Dr. Shawn Horn, PsyD

01/29/2026

I recently had the opportunity to attend the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders conference in San Diego—and it was four days of deep, evidence-based learning that directly impacts how I care for ADHD clients.

APSARD is dedicated to improving the quality of care for individuals with ADHD across the lifespan. This is where research is shared before it reaches textbooks—and where clinicians recalibrate what they think they know.

At APSARD:

• ADHD diagnostic criteria are debated and refined

• Medication research is presented early

• Comorbidities like trauma, autism, mood disorders, and substance use are clarified

This matters because ADHD is still widely misunderstood—even by clinicians.

Many providers were trained using childhood-centric models, behavior-only frameworks, or tests that don’t reflect real-world impairment.

APSARD directly addresses why ADHD is a performance disorder—not a motivation problem—and why executive function collapses under stress, even when someone “knows what to do.”

Attending conferences like this improves diagnostic accuracy, ethical care, and real-world outcomes. It reduces misdiagnosis, minimizes shame, and leads to more targeted, compassionate treatment.

This isn’t about being “more informed.”
It’s about being less harmful—and more effective.

I can’t wait to share what I learned. Stay tuned. 💙

Teaser: Many people are told they need expensive neuropsych testing to diagnose ADHD—but research says otherwise.

In most cases, ADHD can be accurately diagnosed without full neuropsych testing.
Stay tuned—this could save you a lot of unnecessary cost and confusion.

💜Dr. Shawn

01/28/2026

Being vulnerable here to share something that’s hard.

I grew up in San Diego, where being in the sun was just part of life and a sunburn was just another Monday. It wasn’t until decades later that the sun exposures harmful effects surfaced.

This redness, irritation, and inflammation is from a prescription cream called fluorouracil/Calcipotriene. I use it annually to treat areas of sun damage and precancerous skin on my face.

This medication targets and destroys abnormal, fast-growing skin cells—especially those damaged by years of sun exposure—while allowing healthy skin to regenerate. The reaction you’re seeing isn’t a side effect… it’s the treatment doing its job.

And yes—this treatment hurts.

It burns. My skin feels raw and tender. It’s uncomfortable and highly visible. This is not a “cute skincare moment” or cosmetic.

It is preventative care.

It helps clear precancerous cells before they become something far more serious. When the healing phase is complete, my skin is healthier—and my long-term risk is lower.

I’m sharing this because sun damage doesn’t always look dramatic until it’s treated—and because prevention often looks worse before it looks better.

If this post prompts you to schedule a skin check, ask questions, or take your own prevention seriously, then it’s worth showing the hard part.

Taking care of your future self sometimes means choosing an uncomfortable season on purpose.

This is what that looks like for me.

Hope this is a good reminder to go get your skin checked and protect your skin! Your future self will thank you!

💜 Dr. Shawn

(This treatment was prescribed specifically for me—always consult your dermatologist about what’s right for your skin.)

01/28/2026

https://youtube.com/shorts/CNDRsc1lfes?si=sRbACIlSSB3nlXwD

Janet McNamara's album, "Not Smart Enough" releases 1/22/26!

01/23/2026

🚨Neuroception 🚨

Neuroception is the nervous system’s automatic, unconscious process of scanning for safety, danger, or threat—without using conscious thought.

Coined by Stephen Porges, and described in his poly vagal theory, neuroception explains why your body can react (calm, anxious, defensive, shut down) before your mind knows why.

In short: your nervous system decides “Am I safe?” faster than your brain can think about it.

To learn more read Thrive Socially with Adult ADHD (available where books are sold).

💜 Dr. Shawn

01/22/2026

This video introduces the vagus nerve — one of the most important pathways of the nervous system.
The vagus nerve plays a central role in how your body and brain communicate about safety. It helps determine whether your system can rest, connect, and stay regulated — or whether it needs to shift into survival modes like fight, flight, or shutdown.
Understanding the central role and function of the vagus nerve helps explain why emotional regulation, connection, and clear thinking disappear under stress.
This is especially important in ADHD.
n ADHD, we often say it’s a disorder of performance, not knowledge. You usually know what to do — but when the nervous system is activated into survival, it becomes harder to access the thinking brain and executive functioning.
That’s the missing link.
Before we can improve executive functioning, build better connections, and be able to use our skills (like use social skills), we have to support emotional and nervous system regulation first.
This is the foundation of my book, Thrive Socially with Adult ADHD. I integrate polyvagal theory, shame-free neuroscience, and social executive functioning to help people work with their nervous system so they can improve emotion regulation and be able to apply what they know when it counts.
Who you are is not the problem.
Your nervous system is doing exactly what it was designed to do — help you survive.
And When you understand how your nervous system works, it becomes easier to shift from–
A shame-based story–“What’s wrong with me?” → to a shame-free nervous system story→“This is what’s happening in my body right now.”.
Polyvagal theory To learn more, read “Thrive Socially with Adult ADHD,” whether you have ADHD or not, this book offers a compassionate framework — and practical tools — to help us down-regulate, restore safety, and build healthier, more connected relationships.
Available on Amazon, New Harbinger Press, or wherever books are sold.
🎥 original video

12/12/2025

Wisdom for radical living💫

🌟Which one stood out to you?

🌟What Wisdom/principle would you add?

💜Dr. Shawn

12/01/2025

Audible version of “Thrive Socially with Adult ADHD” is now LIVE!

Check out this great listen on Audible.com. If you have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you may have trouble building and maintaining relationships. Social pressures may send you spiraling into fits of chaotic thought and speech, or feelings of shame and low self-esteem. You aren'.....

11/29/2025

Check out this episode!

Ever wonder if you might have ADHD but dismissed it because you did well in school? Or maybe you're exhausted from working three times as hard as everyone el...

11/25/2025

Please send me your pic with my book, “Thrive Socially with Adult ADHD,” if you would like to be included on a post!

Also, send your questions for an upcoming Q &A!

Don’t forget to write an Amazon review! They all help with getting the message out!

I’m so excited for you to read it and hear what your thoughts are about the content!

💜Dr. Shawn

11/21/2025

How’s your patience today? 😅

🧠 Emotion regulation and inhibition are actual executive functions—not a moral issue, not a willpower issue.
Some days we’re steady… and some days one tiny inconvenience takes us OUT.

When you’re sleep-deprived, juggling too many balls, hungry, overstimulated, or your working memory keeps getting interrupted, your brain has fewer resources available for self-control.

So when you or your kids “lose it,” remember:
It’s not a character flaw—
It’s a capacity issue. 💛

Remember education is the first step to intervention and when we know the neuroscience behind our experiences it helps us transform the shame-based personal narratives to a shame-free nervous system narrative.

➡️ To learn more about your nervous system regulation and executive functioning check out my new book:

💫 Thrive Socially with Adult ADHD 💫

available now where ever books are sold.

💜 Dr. Shawn

🎥➡️ with

11/16/2025

To all the Unicorns in a Donkey world….I celebrate YOU today!!!

💜 Dr. Shawn






🎥

11/15/2025

Attending the International Conference on ADHD 2025 here in Kansas City, hosted by ACO, ADDA, and CHADD.

The theme—Connect, Learn, THRIVE—captures exactly what this weekend has been.

There’s nothing like being in a completely neuroaffirming space with others who share the same passion:

✨ empowering the ADHD community
✨ advocating for better understanding
✨ connecting with compassion
✨ educating with evidence-based hope

Grateful for the conversations, the learning, the laughter, and the sense of belonging.

💜 Dr. Shawn