A Cultural & Ethical ADHD Assessment Framework for Women of Color

ADHD in women, particularly women of color, is a cultural, biological, social, and systemic phenomenon. Culturally, stigma and gendered expectations drive late or missed diagnoses. Biologically, hormonal shifts profoundly alter symptom severity. Socially, caregiving and professional demands amplify daily executive load. Systemically, women of color face the sharpest end of diagnostic bias, structural neglect, and healthcare exclusion. This presentation reframes how these converging forces define symptom presentation, family understanding, diagnostic acceptance and treatment openness, so a clinician can provide ethically-informed equitable and affirming care.

Participants will be able to:

• Analyze how systemic diagnostic disparities fuel ADHD misdiagnosis in women of color.
• Differentiate culturally adaptive coping from core ADHD symptoms.
• Co-create strengths-based care plans with clients and their networks, honoring ethical autonomy, informed consent, and beneficence.

Speaker: Sonia Syed Rehman, PhD, is a neuropsychologist serving individuals across all life stages. With expertise in neuropsychological assessment, counseling, addiction, and integrated care, she helps individuals identify their unique strengths and build on them for lasting success. A recipient of national awards and a published scholar, her professional mission is rooted in dismantling barriers to care, ensuring that language, culture, disability, or other factors never stand in the way of high-quality, affirming healthcare for diverse communities.