If you have ADHD, were you a massive tomboy as a child?

[Birdsnest20]

Just that, really. I have ADHD (late diagnosis at around 40) and know a few other women ADHD-ers. All of us were tomboys growing up and tend not to be very girly (hate to use that word, but can't think of a better one) as women. I wonder if that's common to women who have ADHD...

Me. Although I'm not hyperactive type.

No, I wasn’t a massive tomboy. Interesting thought though…

Yes! Although I think it is more to do with my ASD than ADHD ie not 'getting' societal expectations and finding it difficult to be included in games / conversations.

I haven’t had a formal diagnosis yet (just been referred for one) but I am interested in this as I always wanted to be a boy when I was young in the 70’s (still would prefer to be male tbh). I just thought boys had better games than girls at the time, like playing Starsky and Hutch and the Sweeney in the playground. I still played with Sindy dolls and skipping, but I think that was more to do with being given dolls as presents due to gender stereotyping.

I have always thought I think like a male at times. I remember in school we had to write a letter for homework as if we were living during WWII and I was the only person in class who wrote from the perspective of the opposite sex (mine was a letter from a soldier on the frontline to his mum) all the other girls wrote as females and the boys as males.

Yep total tomboy. No interest in dolls etc. Not a speck.

Yes.

Yes definitely

Yep!

This is pretty much what I was going to say.

Yes.

This is interesting!
I have adhd and am the ‘girliest’ woman ever. I was always a really ‘girly girl’ as a child too.
I have inattentive adhd but when I was diagnosed the psychiatrist reported that as a child I likely had both inattentive and hyperactive type adhd.

No. Not at all. I am the epitome of a feminine pink girly girl. Always loved barbies and bows and pretty things. Still do 🤣

Aspergers not ADHD but yes I was and I still am. Also hetero and perfectly OK with being a female sexed woman who has been ignoring imposed gender conventions of apparel since I was six.

Not a tomboy, but not girly either (except for some brief hyperfixations on aspects of girlyness) and always struggled to do girl things like makeup and hair which I attribute to both a lack of interest and executive dysfunction. Often more comfortable being around boys. Not many close female friends.

Yes as is DD. Neither of us interested in dolls and imaginary play. Want to be active, running about. In the 70s girls were given Barbie, Cindy, girls world etc Zero interest. Lego was ok.
DD would build stuff but never actually play with it

I'm both autistic and have combined-type ADHD- I wasn't so much a 'tomboy' growing up as not especially into either side of the gendered-play spectrum. Nor was I particularly aware of gendered expectations and stereotypes, growing up in a family of other ND people with similar thoughts and feelings. As an adult I identify as non-binary

I have ADHD and was a complete tomboy to the extent that I would have almost certainly have been considered "trans". Thankfully this was the 1990s so that wasn't a thing. Once I hit puberty I did become less boyish (I stopped refusing to wear "girls'" shoes for example), but I think that was more societal pressures than anything else. I hated imaginary play and loved Lego and Meccano too.

I (ADD/ADHD) think I was more a feminist than a tomboy. And I was raised by a mother and father who didn't value 'frivolous girlie things' thru valued education and hard work. We were a very active very practical household.
So I guess an outsider would have thought I was a tomboy, but I would have loved a Barbie and pretty clothes and long hair etc.

I'm very feminine looking now due to my genetics, but rarely dress for the male gaze, so even though I don't consider myself girlie at all, I don't look like a tomboy at all.

Yes I was called a tomboy.

But as an adult I'm quite feminine in appearance. Wear pink, girly stuff etc.

No, I was quite girly and loved pink dresses and dolls but also outdoorsey and loved animals, climbing trees etc.

Was raised very much against gender stereotypes btw, this came from me (or peers).

Yes, I am hyperactive type. Only recently realised I have ADHD, always felt different. Most of my friends as a child were boys. I wasn’t girly at all, loved playing football with the boys, loved climbing trees and getting muddy and always had grazed a bruised knees. Hated anything remotely girly (dresses, Barbie, my little pony).

As an adult I still mainly have male friends and once a male friend commented that I acted like a male because I say what I am thinking (can be quite crude and to the point), he said I was like ‘one of the lads’. I do think being ND makes me talk without thinking, I often offend people (mainly women), men seem to find it funny. I feel I have a feminine side, I occasionally like to wear make up and dress up but over all I prefer comfortable clothes. I struggle to make female friends, I probably only have 2 and I don’t feel that close to them.

No. I found boys too silly and rough and most of the stereotypical boy interests boring (except computer games). However I've never been into hair/makeup/fashion/pink frilly dresses.

Purple though? Glitter? Rainbows?? Yes please

I do have more female friends as an adult/teen but most of them are neurodiverse!