“That’s not what ADHD is”: Australian Schooling Experiences of Female Students with ADHD: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Abstract

Sach L M and Porter M A*

The current study aimed to explore the lived experience of female students (aged 10-19 years) with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in school. Females with ADHD are largely under-represented in ADHD research. Growing research suggests that differences in symptom presentation, comorbidities, stereotypes and stigma, and diagnostic bias have each contributed to under-detection and under-support of females with ADHD, especially in the school setting. Under a critical realist framework and qualitative paradigm, seven semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed with an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) methodology. The IPA revealed three key group experiential themes about the school experience of females with ADHD: (i) being understood and self-understanding; (ii) navigating autonomy and support; and (iii) neurodiversity in social experiences. Within these three group experiential themes, eight subthemes were identified:teacher understanding of ADHD; bias, stereotypes, and stigma; self-understanding and self- advocacy; independence and increasing expectations; independence and increasing expectations; balancing overbearing and effective support; peer understanding of ADHD challenges; and neurodivergence and barriers to connection. These group experiential themes and subthemes shaped the school experiences of the participants, contributing to their self- efficacy and the accessibility of learning support, their interactions with peers and teachers, and how they conceptualised their own ADHD-related challenges. These findings contribute to a growing understanding of how ADHD is experienced by females. Additionally, the current study highlights the need for greater teacher and peer education to improve the quality and accessibility of school-based support as well as the need to address issues of ignorance, stigma and stereotyping that shape the experience of females with ADHD.

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