In today’s episode I’m exploring the topic of education and learning with Vivienne Isebor. 

In an ideal world, your school is the first environment in which your ADHD is identified, and that’s done with enough time to make the necessary adaptations so you can reach your full academic and creative potential as a child.

Sadly, for girls, this isn’t often the case. We know that girls present differently to boys, and that the clinical picture is still skewed to that stereotype of a manic, distracted boy who’s bouncing off the walls. Girls, in fact, are more likely to present as a daydreamer, inattentive but rarely disruptive; as a result it can often go unnoticed. Of course there are also gender norms that hamper diagnosis, too – girls are more likely to mask to fit in with societal expectations that they be quiet, compliant and studious.

I struggled especially with following instructions, anything maths-related and the rudiments of sitting still and listening, but I was also aware of how bad all of that was and so fought every natural instinct to be a ‘good girl’.

Vivienne Isebor is a force for good in the ADHD community, and I was bowled over to hear that not only is she an activist, singer, songwriter, spoken word artist, poet and performer, she is also a clinical associate in psychology trainee. She’s back in school and just before we met for this podcast had aced a 5000-word dissertation. She is also the founder and managing director of ADHD Babes, a supportive space for black women and non binary people with ADHD.

Vivienne shares the experiences she had as a child in school compared to how she comes to learning today as an adult, why switching from a standard school setting to individualistic higher education can be a huge challenge for someone living with ADHD and how both children and adults can be better supported.

Vivienne also reveals the adaptations that have helped her excel in her studies and how she’s chipping away at ableist micro-aggressions with her clinical work. 

You can find Vivienne’s game-changing work with ADHD Babes here: @adhdbabes ADHD BABES 

And her music here: @vvnsings VV SINGS 

Here’s a shortcut to her beautiful sound: 

THE EXPERT

Dr Jo Steer is a chartered clinical psychologist working with children in Surrey, and the author of Understanding ADHD in Girls and Women 

Please note, your first port of call if you think you might have ADHD should be your GP. In the meantime, you can find more information here: 

The ADHD Foundation 

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