Mom calls on pediatricians to do better and encourages parents to advocate for girls of color
"The doctor said 'yes this looks like early puberty and if your daughter were caucasian we would order further testing and evaluations.'"

Mom calls on doctors to do better for little girls of color
It's not a secret that racial bias can sneak into medical setting. There have been studies that reveal some doctors still believe disproven beliefs like Black people have thicker skin, a higher threshold for pain or are "drug seeking" when requesting medication to manage their pain. These beliefs and others like them can become obstacles to appropriate and timely treatment.
When people think of these scenarios, they often think of these things happening to adults. Unfortunately, racial biases affect children of color as well which can delay vital treatment. A mom who goes by the screen name Nursebblay put out an urgent PSA for parents who have Black and Latina girls after her experience with her daughter's pediatrician.
Nursebblay is mom to a Black 7-year-old girl who started showing concerning signs of early puberty, which prompted the mom to schedule an appointment with the pediatrician. But to her surprise, her concerns about her very young daughter starting puberty were dismissed.
She explains that her daughter started to have increased perspiration, attitude changes and pre-pubescent hair growth. When meeting with the pediatrician about the puberty symptoms, the doctor informs the worried mom, "'yes, this is early puberty and had your daughter been caucasian we would order further testing and evaluations.' But because my daughter is Black and Black and Latina girls go through puberty really early he felt that nothing else was necessary, we were good to go."
Thankfully the mom isn't accepting of that answer and pushes to see a pediatric endocrinologist to double check. The specialist responds to the mom in an email expressing the same sentiment is expressed calling it "normal." Nursebblay replies demanding that her daughter be treated based on symptoms and not the color of her skin.
See her video plea here:
@nursebblay As a mom I want personalized care for my children. All peoole should be treated based on the symptoms that they are having. My daughter was inly 7 years old when she started having symptoms, and we were dismissed. #parentingtips #parentingjourney #parentinghacks #tipsparenting #homeschooling #ilmuparenting #parentlife #homeschool #draisahdahlan #kidsbelike #gentleparenting #raisingkids #parentingana #parenthood #parentsoftiktok #toddlertantrums #childcare #kidsactivities #toddlerlife #labtestforkids #toodler #tumbuhkembanganak #sensoryplay #mom #prettyblackgirl #blackgirl #blackwomen #blackwoman #blackmen #blackgirlmagic #earthyblackgirl #blackgirlhairstyles #blackgirlcontentcreator #blackwomenoftiktok #blackgirlsrock #hairappointment #blackmenoftiktok #blackgirltiktokers #birminghamhairstylist #aliciakeysbraids #dreadslocks #locsoftiktok #pinkhair #blackgirltok #darkskin #brownskin #womenwithlocs #brownskingirl #darkskingirl #hispana #latinas #latinasbelike #hispanic #girlies #mexican #girly #prettygirls #citygirls #girlsbeinggirls #girlthings #womanhood #latina #latinastiktok #imjustagirlintheworld #girlproblems #imjustagirl #girlie #tallgirls #rbf #thickerthanasnicker #girlhood #girlll #girlypop #hottie #puertorican #imher #girlmath #oldermomsoftik #tallgirl #girlsnightout #girltok #girlsbelike #prettyprivilege #grils #yourworldwithin #evolved #questioned #threatened #buzzing #equally #ambitious #professionally #bouncing #klled #devastating #heavily #leapyear #grandkids #plotting #poorly #observation #disappearance #forsure #perceived #determined #thenvsnow #pandemic #terribly #procrastinating #tweak #realizing #thriving #embraced #thirty #sophomore #frostbite #tremendous #sexuality #flown #nutshell #TrendTok #TrendTokApp
After finally seeing the pediatric endocrinologist, the frustrated mom receives her daughter's results. They're abnormal. In fact the doctor wants to order an MRI and further testing to check the little girl's adrenal glands.
In her follow up video, the mom is clear that she's not using her platform to try to "take down" a doctor or the medical establishment. She's using her platform to educate parents on this bias so they can properly advocate for their children. The mom is also putting a call out for medical providers to take these situations seriously no matter the ethnicity or race of the child as things could be missed. Commenters flooded her comments with gratitude and heartbreak for their own experiences.
See her follow up here:
"This makes me so angry. This happened to us as well. Unfortunately by the time my daughter was seen her growth plates had closed. She was only 12 at the time," one mom reveals.
"As a father of a Latina girl, I really appreciate this information, thank you mom," one dad says.
"I always had symptoms and doctors dismissed it..my parents trusted doctors. They trusted their education. It's not my immigrant parents fault! Now I'm in my 20s dealing w pcos & so many side effects," another commenter writes.
"The same applies for boys...My son is 13 at 6'2" at 200lbs. The doctors only focused on his weight and finally one listened and ordered an IGF test or insulin-like growth factor. His range was that of a man in his 20's. Based on my own research if left untreated can lead to diabetes and endocrine, cardiovascular issues. Makes sense for PCOS," a mom says.
This mom isn't done advocating. In a more recent video she reveals she has taken the matter up with the hospital group's policy makers to make a systematic change on how they treat different races of children. Hopefully her advocacy goes a long was as it doesn't seem like she will be stopping any time soon.
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- Woman's viral music video shows how doctors don't understand the female body - Upworthy ›
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."