All Aboard ADHD

How do you fight for the SEND support your child is legally entitled to, within a system that’s underfunded, obstructive, and about to be reformed?
In this episode of the All Aboard ADHD podcast, Claire is joined by Douglas Hamer, a specialist SEND solicitor with expertise in special educational needs and disability law, alongside his owb lived experience of ADHD and autism. Douglas specialises in EHCPs, SEND tribunals, specialist placements, EOTAS, and judicial review. 
They explore the ITV SEND Whistleblower Investigation, the upcoming SEND White Paper reforms, and what all this actually means for families struggling to access the support their children so desperately need. Together they discuss:
🎬 ITV Whistleblower: What Really Happened? Unpacking the allegations of Local Authority staff obstructing the EHCP process, avoiding paper trails, and “playing games” with families.
🚫 The Reality of Systemic Failure: how squeezed budgets, high staff turnover, and a “dehumanising culture” create delays, frustration and complete denial of support for so many families.
⚖️ Overwhelmed or Just Unlawful? When Local Authority behaviour crosses the legal line, and why accountability for their inaction is so weak.
🧱 The “Brick Through the Window” Moment: the importance of fighting for minority rights, and why we need more supportive MPs raising SEND issues in Parliament.
📜 Upcoming Reform: what the proposed White Paper could change in practice including EHCPs, ISPs, and Specialist Provision Packages; plus the potential impact on appeal rights and school choice.
🧭 What Parents Can Do Right Now: strategies such as maintaining a paper trail, staying calm in written communications, and why independent EP reports are so powerful.
🌱 Holding On to Hope: Douglas’s message to exhausted parents about persistence, pragmatism, and empowerment through knowledge.
If you’re battling for an EHCP or school placement and feel like you’re meeting resistance getting the right support for your child, this episode will validate your experience, explain what is allegedly going on behind the scenes, and provide concrete practical steps you can use today to move the process forward for your child.
Please note Douglas was in his office when this episode was recorded, so you will hear typing noises in the background.
Glossary:
ABAS-3  https://www.pearsonclinical.co.uk/en-gb/adaptive-behavior/Adaptive-Behaviour-Assessment-System-%7C-Third-Edition/p/P100009113 

BAS3: https://www.gl-assessment.co.uk/products/bas3/ 

Further resources & links
Douglas Hamer’s contact details: https://www.geldards.com/our-people/douglas-hamer/

Geldard’s SEN Talks Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3aP6IMlKMWiaCce6bF2Uj5

Listen to Douglas' previous All Aboard ADHD episode: EHCPs & SEND Law https://open.spotify.com/episode/7BrANDPqbNTgoskMjOhloo?si=8a9d803fb8d740eb 

ADHD Coaching and Resources from Claire: https://allaboardadhd.com

Follow Claire on Instagram & TikTok: @allaboardADHD

The views shared in this episode are those of the guest, based on their professional expertise and personal experience. This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, educational, or psychological advice. Please consult a qualified professional for personalised support relevant to your individual circumstances.

How do sensory processing differences show up in children with ADHD, and how can parents offer better support?
In this episode of the All Aboard ADHD podcast, Claire is joined by Professor Samuele Cortese, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Southampton, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, and one of the world’s leading ADHD researchers, to understand sensory processing and ADHD. 
Drawing on a major meta-analysis of 30 studies with over 5000 participants, Professor Samuele explains why sensory processing is highly relevant in ADHD, how it links to emotions, behaviour, and learning, what this means for ADHD assessment, plus how understanding our children's sensory needs can help us better support them at home and at school.
They discuss:
❓What sensory processing is: how our senses shape thinking, emotions, behaviour, and learning
🧩 ADHD and Sensory Processing: why sensory differences are not unique to autism, why it’s highly relevant for children with ADHD, and how they can also appear in neurotypical children
⚖️ Hypo vs Hyper: understanding sensory avoidance and seeking, plus how differences show up across tactile, visual, and auditory domains - not just touch or noise
📋 Why clinicians must start asking about sensory issues: the gap between evidence and diagnostic guidelines mean that sensory processing is often missed 
🧠 What’s happening in the brain: the structural differences in white matter, changes in dopamine signalling, and how these may affect the way ADHD brains process sensory information.
💊 The effect of stimulant medications: why they might influence sensory processing, and why we need more research to understand the relationship in more detail
🌋 Sensory overload and emotional dysregulation: how sensory load can drive meltdowns and why clinicians must look for underlying causes to behaviours
🏫 Classrooms and school support: how the classroom environment can affect learning and regulation, plus the important role occupational therapists play
🫶 What parents can do: encouraging careful observation, recording concrete examples to share with clinicians and schools, as well as involving children in conversations about their own lived experience
If you’ve ever felt that professionals are missing something about your child’s overwhelm, meltdowns, or struggles, this episode gives you the language, the science, and practical next steps to join the dots between ADHD and Sensory Processing, to your child's emotions and behaviours, in order to advocate more effectively for the support your child needs.
Please note Professor Samuele was in his office when this episode was recorded, so you will hear notifications buzzing in the background.
Further resources and links
Professor Samuele Cortese – University of Southampton profile: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/people/5xf5yj/professor-samuele-cortese 

Read the Sensory Processing in ADHD Meta-Analysis in full: https://www.jaacap.org/article/S0890-8567(25)00209-6/fulltext

Listen to Professor Samuele Cortese’s previous All Aboard ADHD episode: ADHD Medication 101: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4D24IDKpNUJXPrdnK0o7ux?si=1b7708600d2844bc&nd=1&dlsi=e13c3972df164781 

ADHD coaching and resources from Claire: https://allaboardadhd.com

Follow Claire on Instagram & TikTok: @allaboardADHD

The views shared in this episode are those of the guest, based on their professional expertise and personal experience. This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, educational, or psychological advice. Please consult a qualified professional for personalised support relevant to your individual circumstances.

How do fluctuating female hormones interact with ADHD? And why can perimenopause make everything feel like it’s suddenly falling apart?
In this episode of the All Aboard ADHD podcast, Claire is joined by Dr. Helen Wall - Senior NHS GP, British Menopause Society Specialist, and author of Menopause and ADHD. 
Together they unpack the science to help women better understand the powerful connection between hormones, the brain, and ADHD. They discuss:
🧠 The Patient Who Changed Everything: how one “treatment‑resistant” patient, misdiagnosed for years with anxiety and depression, led Helen to realise “we were basically managing undiagnosed ADHD”. This, alongside her own perimenopause, sparked her mission to understand hormones and neurodivergence, reshaping her whole approach medically.
🎢 Dopamine, Oestrogen and the “Double Whammy”: why ADHD brains rely so heavily on stable dopamine, how wildly fluctuating oestrogen in perimenopause disrupts that signalling, and why so many women describe midlife as feeling like “a bomb has gone off” when it comes to their ability to function.
🎭 Masking, High Functioning, and the Hidden Cost: how girls learn to “fit in” using layers of scaffolding and people‑pleasing, until hormones shift, the mask slips, and the structure collapses: “what they were doing was never sustainable in the first place.”
🔍 ADHD vs Perimenopause: the huge overlap in symptoms (brain fog, emotional swings, overwhelm), how to tell what’s lifelong ADHD traits versus newer hormone-driven changes, and understanding why ADHD doesn’t start at menopause.
💊 HRT, Progesterone Sensitivity and Trial-and-Error: what we now know (and don’t yet know) about HRT in ADHD, body-identical vs synthetic progesterone, Mirena coils, and why some neurodivergent women respond very differently: “there’s no good and bad progesterone - every woman is very different.”
🌿 Lifestyle, Nervous System Regulation and Externalising the Brain: practical ways to widen your bandwidth: everything from stress, cortisol, sleep, and gut health; to cutting back on alcohol / caffeine. Plus ADHD‑friendly strategies like “externalising the brain” with lists, structure and support.
🎗️ Diagnosis, Support and Self-Advocacy: why you shouldn’t put your life on hold waiting years for an NHS assessment, the value of ADHD coaching and peer support, and Helen’s core message: “trust your gut… don’t diminish yourself.”
This episode is a validating, science-rooted deep dive for any woman wondering why midlife suddenly feels unmanageable, or whether ADHD and hormones might be part of the story.
Please note Helen was in her busy NHS GP office when this episode was recorded, so you will hear mic knocking, keyboard sounds, and background noise as a result.
Further resources and links:
Follow Helen on Instagram: @doctorhelenwall

Dr Helen Wall’s book Menopause and ADHD: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Menopause-ADHD-neurodivergence-Vermilion-Empowered-ebook/dp/B0FMHWD54R

Find More about Helen’s Work: https://tvhealthdoctor.com/

ADHD AF charity: https://adhdaf.org

ADHD coaching and resources from Claire: https://allaboardadhd.com

Follow Claire on Instagram & TikTok: @allaboardADHD

The views shared in this episode are those of the guest, based on their professional expertise and personal experience. This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, educational, or psychological advice. Please consult a qualified professional for personalised support relevant to your individual circumstances.

How can a late ADHD diagnosis reshape your understanding of your childhood, identity, and future - especially when you’re also navigating queerness, creativity, and being “the hyper kid” who never quite fit the school system?
In this episode of All Aboard ADHD, Claire talks to Dean Quinton - UK broadcaster, radio presenter, Big Brother 2024 housemate, and LGBTQ+ advocate. Newly diagnosed with ADHD at 37, Dean shares how “everything finally clicked into place,” from school struggles and sleepless nights to creative careers, queer identity, and a deep drive to help young people feel seen. Together they discuss:
🧭How Dean first recognised his ADHD: working in a school with SEND students and being affectionately called “obviously ADHD” by both pupils and friends.
🎭His school experience as an undiagnosed child: not sitting still, constant talking, being told “he’s intelligent, but he doesn’t listen”, yet thriving in art, drama and music.
🏷️Internalised labels and adult self‑doubt: how years of being seen as disruptive or lazy turned into feeling “I’m not intelligent enough”, which held him back from jobs and opportunities.
😴Sleep, sensory needs and the ADHD brain at night: lifelong insomnia, racing thoughts, and why background noise like a bedroom fan or ADHD sleep playlists can make all the difference.
🎙️Creativity as a superpower from radio to barbering and beyond: hyperfocus, seeking perfection, being entertaining on air, and refusing to live “in a box” - “I can’t do numbers all day, but I can entertain the masses”.
🏳️‍🌈Queer, neurodivergent and finding your chosen family: Pride, representation, and how being open and authentically you, creates visibility that helps others come out and seek support.
❤️Parenting, education and what kids really need: why love, acceptance and flexible schooling matter more than grades - “You don’t realise how much just loving and accepting that child will change their entire life”.
If you were ever “too much” as a kid, if your child is both neurodivergent and queer, or if you’ve wondered whether a late ADHD diagnosis will help explain your whole life story, Dean’s honest, colourful, and hopeful reflections will leave you feeling seen, and remind you there is nothing wrong with your brain.
Further resources & links
Follow Dean on Instagram @deanquinton 

Youth Charity: It Gets Better UK - positive stories and support for LGBTQ+ young people: https://www.itgetsbetter.org.uk/ 

GlitterBeam Radio - Proud to be Different: https://www.glitterbeam.co.uk/

ADHD coaching and resources from Claire: https://allaboardadhd.com

Follow Claire on Instagram and TikTok: @allaboardADHD

The views shared in this episode are those of the guest, based on their professional expertise and personal experience. This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, educational, or psychological advice. Please consult a qualified professional for personalised support relevant to your individual circumstances.

How are ADHD and hypermobility connected? And what does that mean for our kids’ bodies, brains and behaviour?
In this episode, Claire is joined by Dr Jessica Eccles, Consultant Psychiatrist, Associate Professor in Brain–Body Medicine at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, and award‑winning researcher. Drawing on over 17 years of research, Jessica unpacks:
🤸‍♀️What hypermobility really is: exploring hypermobility as a clue to connective tissue differences affecting joints, gut, blood vessels, lungs, skin & more. 
👀Clues for parents to spot hypermobility early: such as sitting in “the W position”, sway‑back knees, frequent ankle sprains, “clicky hips” & long thin fingers or toes.
😵‍💫Pain, dizziness, POTS & standing in queues: how loose connective tissue affects blood flow, and can cause light‑headedness or palpitations, causing struggles with things like school assemblies, queues & hot showers.
🧬The prevalence of hypermobility in women with ADHD and autism (nearly 70%!) : the fascinating research linking hypermobility with many other conditions, including ADHD, autism and Tourette’s, dizziness, inflammation, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and long Covid.
🌡️The surprising links between hypermobility, emotion regulation, interoception & alexithymia: exploring the connections between the nervous system, difficulty naming feelings (alexithymia), poor interoception (e.g. not noticing hunger) & how this relates to meltdowns & impulsivity.
🏫School, support & reasonable adjustments: why school can be extra hard due to pain, fatigue and dizziness, plus practical ideas to support children.
🌟From “falling apart” to pattern recognition & strengths: helping families see one connected picture instead of “15 separate problems”, and recognising the strengths it brings, such as creativity & unique ways of thinking.
If your child has ADHD and also struggles with tummy troubles, joint pain, clumsiness, dizziness, fatigue, or “mystery” symptoms, this episode may completely reframe how you understand them. It offers a powerful, science‑backed lens on the brain–body connection that could change how you advocate for, and support your child.
Resources & Links
Dr Jesscia Eccles Linktree: https://linktr.ee/bendybrain

Bendy Brain YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BendyBrainDrJessicaEccles 

-Dr Jessica Eccles interview with her mum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3SCSdMMfIo 
-Anxiety and emotional regulation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szH-jEr6SNA&list=PLYbWSKEtwW7cv-IH55EXbI8PtZJ5RlN3H&index=6 
EDS GP Toolkit (for talking with your GP about hypermobility): https://gptoolkit.ehlers-danlos.org/ 

EDS School Toolkit (school‑based support ideas): https://theschooltoolkit.org/ 

SEDS Connective – charity on hypermobility & neurodivergence (Jane Green): https://www.sedsconnective.org/ 

Neurodivergent characteristics predicting emotional regulation problems linked to proprioception: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39005028/ 

Chronic pain and fatigue paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33479064/ 

BBC History of ADHD episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0028997

Jane Green - Alphabet Soup: https://www.instagram.com/p/C7kPEeuOMgB/ 

Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS): https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ehlers-danlos-syndromes/ 

Types of EDS - EDS3 / EDHST /  JHS / BJHS: https://www.ehlers-danlos.org/what-is-eds/information-on-eds/types-of-eds/ 

Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS): https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/postural-tachycardia-syndrome/ 

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS): https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-cfs/ 

The views shared in this episode are those of the guest, based on their professional expertise and personal experience. This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, educational, or psychological advice. Please consult a qualified professional for personalised support relevant to your individual circumstances.