“A lot of kids with inattentive ADHD get overlooked,” said Peter Jaksa, PhD, a psychologist who specializes in treating ADHD.
With inattentive type, the restlessness is internal. Although she struggled a lot with her symptoms, which included being unable to pay attention in class or stay organized, no one recognized that the underlying issue was undiagnosed ADHD.ĪDHD has three subtypes, which include hyperactiveimpulsive, primarily inattentive, and combined. Matlen didn’t look like the stereotypical little boy who couldn’t sit still. Matlen was diagnosed in the mid-1990s, when many specialists still didn’t understand what ADHD looked like in either girls or adults. “Anxiety doesn’t explain the extent of my disorganization.” I can’t concentrate I can’t finish projects my house is a disaster I can’t get dinner on the table,” Matlen said. Although Matlen was initially quite skeptical of her diagnosis, going so far as to seek out a second and third opinion, she eventually came to accept that she had ADHD. This included significant anxiety as well as academic and behavioral issues, all of which started at a young age. “My entire life, there was something off,” Matlen said. When Terry Matlen, a clinical social worker, was in her 40s, she was diagnosed with ADHD.
