Phil: 00:41:26 That answers a lot of questions about some of my students. Okay. Huh. Okay. So, then, as an adult diagnosed or what’s the best way to overcome, the emotional trauma from not having a diagnosis until adulthood?
Merriam: 00:41:43 Well, I would send you to a therapist for that one because it’s emotional trauma. Its usually best dealt with in the hands of somebody who knows what they’re doing. and you know, there really is a certain amount of emotional trauma, although we use the word trauma like very lightly these days. but you know, to a degree you’ve had a lifetime of thinking that you’re a failure when that’s really not the case at all. You know, it’s just a question of your brain functioning differently from other people’s. I often like to use the analogy that everyone around you just seems to know how to naturally speak Chinese and you are being asked to speak Chinese and no one’s bothering to teach it to you. And they’re getting increasingly frustrated with you that you’re not speaking it and you start to feel like, well, I should be able to speak it. Everyone else can. Yeah. so as an adult you’ve had years and years and years of that feeling. so I would say I go to a therapist to deal with the emotions, but find an ADHD coach, somebody who can really look at, well, you know, what is your particular struggle? Is it time management? or is it forgetfulness? And there are so many tips and tricks that you can work on. And if a coach is too expensive, there’s so many books as well. There’s a lot of help.
Get the full interview here
Explore Focus Foundations
Is your child struggling in school?
Get your free personalized learning roadmap
You describe what you see at home. We turn it into a plan you start this week.
- Answer 5 short questionnaires about what you already notice, 30–45 minutes at your own kitchen table
- Your child sits no test and gets no score: nothing to schedule, nothing for them to dread
- You do the answering, the AI does the writing, and a person reviews it before it reaches you
- Access all 40+ courses instantly: reading, math, focus, processing and more, with new ones added regularly
Why we use AI, plainly: it writes from a knowledge base our team maintains and audits. We work through it line by line and pull anything the evidence stops supporting. The roadmap you get on Tuesday reflects what we corrected on Monday, and a human still reads it before you do.
Your school district must evaluate your child free of charge if you ask in writing, whatever your income and whatever the outcome (US, 34 CFR 300.111 and 300.301(b)). That route takes time and answers a different question than you do. This one starts today, from what you already know.
Your answers stay yours. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not hand identifiable assessment data to outside AI companies to train their models.
A screener is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If your child might need formal accommodations (an IEP or 504 plan), or you suspect a vision, hearing or medical cause, pursue a professional evaluation too. That is the only route to those supports.
