Last month, the Trump administration laid off over 460 people in the U.S. Department of Education. It included nearly everyone in the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), which enforces federal special education laws. 

A federal judge has temporarily halted the layoffs, but it’s unclear what will happen next. For people who work in or rely on special education services — including 7.5 million kids — the chaos and worry have already begun.

So on this week’s Hyperfocus, we wanted to talk to smart people who could give us some perspective on what’s happening. What could it mean for families and for schools? And what does it say about how the administration views neurodivergent people in general?

Our guests are Meghan Whittaker, a former chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Education, and Julian Saavedra, an assistant principal. 

For more on this topic: 

• What the special education layoffs mean for your child’s IEP and school services
• What happens to my child’s IEP if the U.S. Department of Education closes?
• The R-word is back: How do you get people to care? 
• Special education: Federal law vs. state law

Timestamps:

(03:04) A breakdown of the layoffs

(10:16) How worry is already hitting families and schools

(18:02) What to know about school vouchers

(29:50) “Find your space to serve”

For a transcript and more resources, visit Hyperfocus on Understood.org. You can also 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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The holidays are here — and so is all the food, family, and sensory overload that can come with them. Host Cate Osborn sits down with Aleta Storch, dietitian, nutritionist, ADHD expert, and founder of Wise Heart Nutrition, to talk about food and ADHD. They cover what disordered eating looks like (and how it’s different from a diagnosed eating disorder), why sensory sensitivities can make meals stressful, and what it’s like not to be believed when you say you don’t want to eat something. Plus, the dopamine rush of holiday treats — and how to navigate it all with more compassion and understanding.

(Note: This episode does not dive deeply into diagnosed eating disorders — we’ll have another episode in the future focused entirely on that topic.)

For more on this topic: 

• The National Eating Disorders Association
• ADHD and eating
• Understood.org’s “Neurodiversity and the Holidays” survey
• Aleta’s website, www.wiseheartnutrition.com
• Aleta’s Instagram, @the_adhd_rd

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(02:05) Aleta’s personal story with ADHD and eating

(05:48) What’s the difference between an eating disorder and disordered eating? 

(07:46) What about ADHD can affect our relationship with food? 

(13:39) Sensory challenges and food

(18:11) The consequences of ignoring our own needs

(20:12) Good food practices to support ourselves and the neurodivergent people in our lives

(26:23) Aleta’s parting advice for the holidays

(28:23) Outro and credits

For a transcript and more resources, visit Sorry, I Missed This on Understood.org. You can also 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

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For many women with ADHD, the spark of a new relationship feels like magic. But what happens when commitment feels like too much to manage?

In this episode, Dr. Monica Johnson explains the ADHD brain during the early stages of a new relationship. Learn how ADHD impacts attachment and commitment for some women. Get tips for how to manage coming down from the emotional high when the initial spark fades.

For more on this topic: 

• ADHD and dating: Why crushes feel so intense
• ADHD and dating: Why casual dating never feels casual
• Tips from an ADHD Coach: Is it love or is it dopamine?

Timestamps:  

(00:00) Intro

(01:05) What is new relationship energy (NRE)?

(01:54) The ADHD brain and early romance 

(04:28) The difference between a fading spark and incompatibility 

(07:41) Tips for managing a new relationship

For a transcript and more resources, visit MissUnderstood on Understood.org. You can also 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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the final episode of our “Breaking the Burnout Cycle” three-part series, host Cate Osborn and Dr. Shauna Pollard explore what comes after burnout. They discuss how burnout can affect your relationships, the importance of communicating your needs clearly, and how to reflect on past experiences to avoid repeating patterns. 

Cate and Dr. Shauna also shares practical tips for tuning in to yourself, setting boundaries, and creating a plan for moving forward with greater awareness, balance, and resilience.

For more on this topic: 

• ADHD burnout
• ADHD and boundaries: Why saying no feels hard (and how to start)
• Setting boundaries in relationships with ADHD
• Dr. Shauna's list of Executive Functioning Resources

Timestamps: 

(00:00) Intro 

(01:44) We have more emotions to regulate while in burnout

(05:26) How can burnout impact relationships?

(14:32) Setting boundaries

(17:52) How can we show up for our partners when we’re burned out?

(23:11) Feeling “too much” for needing to have our needs met 

(24:44) What do we do if we don’t have a support system?

(28:01) Outro and credits

For a transcript and more resources, visit Sorry, I Missed This on Understood.org. You can also 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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Why do some women with ADHD rush through the courting stage? Dr. Monica Johnson explains what happens in the ADHD brain during courting.

From intense texting to early intimacy, the courting stage can look very different for women with ADHD. In this episode, find out what happens in the ADHD brain during courting. Learn how to recognize the difference between real chemistry and manipulation. And get tips on how to manage. 

For more on this topic: 

• ADHD and dating: Why crushes feel so intense
• Tips from an ADHD Coach: Is it love or is it dopamine?
• Sorry, I Missed This: Online dating with ADHD

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(01:07) What is courting?

(01:40) The ADHD brain and courting 

(02:58) How emotional dysregulation impacts relationships

(04:42) Why courting can be challenging with ADHD

(08:37) How to tell chemistry from manipulation 

(12:46) Tips for managing the courting stage

For a transcript and more resources, visit MissUnderstood on Understood.org. You can also 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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Inattentive ADHD often goes unnoticed. It’s an easier type of ADHD to miss because it’s more internal and less outwardly visible than its hyperactive, impulsive counterpart. But left unaddressed, inattentive ADHD can be just as disruptive.

Boys with the inattentive type are especially overlooked — they don’t match the stereotype of what an “ADHD boy” is supposed to look like.

So when Brandon Saiz wrote to us about his experience getting diagnosed with ADHD later in life, we knew we had to talk to him. After meeting with Brandon, it was clear his story needed to be shared.

Content warning: This episode includes discussion of suicide. Please skip it if that’s not something you’re up for right now.

For more on this topic:

• The 3 types of ADHD
• Listen: The “devastating” findings of a decades-long ADHD study
• Brandon Saiz on Substack
• Duck, Duck! It's a Goose: Brandon's video game

Timestamps

(01:54) Brandon’s background

(09:23) How Brandon’s inattentive-type ADHD was overlooked

(14:00) On suicidal ideation and inattentive ADHD 

(19:57) Brandon’s advice to others

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Burnout isn’t a weakness. It’s a signal that your body needs real rest. 

Dr. Shauna Pollard is back for the second episode in our “Breaking the Burnout Cycle” series to answer the question: What is rest?  

Cate and Dr. Pollard talk about what true, restorative rest looks like (hint: it’s not just zoning out on your phone), and how to start taking small, doable steps toward rest when you’re already deep in burnout.

For more on this topic: 

• ADHD burnout
• Full Catastrophe Living, by Jon Kabat-Zinn
• Your Money or Your Life, by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin

Timestamps: 

(00:00) Intro

(02:08) How do you realize that enough is enough and you need to rest?

(03:58) How do we know if the “rest” we’re taking is actually restorative? 

(09:10) Feeling guilty or uncomfortable with resting

(15:18) How to decide what to pursue, and what to wait on

(20:14) The relationship between perfectionism, procrastination, and burnout

(23:41) Finding small moments to integrate rest, and other suggestions from Dr. Shauna

(29:07) Outro and credits

For a transcript and more resources, visit Sorry, I Missed This on Understood.org. You can also 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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Have you ever met someone and suddenly you’re imagining your wedding playlist — all before the first date? Dr. Monica Johnson weighs in on the science behind crushes and the ADHD brain.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What’s happening in your brain during a crush
• Why women with ADHD often fall fast and hard in relationships
• How to stay grounded in reality without completely shutting down

For more on this topic: 

• ADHD and: Rejection sensitivity
• Sorry, I Missed This: Dating with ADHD
• Tips from an ADHD Coach: Is it love or is it dopamine?

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro
(00:57) Why do ADHD brains fall in love fast?
(07:15) Strategies for remaining balanced while enjoying the butterflies
(14:18) Credits

For a transcript and more resources, visit MissUnderstood on Understood.org. You can also 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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Artificial intelligence has cemented itself as the latest world-altering technology. It follows the same lineage as electricity, the television, the internet — the list goes on. 

Depending on who you talk to, AI is the greatest thing ever or the thing that will destroy the world, with lots of room in the middle for discussion and experimentation. 

But within the bigger AI fascination, there’s a smaller yet critical conversation about how this technology might help or harm people who learn and think differently. That’s why we brought in Dr. Amy Gaeta for this week’s “Hyperfocus.” She’s an AI ethicist and researcher who also has autism, giving her a unique insight that she shares on our latest episode. 

For more on this topic

• Amy’s website
• What is assistive technology?
• 6 ways AI can help you manage ADHD symptoms
• How software and apps can help with math challenges
• Understood Assistant

Timestamps

(03:40) AI in the workplace

(10:16) Disability justice and technology

(13:45) AI’s built-in bias against disability 

(17:15) How to find helpful, safe AI uses

(21:08) Chatbot therapy 

(25:14) What does the future hold for AI and neurodivergence? 

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Feeling drained, unmotivated, or stuck in survival mode? In part one of our “Breaking the Burnout Cycle” series, host Cate Osborn and psychologist Dr. Shauna Pollard unpack the question: What is burnout? They explore the signs to watch for, how to recognize when you’re in it, and how it’s different from depression.

If you’ve been wondering whether what you’re experiencing is burnout, this episode is a good place to start.

Related resources

• ADHD burnout
• ADHD and depression
• Dr. Shauna’s website, https://drspllc.com/

Timestamps

(00:00) A word from Cate on burnout

(01:50) What is burnout? How is it different than depression?

(05:57) What happens when ADHD perfectionism and overcommitting meets burnout?

(08:06) How do we know that we’re starting to get burnout? How can we tell if it’s burnout or depression?

(12:11) How to recognize whether your battery is low or completely tapped out

(15:55) How to get to know ourselves and our bodies better to help us in the future

(22:57) Burnout spreading from work into the home

(26:39) Outro and credits

For a transcript and more resources, visit the Sorry, I Missed This show page on Understood.org. 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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.