ADHD in Elderly: Distinguishing Symptoms and Effective Management

Parenting doesn’t come with a manual, and this is even more true for those of us with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s a journey packed with rewards, yes, but it’s also one requiring patience and skill. 😑But here’s the good news: not only can you be a good parent with ADHD, you can be a great one. 🥰

Each day is a new adventure, filled with some moments that test your patience and others that fill your heart to the brim. 😍

The highs of parenting with ADHD can be extraordinary, offering moments of profound connection and creativity that might not be experienced in quite the same way otherwise. Your ability to think outside the box, your boundless energy, and your unique perspective on the world can make for memorable adventures, spontaneous fun, and deeply heartfelt conversations. 

It’s these moments that remind you why this journey is so incredibly worth it. 💕

In saying that, it’s not always smooth sailing. Although being a parent is, of course, a blessing, the way in which our brain is wired can set us up against challenges that, while neurotypical parents might also face, can be extra tricky for us neurodivergent parents. 😬
Sensory Sensitivity: An additional challenge for parents with ADHD, sensory sensitivity makes ordinary sounds, textures, and sights potentially overwhelming. This can lead to leaving noisy events early, feeling overstimulated by frequent touch, or becoming overwhelmed by bright lights. It subtly impacts various aspects of parenting and family life, possibly contributing to feelings of burnout and self-doubt. 😥

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Dr. June Dennehy

Specialty

Chartered Psychologist

Experience

9 years

PSI Registration

M12722C

Dr. June Dennehy

About the Clinician

Doctorate | Senior Behaviour Support Specialist

Dr. June Dennehy is a doctoral-level psychologist and behaviour support specialist with a background spanning neurodevelopmental assessment and applied behavioural practice. She has worked as a Senior Behaviour Support Specialist at Resilience Healthcare, where her work has focused on the clinical support of individuals with neurodevelopmental and intellectual disabilities.
Her expertise sits at the intersection of behaviour analysis, psychological assessment, and neurodevelopmental profiling, an integrated skillset that translates directly into rigorous and formulation-rich ADHD and ASD evaluations. Dr. Dennehy brings considerable experience in understanding complex behavioural presentations within a neurodevelopmental framework, equipping her to support clients who present with layered, multi-factorial profiles.

Dr. Marcello Massaro

Specialty

Chartered Psychologist

Experience

22 years

PSI Registration

M7281C

Dr. Marcello Massaro

About the Clinician

Areas of Expertise / Services:

Marcello Massaro is a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist based in Dublin, and a chartered registered member of the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI). He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Clinical and Community Psychology from the University of Urbino ‘Carlo Bo’ (Italy), a Post-Graduate Qualification in Clinical Psychopathology (Phenomenological Model) from the same institution, and a Master of Arts in Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy from Independent Colleges Dublin. He has also completed a Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy at City Colleges Dublin (PSI-accredited) and a Certificate in Health and Wellness Coaching from the IHS Institute of Health Sciences.

Marcello’s clinical training has been shaped by a genuine interdisciplinary curiosity, spanning psychology, philosophy, and neuroscience, and he draws on a range of therapeutic modalities including Schema Therapy, psychodynamic approaches, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Humanistic and Positive Psychology, Gestalt Therapy, and Attachment Theory. His practice is guided by a formulation-led, individualised approach that attends to each client’s unique symptom profile rather than reducing presentations to diagnostic labels.

Beyond his clinical practice, Marcello has volunteered with a number of Irish mental health organisations, working in the areas of suicide prevention, bereavement counselling, depression, and eating disorders. He brings to his assessment work a particular sensitivity to the psychological complexity that often accompanies neurodevelopmental profiles.

Marcello works in English and Italian.

Adson Aquino

Specialty

Clinical Psychologist

Experience

5 years

PSI Registration

M13413

Adson Aquino

About the Clinician

Areas of Expertise / Services:

Adson Aquino is a psychologist and psychotherapist originally from Brazil, now based in Ireland. He has been working with clients in Ireland since 2019, providing psychological support in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. His clinical approach is person-centred and rooted in Existential Therapy, with a particular emphasis on Daseinsanalysis, a modality he pursues with considerable depth and commitment.

Adson holds specialist training in the assessment and diagnosis of adult ADHD, certified through UKAAN (UK Adult ADHD Network), one of the leading bodies for evidence-based ADHD assessment training in the UK and Ireland. This training positions him to deliver thorough, clinically-informed ADHD evaluations with a strong understanding of how ADHD presents across the adult lifespan.

He is a member of the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI). Adson is fluent in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, making him particularly accessible to multilingual and expatriate clients navigating neurodevelopmental assessments.

Thomaz Lopes

Specialty

Clinical Psychologist

Experience

10 years

PSI Registration

M8899

Thomaz Lopes

About the Clinician

Areas of Expertise / Services:

Thomaz Lopes is a psychologist and psychotherapist with over a decade of clinical and organisational experience across Brazil, Portugal, and Ireland. He holds an MSc in Applied Behaviour Analysis from Queen’s University Belfast, a BSc in Psychology from the University of Jaguariúna, Brazil, and a Post-Graduate qualification in Workplace Wellness from Trinity College Dublin. He is an active member of the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI), the Federal Council of Psychology of Brazil (CFP), and the American Psychological Association (APA).

Thomaz specialises in the assessment of ADHD, ASD, and AuDHD (co-occurring Autism and ADHD), holding certifications from UKAAN (UK) and the Sunfield Institute (USA). His academic foundation in Applied Behaviour Analysis directly informs his neurodevelopmental assessment work, providing a rigorous, evidence-based framework for understanding behaviour, identifying functional profiles, and formulating meaningful, actionable recommendations.

His clinical practice draws on CBT, Solution-Focused Therapy, and ABA principles, and extends to individual and group psychotherapy, career coaching, and wellbeing consultation. Thomaz has also held a Corporate Lead Psychologist role in which he oversaw clinical service delivery across North America, Asia, and Europe, providing clinical supervision and mentorship to a global multidisciplinary team. He has delivered psychoeducation workshops on resilience, stress management, mindfulness, and career development across Brazil, Portugal, and Ireland.

Thomaz conducts assessments and therapy in English and Portuguese.

Dr. Natalia Putrino

Specialty

Chartered Psychologist

Experience

5 years

PSI Registration

M12722C

Dr. Natalia Putrino

About the Clinician

Areas of Expertise / Services:

Dr. Natalia Putrino is a Chartered Counselling Psychologist registered with the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI), and is currently undertaking the validation of her qualifications as a Clinical Psychologist in Ireland. She holds a PhD in Psychology and is a member of the Society for Psychotherapy Research (SPR), from which she received the prestigious International Student Award in 2018 for her outstanding doctoral research.

Natalia brings over a decade of international research experience, having collaborated with teams across Argentina, Ireland, Italy, Germany, and Chile in the fields of psychotherapy research, neuroscience, and behavioural science. As part of her qualification validation in Ireland, she has completed clinical placements within the HSE in both Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and Adult Mental Health Services.

Her clinical areas of expertise include ADHD, emotional dysregulation, depression, anxiety, panic, low self-esteem, and relationship difficulties. She integrates Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and mindfulness-based approaches into her practice, with particular proficiency in DBT-informed work with emotional regulation difficulties. She adopts a positive psychology framework, focusing on clients’ strengths as a pathway to resilience and functional improvement.

In addition to her clinical practice, Natalia lectures across several colleges in Ireland and serves as a Psychology Supervisor for the Human and Social Sciences programmes at Dublin Business School (DBS). She also continues active research collaboration with a team at the University of Buenos Aires. She conducts assessments and therapy in English and Spanish.

Dr. Renata Oliveira

Specialty

Chartered Psychologist

Experience

10 years

PSI Registration

M10377C

Dr. Renata Oliveira

About the Clinician

Areas of Expertise / Services:

Renata Fernandes de Oliveira is one of Ireland’s most comprehensively credentialed psychologists, holding three chartered designations from the Psychological Society of Ireland: Chartered Psychologist, Chartered Counselling Psychologist, and Chartered Forensic Psychologist. She currently serves as a Board Member of the PSI Division of Forensic Psychology.

Renata’s academic formation is extensive. She completed her Bachelor’s in Psychology at the University of Saint Ursula, her Master’s in Criminal Sciences and Law at the University of Coimbra, and her PhD in Psychology at the University of Minho. She subsequently completed two post-doctoral research periods at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, one at the Institute of Psychology (focusing on criminology and mental health) and another at the Institute of Psychiatry (focusing on stigma, madness, and dangerousness). During both post-doctoral periods, she lectured across multiple undergraduate and postgraduate courses and worked clinically as part of a multidisciplinary team at the Day Hospital of the Institute of Psychiatry.

Her clinical work spans a wide range of presentations, including psychosis, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, personality disorders, trauma, and self-harm. Her therapeutic approach draws primarily on Analytical Psychology as developed by Carl Gustav Jung, incorporating Dream Analysis, Expressive Arts Therapy, and Sandplay Therapy. She brings to her neurodevelopmental assessment work a depth of formulation capability grounded in her research background in psychiatry and complex mental health presentations.

Renata works in English and Portuguese.

Dr. Paulo Carvalho

Specialty

Clinical Director, Consultant Psychiatrist

Experience

6 years

NMBI Registration

519613

Dr. Paulo Carvalho

About the Clinician

Areas of Expertise / Services:

Education & Professional Achievements