EPS 355: ADHD in the adolescent years with Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart

My guest today is Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart.

Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart & Casey dig into ADHD in the adolescent years. Parents of teens with ADHD may see dysregulation looking like compulsiveness, messiness, impulsivity, & a lack of motivation. Parents may think that their kids are lazy or lacking willpower, when in reality, their executive functioning skills are truly off balance. Dr. Lockhart & Casey talk about discussing long-term goals with teens, moving backwards from there, baby steps, as well as figuring out what feels hard so we can best support them. They discuss how to support adolescents with ADHD and how that may differ from what neurotypical teen brains need. Dr. Lockhart explains what rejection sensitive dysphoria is & how to talk to teens about their ADHD. Casey asks how to get buy-in from a teen to work with an ADHD coach or other outside support or services. They finish by talking about what teens with ADHD need most.

Takeaways from the show

• Keeping your focus on teaching life skills, not compliance 
• What does ADHD look like in an adolescent?  
• Misconceptions about teens with ADHD 
• Asking “what’s hard about it?” 
• Scaffolding & strategies like body doubling and creating a false sense of urgency 
• Do teens with ADHD need different things to support brain development than a neurotypical adolescent? 
• Rejection sensitive dysphoria
• Talking to teens about their ADHD 
• Getting your teen to utilize an ADHD coach or other outside support
• What do teens with ADHD need most? 

For more episode details including transcripts, visit our website here. 

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