride and success and resilience, recognition is often rocket fuel for these kids."},{"startTime":1004.33,"endTime":1011.51,"body":"So find a character strength they have, whether it's kindness or sharing or being supportive"},{"startTime":1011.51,"endTime":1017.45,"body":"or an achievement that they're proud of in school or out of school or a positive action, a behaviour"},{"startTime":1017.45,"endTime":1023.15,"body":"that you've seen your pupil engage in, like holding open a door and big that up so that they"},{"startTime":1023.15,"endTime":1027.45,"body":"feel good about those behaviours in school or those achievements."},{"startTime":1027.45,"endTime":1029.53,"body":"So here's the big takeaway."},{"startTime":1029.53,"endTime":1035.05,"body":"ADHD in girls doesn't always look like ADHD in boys."},{"startTime":1035.05,"endTime":1037.93,"body":"It doesn't shout, it whispers."},{"startTime":1037.93,"endTime":1043.49,"body":"And if we're not listening carefully, there's a good chance that we will miss it in the classroom."},{"startTime":1043.49,"endTime":1050.25,"body":"But if we start spotting those signs early and we know what to look for, we can change literally"},{"startTime":1050.25,"endTime":1053.27,"body":"the trajectory of a child's life for the good."},{"startTime":1053.27,"endTime":1059.49,"body":"So they experience more positive academic outcomes, social outcomes and emotional outcomes,"},{"startTime":1059.49,"endTime":1062.05,"body":"which are key for learning success."},{"startTime":1062.05,"endTime":1069.21,"body":"So if today's episode gave you a new perspective on ADHD, here's my final request. Hit subscribe."},{"startTime":1069.21,"endTime":1072.21,"body":"Share this episode with a colleague."},{"startTime":1072.21,"endTime":1077.21,"body":"Because the more we understand ADHD in girls, the fewer children will slip through the cracks."},{"startTime":1077.21,"endTime":1081.83,"body":"And if you're working with or you know a colleague who's looking at a girl in their class and"},{"startTime":1081.83,"endTime":1085.33,"body":"they're struggling to understand and support that child to reach their potential, they don't"},{"startTime":1085.33,"endTime":1090.6599999999999,"body":"understand why the child keeps falling, you know, falling off task or having difficulty organizing"},{"startTime":1090.6599999999999,"endTime":1096.56,"body":"themselves, then this might be the piece of information that they need to understand that behavior"},{"startTime":1096.56,"endTime":1099.8999999999999,"body":"and look a little more deeply at what's going on."},{"startTime":1099.8999999999999,"endTime":1103.78,"body":"And don't forget to grab your free copy of our SEND Behavior Handbook."},{"startTime":1103.84,"endTime":1106.12,"body":"That link is in the show notes on your podcast app."},{"startTime":1106.3799999999999,"endTime":1114.78,"body":"Remember, all you've got to do is open the episode details and tap straight through to get your copy. That's it for today. My name's Simon Currigan."},{"startTime":1114.84,"endTime":1119.32,"body":"Thank you for listening and I'll see you in the next episode of School Behavior Secrets."},{"speaker":"Transcribed by https","startTime":1157.48,"endTime":1158.8799999999999,"body":"//otter.ai"}]}