Phoebe Gates appears to have revealed that her father, Bill Gates, has “Asperger’s syndrome.”

During this week’s episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, host Alex Cooper asked the 22-year-old daughter of the billionaire Microsoft co-founder what her experience has been with bringing men home to her dad.

Her response: “For the guy, terrifying. For me, it’s hilarious because my dad’s pretty socially awkward. Like he’s said before, he has Asperger’s. So, like to me, it’s so funny.”

The 69-year-old software engineer has never spoken publicly about having Asperger’s syndrome, a diagnosis previously given to some autistic people. The term has since been merged with other conditions into autism spectrum disorder (ASD). People with ASD may experience social and communication difficulties, obsessive interests, and repetitive behaviors.

Why autism may not be on a ‘spectrum’ after all
The idea of a single autism spectrum, stretching from mild to severe, may be misleading
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/autism-spectrum-test-aspergers-diagnosis-b2950846.html?fbclid=IwdGRjcARAMEJjbGNrBEAwLWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHhnPk4D1pG4S5PEU-SYHUckxTnLqTZcNuGbvzk5LHfAuDCngJHwFnTNqy-pt_aem_YqHc5gjS2nZuh_YGNPCC0Q&test_group=lighteradlayout

The phrases “autism spectrum” or “on the spectrum” have become part of everyday language. They are often used as different ways of referring to someone who is “neurodivergent”.

The term was coined in the 1980s by psychiatrist Dr Lorna Wing, whose work transformed how autism was understood in the UK. At the time, her “autism spectrum” concept was groundbreaking. Instead of seeing autism as a rare, narrowly defined condition, she recognised a wide range of traits and experiences.

But the idea of a single spectrum, which stretches from “mild” to “severe”, may be misleading. And some autism experts, including me, argue the term has outlived its usefulness.

When most people hear the word “spectrum”, they may picture a straight line, like colours arranged from red to violet. Applied to autism, this suggests autistic people can be ranked from “more autistic” to “less autistic”. But that’s not how autism works.

Autism is made up of many different traits and needs, which show up in unique combinations. Some autistic people rely heavily on routine, while others find comfort in repetitive movements known as “stimming”. And some have an intense focus on particular topics, a concept researchers call “monotropism”.

There are also known links with physical conditions such as hypermobility. Because autism is made up of all these different elements, there can be no single line on which every autistic person is placed.

Attempts to draw boundaries still persist, however. The American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic manual divides autism into three “levels” based on the amount of support a person is judged to need. They run from level 1 “requiring support”, to level 2 “requiring substantial support” and level 3 “requiring very substantial support”.

But there is research that argues these levels are vague and inconsistently applied. They don’t always reflect someone’s real-world experiences.

Life circumstances can also change a person’s needs. An autistic person who usually copes well may experience “burnout” and have an accompanying increase in support needs if their needs have been unmet for a long time.

More recently, the label “profound autism” has been suggested by the Lancet commission – an international group of experts – for autistic people with learning disabilities or high support needs. But other experts say the phrase is unhelpful because it tells us nothing about a person’s particular challenges or the type of support they require.

The legacy of Asperger’s
Dr Lorna Wing also introduced the term “Asperger’s syndrome” to the UK. Like the concept “profound autism”, using this term also divided autistic people into those with higher support needs and those with Asperger’s syndrome (lower support needs).

However, the label was drawn from the name of Austrian physician Hans Asperger, who in the 1940s identified a subgroup of children he called “autistic psychopaths”. During the Nazi period, Asperger was associated with the genocide of autistic people with higher support needs. For this reason, many autistic people don’t use the term any more, even if that is what they were originally diagnosed with.

Underlying all these debates is a deeper concern that dividing autistic people into categories, or arranging them on a spectrum, can slip into judgments about their value to society. In the most extreme form, such hierarchies risk dehumanising those with higher support needs. It’s something some autistic campaigners warn could fuel harmful political agendas.

In the worst case, those judged as less useful for society become vulnerable to future genocides. This may seem far-fetched, but the political direction in the US, for example, is very worrying to many autistic people.

Recently, US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior, said that he was going to “confront the nation’s (autism) epidemic”. So far, this has included strongly refuted claims that paracetamol use in pregnancy is linked to autism in children, urging pregnant women to avoid the painkiller.

Often people use the term “autism spectrum” or “on the spectrum” as a way of avoiding saying that somebody is autistic.

Many autistic adults prefer the words “autism” and “autistic” directly. Autism is not a scale of severity but a way of being. It’s a difference rather than a defect.

Language will never capture every nuance, but words shape how society treats autistic people. Moving away from the idea of a single spectrum could be a step towards recognising autism in all its diversity, and valuing autistic people as they are.

“Just make a list.”

The revolutionary piece of advice we hear all the time. Another good one is “build good habits and routines.” Suddenly, every ADHDer on the planet has been cured!

The internet is filled with more and less helpful tips for hacking ADHD and productivity. One of the themes of Nordic Business Forum 2026 is performance, so I am sharing my personal two cents on the topic as a Gen Z ADHDer who has had to learn a lot over the past few years, the beginning of my career. The following tips are based on personal experience, advice from professionals, discussions on the internet, credible and less credible sources I’ve encountered over the years, and, most importantly, some things I wish someone had told me when I first began my career.

https://www.iflscience.com/adhd-meds-used-by-millions-of-kids-and-adults-dont-work-the-way-we-thought-they-did-82047?fbclid=IwdGRjcAP_CONjbGNrA_8IoWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHlhY-XP9WjfG5sJRm5jrmxDGjfFLnAS2Kr2lBYxL8WpP8m673C3UBtggswNw_aem_cs6bMU3k8TVDqlVg4hueoA

Stimulant drugs that are widely used in the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have a different mechanism of action than scientists thought. New data reveals these drugs primarily act on the brain’s reward and wakefulness areas, rather than the regions specifically focused on attention as had previously been assumed.

“I prescribe a lot of stimulants as a child neurologist, and I’ve always been taught that they facilitate attention systems to give people more voluntary control over what they pay attention to,” said assistant professor of neurology Benjamin Kay, MD, PhD, in a statement.

However, a new study from Kay and coauthors is casting doubt on this long-held presumption.

What the team saw in both the children and adults were changes in brain connectivity in the wakefulness and reward centers of the brain, activated by the medication – not, as might have been expected, the attention centers.

These adults had their brains scanned before and after taking a dose of methylphenidate, the active ingredient in Ritalin.

Kay explained that “the improvement we observe in attention is a secondary effect of a child being more alert and finding a task more rewarding, which naturally helps them pay more attention to it.”

“These results also provide a potential explanation for how stimulants treat hyperactivity, which previously seemed paradoxical,” added coauthor and professor of neurology Nico U. Dosenbach, MD, PhD. Although drugs like Ritalin are often misused by those who think of them as “study” or “smart” drugs, it’s a confusing reality that these medications cause people without ADHD to become overstimulated, erratic, and less able to focus – whereas they have pretty much the opposite effect when used in ADHD treatment.

“Whatever kids can’t focus on – those tasks that make them fidgety – are tasks that they find unrewarding. On a stimulant, they can sit still better because they’re not getting up to find something better to do,” said Dosenbach.

Further research revealed that the children with the most severe ADHD symptoms showed the greatest improvements in cognitive test scores after taking the medications. Prescription meds could also counteract the effects of not getting enough sleep in the kids with ADHD, but not in neurotypical kids (who were taking the drugs for unrelated reasons). This is important to note, because people with ADHD often experience sleep disorders as well.

“We saw that if a participant didn’t sleep enough, but they took a stimulant, the brain signature of insufficient sleep was erased, as were the associated behavioral and cognitive decrements,” said Dosenbach.

This is not actually great news, Kay explained, as the effects of sleep deprivation may be masked by medication, meaning that kids are still at risk of long-term health consequences from chronic sleeplessness.

“Not getting enough sleep is always bad for you, and it’s especially bad for kids,”

Some recent research suggests that up to 25 percent of US adults believe they may have ADHD. As awareness of neurodiversity increases and more people seek diagnosis and treatment, improving scientific understanding of how these treatments work can only be a good thing.

“Just make a list.”

The revolutionary piece of advice we hear all the time. Another good one is “build good habits and routines.” Suddenly, every ADHDer on the planet has been cured!

The internet is filled with more and less helpful tips for hacking ADHD and productivity. One of the themes of Nordic Business Forum 2026 is performance, so I am sharing my personal two cents on the topic as a Gen Z ADHDer who has had to learn a lot over the past few years, the beginning of my career. The following tips are based on personal experience, advice from professionals, discussions on the internet, credible and less credible sources I’ve encountered over the years, and, most importantly, some things I wish someone had told me when I first began my career.

ADHD and Motivation
“Just do it” doesn’t cut it with ADHDers. Before I get to my tips, it’s important to share a few words about what ADHD is and why this type of advice doesn’t work. The challenges that ADHD adults face have to do with both inattention and hyperactivity. These bring issues with executive dysfunction, emotional regulation, and motivation, which can impact our ability to work consistently, meet deadlines, communicate effectively, etc.

The way an ADHD brain works is generally misunderstood, and the advice we are given rarely touches upon the root of the issues we face. It’s easy to make a list, plan your day, set alarms, but what about doing those things is supposed to get us to do the thing we planned? It is the process of turning our plan into reality that often becomes the biggest struggle.

This is because the ADHD brain is motivated differently than that of neurotypicals. Completing an item on a to-do list isn’t sufficient motivation at all. Disruptions in the neural pathways associated with dopamine make it more difficult to perceive rewards, especially long-term ones. This can lead to a stronger pull toward new, stimulating tasks, difficulty sticking with repetitive chores, and feeling overwhelmed when organizing a lot of information.

A “Disorder” or A “Superpower”
ADHD is categorized as a neurodevelopmental disorder. At the same time, there is talk about ADHD as a “superpower,” and while it might help us in some areas, that isn’t a very helpful narrative either.

If there’s something I can change, I should, and if there’s something I can’t change, I need to approach it differently.

Tip 1: Don’t Plan and Execute on The Same Day
This is a personal observation on ADHD planning and task paralysis that I hope will help others as well. When the ADHD brain makes a plan and gets excited about whatever it is you’re planning, you are, essentially, using the energy and inspiration for creating the plan, leaving none for the actual execution. After the detailed outline of what you’re supposed to do is done and you try to start doing it, your brain goes: “But, we already did it. Why should we do it again?”

That’s why I schedule time separately for thinking and planning what I’m supposed to do, and for executing my plan on another day.

Tip 2: Start Doing Something
Anything. Anything is better than nothing. Open a document and type random letters or stand up and scream.

This is related to ADHD paralysis again, and some of the tips given to us already in primary school have actually worked against us. We’ve been told to start with the most challenging task, making it easier to move on to the easier ones afterward, and ensuring we use our best focus on what most needs it. This absolutely does not work for most neurodivergents, as we need momentum to build before tackling the tasks we find difficult.

Trick your brain into starting by doing something easy and enjoyable, even if it’s only remotely related. Tell yourself that the thing doesn’t have to get entirely done right now and that half-assed is better than having nothing at all. Distract yourself by doing something more fun at the same time, before moving your focus to the task as you gain momentum. Do anything but stay still and stare into the void.

Tip 3: Don’t Stop
You started doing something—amazing! Now, whatever you do, DON’T STOP.

When you finally get to that place of flow or even hyperfocus, make use of it. Even if your colleagues are going out for lunch, if you feel you’ve entered a state of focus, don’t go with them.

Breaks are important to keep you fed and hydrated, but they shouldn’t be so long that they take you out of the state of focus.

Tip 4: Fidgeting is FINE
If you often sit in a meeting feeling like fire ants are consuming your body, screaming inside, and trying to keep a straight face, know that fidgeting or stimming is a much better alternative. Movement is your nervous system’s way of regulating itself and staying in the moment.

Tip 5: Mind Your Stimulation Level
The beautiful thing about neurodivergence is that we can easily be either overstimulated or understimulated, and both states make things difficult. If you continuously ignore how you’re feeling and force yourself to do things in either state, you often end up making things worse. Tomorrow, it will be even more difficult.

ADHD understimulation occurs when your brain doesn’t receive enough interesting input, so it feels dull, itchy, or hard to “turn on” even when you want to do something. ADHD overstimulation is the opposite: there’s too much input (noise, demands, choices, emotions), and your brain feels flooded, like it can’t filter anything, so you get overwhelmed or shut down.

Tip 6: Stop Trying to Be Something You’re Not
“Just do it” doesn’t work. I know you wish it would. And even though it never does, you keep hoping that the next time it definitely will. You see the people around you being able to do it. Why can’t I?

Tip 7: Ask for the Help You Need
A wise friend of mine recently told me, “You are not selfish for asking for the things you need.” Even though it’s important to prioritize yourself and find the things that work for you, we don’t exist on this earth alone. We don’t need to do things alone, we shouldn’t, and most of the time we can’t. And that is okay. It’s kind of great, actually.

Be open about what is different about you and what helps you perform. Discuss with your colleagues what could be done to improve things, while also taking into account the needs of others. Just having body doubles and accountability buddies can help a lot, too.

Tip 8: Sleep
So simple and yet so difficult. Among the many things that come with ADHD, sleep has been one of the biggest struggles for me. And I’m not alone, since sleep issues and disorders are regrettably common for people with ADHD.

Bonus Tip: Make A List of Your Tips to Share with Others

For many parents, prying a teenager’s eyes from TikTok or Instagram is a nightly battle. For those whose children have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), it can feel like a never-ending war.

Adolescents with ADHD are particularly prone to long hours of compulsive scrolling, the result of differences in how their brains regulate attention and reward. They are also disproportionately likely to use social media in dangerous ways — sharing personal information, engaging in risky interactions and staying online deep into the night — to the detriment of schoolwork, sleep, friendships and general well-being.