Simone was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder at an early age, but she'd kept this information private until Russian hackers leaked her medical records ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games. After it was revealed that Simone had tested positive for methylphenidate (aka Ritalin), she took to social media to defend herself. "Having ADHD, and taking medicine for it, is nothing to be ashamed of [and] nothing that I'm afraid to let people know," she tweeted.
Later, during an interview with Understood, a nonprofit organisation that provides online resources for ADHD, Simone explained that she has never let her ADHD hinder her and the way we frame learning disabilities can make all the difference for young children. "If you start to think of it as a superpower, then that's kind of cool," she said.