Rae Jacobson: The diagnosis boom … and backlash

About this episode

Rae Jacobson discusses her journey with ADHD and the implications of the current ADHD discourse.

Episode 204 with Rae Jacobson. “There is a difference between traits and impairment. If we dilute the idea of ADHD into something that just seems familiar, we risk shutting out the people who really need help.” Rae is a journalist, an ADHD and learning disorders expert, and the Lead of Insight at Understood, where she also hosts the podcast Hyperfocus . Rae has spent over 20 years digging into the stories and science of neurodivergence. She’s a former senior editor at the Child Mind Institute, and her work has appeared in New York Magazine, the Daily Beast, Rolling Stone, Parenting, American Girl, and more. Rae and I talk about her very winding path to an ADHD diagnosis: growing up as the “smart kid who did terribly at school,” getting diagnosed with LD-NOS, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia, and then finally, in her early 20s, realizing she has ADHD. Rae shares the life-changing experience of attending Landmark College — a school specifically for students with ADHD and learning disabilities. We also wrestle with the current ADHD discourse: the difference between relatable traits and true impairment, what happens when “everyone has ADHD,” and why that can both broaden awareness and…

People in this episode

Host: Katy Weber

Guest: Rae Jacobson

Topics covered

• ADHD diagnosis
• neurodivergence
• learning disabilities
• internalized ableism
• ADHD discourse
• journalistic fact-checking

Keywords

• ADHD
• neurodivergence
• learning disorders
• dyscalculia
• dysgraphia
• internalized ableism
• journalism
• education

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Understood, Child Mind Institute

Books & works: Hyperfocus

Places: New York, Landmark College

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