ADHD, autism, and the pressure to be “man enough” (Shane Thrapp’s story)

Shane Thrapp always felt different. As an adult, he found out he has both ADHD and autism — two parts of his brain that sometimes work against each other. 

In this episode, Shane shares the weight of masking his symptoms, and how society’s ideas about “real men” can make it even harder to speak up. Today, Shane is helping other men with ADHD as the Operations Director of the Men’s ADHD Support Group. He’s on a mission to show that being yourself shows more strength than pretending to be someone you’re not.

Related resources

• What is AuDHD?
• The Men’s ADHD Support Group

Timestamps

(01:19) Shane’s ADHD and autism diagnoses story

(05:48) The three-way battle between ADHD and autism

(09:12) How is Shane as a boss? 

(10:21) Learning social cues, trying on identities, and societal expectations

(15:04) The Men’s ADHD Support Group, and building a community that supports each other in healthy ways

(18:34) The biggest misconceptions about men with ADHD

(21:38) Building a world that’s better for his children

For a transcript and more resources, visit the ADHD Aha! Show page on Understood.org. 

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Listen to Everyone Gets a Juice Box, a new podcast from Understood.org where host Jessica Shaw has honest talks with parents raising kids who learn and think differently.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

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