ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka EP. 381: Diagnosing Everyone but Herself with Psychologist Dr. Shawn Horn
43 snips
Apr 22, 2026 Dr. Shawn Horn, licensed clinical psychologist known as The Shame-Busting Psychologist who helps adults with ADHD and shame resilience. She recounts childhood school shame, misdiagnosis, and masking. They discuss rejection sensitivity, nervous system dysregulation, how shame hooks into identity, and practical shame-free approaches to living with ADHD.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Special Ed Report Cards Shaped A Shame Identity
- Shawn Horn recounts being labeled 'special ed' and even called mentally retarded after aptitude tests, which shaped lifelong shame and underestimation.
- She later discovered superior intelligence and academic success once given executive function supports in college and graduate school.
The 30 Percent Rule Explains Childhood Misunderstanding
- Early developmental lag (the '30% rule') means children with ADHD may be chronologically older but function younger, causing missed social cues and shame.
- Shawn links thumb-sucking and not recognizing classroom norms to delayed pattern recognition from slower prefrontal development.
Teach Executive Skills Before Expecting Performance
- Build explicit executive function scaffolds like note-taking systems, master calendars, and self-paced learning to convert hidden potential into performance.
- Shawn credits a community college intervention teaching these skills for her dean's list turnaround.
