Tweens & teens
Friendships, identity, school, executive-function support.
maya~
1mo ago
My teen's shame about their diagnosis is becoming identity
They see ADHD/autism as what makes them broken, not as part of who they are. Shame is affecting everything: friendships, academics, how they see their future. Diagnosis has become self-definition, but the definition is…
leah~
1mo ago
Board exams + ADHD = perfect storm
10th board exams starting in 4 months. My child's ADHD makes: sitting for 3 hours = impossible, reading dense material = torture, time management = nonexistent, test anxiety = paralysis. Standard exam structure is…
noor~
1mo ago
School won't give accommodations for boards even though the law allows it
RPWD Act allows scribes + extra time for board exams. Our school says: 'Never done it,' 'Not possible,' 'You need to fight the board directly.' Three months away and nothing's in place. The law exists. Schools ignore…
priya~
1mo ago
My teen is lonely and doesn't know how to fix it
Bright, funny, kind—but zero close friendships. Sits alone at lunch. Misses social cues, makes jokes that land wrong, can't read group dynamics. I watch them suffer and feel helpless. Loneliness at 14 is devastating in…
kavya~
1mo ago
Masking is destroying my teen from the inside
My 13yo acts 'normal' at school (exhaustingly). At home: dysregulation, meltdowns, zero energy. I can see the exhaustion of maintaining a fake self all day. But if they stop masking, school becomes hostile. They're 13…
maya~
1mo ago
My teen was just diagnosed—they're refusing to accept it
Diagnosis: autism. Teen's reaction: 'I'm not autistic,' 'Everyone's a little autistic,' 'This label is stupid.' They're rejecting the diagnosis and me for suggesting it helps. They have proof they're neurodivergent but…
leah~
1mo ago
Nobody at school sees the struggle because they mask perfectly
Teen: straight A's, popular-adjacent, no visible struggles. But at home: anxiety, depression, sensory overload, executive function collapse. School thinks they're fine. I know they're one crisis away from breakdown.…
leah~
1mo ago
Board exams + neurodivergence — how do we actually do this?
My 10th grader is genuinely smart. But board exams are a sensory and executive-function nightmare: three hours of sitting still, silence, time pressure = maximum ADHD. The school says 'no extra time allowed' (there's…
priya~
1mo ago
Peer rejection is becoming bullying and the school won't act
My 8th grader has ADHD, awkward socially. Peers mock them daily. School response: 'They're being kids,' 'They need to learn to handle it.' But my teen is becoming suicidal about it. School enabling the bullying. How do…
leah~
1mo ago
My teen is lonely (and doesn't know how to fix it)
My 13yo is kind, funny, has niche interests — and zero close friends. Not because they're unkind, the opposite. They just miss social cues, don't catch jokes, struggle with the unspoken rules of being a teen. I watch…
noor~
1mo ago
My teen just realized they've been masking for years — now what?
My 14yo told me: 'I act normal at school but I'm exhausted.' They didn't use the word masking, but that's exactly it. Years of pretending to focus, sit still, be quiet — and now they're burnt out and don't know who…
kavya~
1mo ago
My teen thinks they're ADHD — everyone else says she's 'fine'
My 16yo daughter is convinced she's ADHD. School says she's fine — good grades, quiet, follows rules. I assumed she was just shy and anxious. Then I read her diary: exhausted, can't start homework, overthinking every…