Our ADHD Story
My youngest daughter was diagnosed with Inattentive ADHD at 14—after years of school struggles that were misunderstood or dismissed. She was quiet in class, so her challenges went unnoticed.
Early School Years
From the age of 4, I pushed for answers. Testing revealed learning difficulties, auditory processing challenges and working memory deficits. I eventually homeschooled her through Years 4–6, which was a turning point.
High School and Diagnosis
Returning to high school in Year 7 didn’t solve the underlying issues. Eventually, in Year 8, a psychologist specialising in ADHD gave her the diagnosis we’d long suspected.
As a Master of Teaching student, I was shocked at how little I’d been taught about ADHD. The diagnosis was validating—but accessing meaningful support was still difficult.
Physical Health and ADHD
We didn’t know her tummy aches reflected underlying gut health issues that also affect mental health and ADHD. At 12, she was diagnosed with coeliac disease, but ongoing gut issues persisted. She was eventually diagnosed with SIBO, gut dysbiosis, various food intolerances and chronic fatigue syndrome and anxiety.
After finding an integrative GP, her health finally began to improve through holistic treatment—focusing on gut, lifestyle and environmental factors.
Since then we’ve also uncovered a much broader picture — including hypermobility, autism, depression, MCAS, mould illness and oxalate intolerance. Each piece has helped us better understand how deeply interconnected her physical health, nervous system and brain truly are, and why a whole-body, compassionate approach has been essential to her care.
What I’ve Learned
My daughter’s journey exposed me to the layered reality of neurodivergence and chronic illness — including ADHD, autism, gut dysfunction, chronic fatigue, food intolerances, anxiety, hypermobility, MCAS and mould illness.
Along the way, I came to understand that genetics, environment and biology all intersect and that each person’s health picture is unique.
This lived experience, combined with years of learning, has shaped the depth of knowledge I bring to my work and reflects a pattern I now see repeatedly: chronic illness is far more common in neurodivergent individuals than is widely acknowledged.
Where She Is Now
Today, my daughter is carving her own meaningful path. She completed Year 12, completed a Diploma of Photography, her training in bush regeneration as well as remedial massage therapy, Kahuna massage, permaculture and floristry.
She is now creating a small-scale flower farm from the ground up, with the intention of growing and selling her own flowers.
Her journey hasn’t followed a traditional timeline, but it reflects something far more important — learning in ways that suit her body, brain and values, and building a life that honours her strengths, creativity and connection to the natural world.