“Why is it such a battle when we ask our son to get ready for bed? It can take an hour just to get past the meltdown and get him to his room!” “If she can’t do something she wants to do, it becomes a major crisis!” “When she’s tired or hungry, you’d best stay…

Hygiene is often difficult for individuals who have ADHD due to their brain and body differences. Tasks like showering and brushing teeth are low-reward activities that involve sensory input that doesn’t always feel good. Most adults with ADHD can remember spending more time trying to trick their parents that they brushed their teeth than actually…

Diagnosing combined autism and ADHD is challenging, as the symptoms vary from person to person. And yet, diagnosis is key to effective treatment. In this article, I will share observations from my practice as a coach and educator for parents of complex kids, offering insights to identify intense young people diagnosed with ADHD who might…

Many teens and adults are a bit shy when they are meeting unfamiliar people or giving a talk or presentation for a class or a meeting. They wonder, “Does what I’m wearing look okay? Did what I just said sound okay?” For most teens and adults such worries are brief and trivial. But for some…

The quick answer is “probably, if untreated.” A recent article in JAMA Open reported a study of this question from Israel. The investigators studied 109,218 members of a health maintenance organization who were born between 1933 and 1952, beginning the follow-up in 2003 when they averaged about fifty-six years old and ending in 2020. During…

Worsening depression, anxiety, and new onset of poor emotional regulation are well known problems that often emerge during “the change” of life. There are two stages of this change, perimenopause and menopause. Perimenopause is the transition period prior to actual menopause, when all menstrual periods stop for at least a year. For most women perimenopause…

Nature journals can provide your family outdoor fun that helps your distracted kids thrive. When children keep nature journals, they become more observant. It’s a family activity all ages can enjoy. You can keep nature journals whenever you go, around the world or around the block. Nature journaling is easy, thanks to some great but…

It’s been well established that adolescent and young drivers with ADHD have an increased risk of traffic infractions and car crashes, which some studies suggest can be at least partially prevented by ADHD medication (Barkley & Cox, 2007; Biederman et al., 2012). Because hyperactivity and impulsiveness tend to improve with age, we might hope that…

It’s a rainy Friday night and you decide to order pizza for the family for dinner as a treat. You call in the large cheese pie and whip up a salad to go with it. As you get your keys and grab your jacket, your twelve-year-old son (who has ADHD and oppositionality) bounces into the…

What are the strengths associated with ADHD as perceived by adults with ADHD, as well as children with ADHD and their parents? ADHD symptoms are typically perceived as hindering children and adults from reaching their full potential and negatively impacting their quality of life. The positive psychology perspective emphasizes a strengths-based approach to ADHD, with…

Do you remember tripping in front of the cool kids at school? Feeling wickedly embarrassed after stumbling through your lines? Feeling your skin tingle as the spotlight of attention fell on you at exactly the wrong moment? I know I do. For many adults with ADHD, the sense of being socially awkward has been a…

While not designed specifically for girls with ADHD, Girls on the Run may be ideally suited to address the social and emotional needs of many of these children and young teens, aged eight to fourteen. Under the supervision of a trained coach, GOTR combines physical activity with a well-designed curriculum-based series of activities that can…