How to Support a Teen with ADHD Who Is Questioning Their Gender
How can parents support an adolescent with ADHD who is questioning their gender? Does ADHD play a role? Read on for helpful parenting strategies and resources for families parenting gender-diverse children.
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I work with students with special needs, including ADHD. I have heard from a number of experts that say that affirmation without evaluation is not a good approach to this gender issue. Preteens and teens struggling with changing gender are frequently struggling with deeper issues like depression or anxiety that need to be addressed first. Adolescence wrestle with many identity questions and concerns; most of us did when we were young also. Most of us have wished or wondered about why we can’t be taller or shorter, wish we could be someone else. Many of us have wanted to be smarter or stronger or funnier or faster. We question who we are in society and how we fit in. Before agreeing a child should change their biology, conversations (with a therapist maybe) should be had and questions asked in order to make sure there is no underlying causes that make the child think they should change who they are.