Beautifully Complex

268: What to Do When Importance Doesn’t Create Motivation, with Penny Williams

Jun 6, 2024

Penny Williams, ADHD expert, discusses motivating neurodivergent kids with actionable strategies like using external rewards, setting specific goals, and leveraging interests. Break tasks into smaller chunks to spark intrinsic motivation. Personalized learning boosts success. Celebrate small victories and share feedback to navigate the beautifully complex journey of raising neurodivergent kids.

19:45

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Episode guests

Penny Williams

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Kids with ADHD are motivated by interest and urgency rather than importance, emphasizing the need to focus on building executive function skills.

Using interests to spark motivation for important tasks can engage kids with ADHD better than relying solely on urgency or importance.

Deep dives

Understanding ADHD Brain Wiring of Kids

Kids with ADHD are motivated by interest and urgency rather than importance, highlighting a difference in their brain wiring. This distinction is crucial, especially for those with ADHD and autism together. Lack of motivation by importance alone can make taking action challenging, emphasizing the need to focus on building executive function skills to overcome internal motivation difficulties.

Intro

16min

The Impact of Incorporating Interests in Learning

3min

Motivating Individuals with Effective Strategies and Celebrating Small Victories

2min

In this episode of Beautifully Complex, we’re examining a topic that really hits close to home for many of us — what to do when importance doesn’t create motivation, especially for our neurodivergent kids. I know firsthand how challenging it can be to get our kids started and keep them going on tasks that matter, but don’t necessarily excite them.

I break down why the ADHD brain is motivated by interest and urgency, rather than importance, and share actionable strategies to help bridge that gap. We discuss everything from providing external rewards to setting specific goals and creating a supportive environment. You’ll learn the importance of making tasks manageable by breaking them into smaller chunks and leveraging your child's interests to spark intrinsic motivation.

Join me as I guide you through these practical tips and insights to help your child thrive, even when their brain just isn’t wired to find motivation in the same way. Remember, you’re not alone, and together, we can navigate the beautifully complex journey of raising neurodivergent kids.

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Beautifully Complex

268: What to Do When Importance Doesn’t Create Motivation, with Penny Williams

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Understanding ADHD Brain Wiring of Kids

Strategies to Motivate Kids with ADHD

Promoting Intrinsic Motivation for Important Tasks

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts