Being trans with ADHD (Max’s story)

Max Siegel (he/they) was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. Throughout that process, Max encountered some of the same fears and myths around ADHD as he does around transness: “You just want an excuse.” “You just want to be lazy.” Max, an LGBTQ+ transgender and neurodiversity inclusion speaker and consultant, found that coming out gave him resilience. And that same resilience helped him cope with his ADHD diagnosis.  

Max and host Laura Key also talk about ADHD symptoms and gender identity. Max, who was assigned female at birth, was socialized as a woman until his 20s. He talks about anxiety, rejection sensitivity, and other ADHD-related challenges he’s faced — and how ADHD can get missed because of a person’s gender.  

A note about this episode: Max talks about how he felt he needed to “convince” his doctor he had ADHD. We can’t speak to the differences between how ADHD is diagnosed and treated in the UK vs. the United States. However, well-trained and credentialed evaluators should be capable of making accurate diagnoses without convincing. For detailed, easy-to-understand information on ADHD diagnosis in adults, listen to Season 2 of our Understood Explains podcast.  

To find a transcript for this episode and more resources, visit the episode page at Understood.  

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].  

Related resources 

• ADHD and myth of laziness
• LGBTQIA+ and ADHD: Tips to support your child
• ADHD and rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD)

As kids head back to school, it's a good time to remember: not every student experiences the classroom the same way. Through My Eyes, a free interactive experience from Understood, lets you step into a day in the life of a kid with ADHD, dyslexia, or dyscalculia. See their strengths and challenges in a whole new way. Try it out here.

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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