From Struggle to Strength
Diagnosed with ADD at age 10, Marissa Teo endured years of bullying, isolation, and self-doubt before discovering her strengths. With support from her mother, teachers, and creative outlets, she learned to reframe impulsivity into courage and resilience. Today, Marissa is a Multi-modal Creative Arts Therapist and Educator, using her lived experience to support youth and adults with ADHD. Her story is one of healing childhood trauma and transforming challenges into purpose.
Quotes
“ADHD is kind of like a superpower. You just have to know how to manage your power. Not knowing results in all kinds of disasters. Knowing and understanding your unique ADHD — now THAT unlocks talent.”
“Living with ADHD also means being kind to myself when things don’t go perfectly. I’ve learned that setbacks don’t erase progress, and that resilience comes from forgiving myself as much as from pushing ahead”
Early Struggles
I was diagnosed with ADD in Primary 4, when I was 10 years old. At that time, ADHD without hyperactivity was less recognised, and the label didn’t mean much to me beyond more challenges ahead.
Before diagnosis, school was a struggle. I got into trouble for impulsive behaviour, poor working memory, and smart retorts that slipped out without a filter. I forgot repetitive tasks, appeared unkempt, and was often disliked by teachers and peers. The bullying and punishments left me traumatised for decades. I dreaded school and felt like I never measured up.
Turning Points
After diagnosis, not much changed overnight. My mother didn’t approve of medication, so she left her job to coach me herself. She even went back to school to study psychology, focusing on how to support a child with ADD. It was tough work — full of painful mental exercises that triggered migraines — but it laid the foundation for improvement.
The real turning point came in secondary school, when I moved to a neighbourhood school. There, teachers never shamed me. They knew how to handle behaviours like mine. Combined with my mother’s relentless coaching, I slowly came out of my shell.
My parents also encouraged me to take drama and music classes, de-emphasising academics. Having outlets for my creativity helped me thrive. Drama gave me the chance to express myself freely, while music channelled my energy in positive ways. These activities built confidence I had never known in primary school.
I also began volunteering in the community from a young age. That broadened my worldview and showed me how neurodiversity played out in real lives. Those experiences planted the seeds for the work I do today.
Discovering Strengths
Impulsivity, once framed as a flaw, has become one of my greatest strengths. It pushes me to take leaps without overthinking. It was this sense of fearlessness and impulsivity that landed me at the doorstep of my school, The MIECAT Institute, to register to be a Multi-modal Creative Arts Therapist. I flew to Melbourne unannounced, knocked on their door, and signed up.
That same impulsivity also gave me the drive to start a social enterprise, later turned non-profit, which I ran for six years to provide arts-based therapy for underprivileged youth. Looking back, I can’t quite believe I did all that — but it shows how ADHD, reframed, can unlock talent.
Daily Strategies
Even now, working memory and attention to detail are challenges. To cope, I ask myself simple grounding questions like, “What were you doing before this, and was it completed?” I’ve built my own systems and timelines and learned not to let anyone tell me I’m “not enough.”
I attend therapy regularly to process the trauma from primary school. It helps me manage anxiety and silence the constant questioning of whether I am “normal and efficient enough.” Therapy allows me to move forward rather than live in the past.
Living with ADHD also means being kind to myself when things don’t go perfectly. I’ve learned that setbacks don’t erase progress, and that resilience comes from forgiving myself as much as from pushing ahead.
Reflections
If I could advise my younger self, I’d say: “Disregard what the adults told you, it was them who didn’t know, not you. It was not and has never been your fault.”
Find and cherish people who love you. You are talented, creative, resourceful, and resilient. You will learn to love life on your own terms. And one practical tip? That notebook you keep losing will never work. When you get your first phone, set reminders and alarms — they’ll change your life.
ADHD is kind of like a superpower. You just have to know how to manage your power. Knowing and understanding your unique ADHD — now THAT unlocks talent
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