All Things ADHD

What are the benefits of talking with your children about ADHD and why is it important that they learn how to advocate for themselves? In this episode, Dr. Nerissa Bauer discusses fostering an environment where children, tweens, and teens with ADHD feel safe to self-advocate and provides strategies that parents can use to help their children learn or improve their self-advocacy skills. Learn more at Let’s Talk Kids Health.

African American students are many times more likely to be diagnosed with subjective disabilities than their European American peers. Why does this happen? And what should schools do differently? In this episode, Dr. Joy Banks speaks on the overrepresentation and disparities in treatment of African American students in special education specifically for students with ADHD. She also shares the steps that schools must take to create environments where all students can thrive.

To have the best experience during their school life and the support they need to learn, children with ADHD need accommodations that are customized to their specific needs. In this episode, Jeffrey Katz, PhD, talks about comorbid learning disabilities, the difference between a Section 504 plan and an Individualized Education Program (IEP) plan, and the different roles that a child’s healthcare team, school, educators, and parents play in implementing them.

Certain traits of ADHD, such as executive functioning deficits, inattention, and emotional regulation deficits, increase the odds of a person experiencing traumatic events during their lifetime.    In this episode, Tonya L. Miles, PsyD, speaks about different types of trauma, how they interact with ADHD, routine treatment plans, and how to identify possible ADHD in patients with comorbid symptoms or trauma.

Disruptive behavior disorders, especially oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, and intermittent explosive disorder, often co-occur with ADHD.  In this episode, Tish Taylor, PhD, explains how disruptive behavior disorders interact with ADHD. She also talks about interventions that are commonly used, gives tips for implementing them successfully, and shares helpful resources for parents of children or teens with an ADHD comorbidity.

Several aspects of ADHD, such as distractibility, impulsiveness, issues with organization, underplanning, and emotional regulation can affect eating habits. How can parents help children with ADHD create and maintain healthy eating habits that will stay with them for life? In this episode, Mark Bertin, MD, a developmental pediatrician, shares how ADHD can make healthy eating habits difficult to maintain, signs that indicate disordered eating habits, how mindfulness can be applied to food and eating, and strategies for helping your child develop and maintain mindful eating practices.

ADHD can influence emotional regulation skills, organizational skills, and one’s ability to make and maintain social connections. These symptoms can create a negative impact when they interfere with a father’s ability to manage his own life and his children’s lives. In this episode, Carey Heller, PsyD, discusses the best interventions for men with ADHD, tips for how to overcome common challenges that arise when you have ADHD and are raising children, what to look for in an ADHD support practitioner, and shares helpful resources for fathers with ADHD.

Your child constantly loses homework, misses deadlines, and procrastinates about starting assignments until the last minute. Why is this happening and what can you do to help them develop the skills they need to stay motivated, organized, and on top of assignments? Executive function skills are at the root of it all, and they take time to learn and master. In this episode, Ann Dolin, MEd, shares strategies and tips that caregivers and parents can use to assist their middle schooler or high schooler in learning to manage homework autonomously this school year.

Parenting any child comes with rewards and challenges, especially when your child has ADHD. However, if the symptoms of ADHD—disorganization, emotional irregularity, difficulty staying on task—go unmanaged, they cause disruption to family life, creating stress and anxiety for everyone. In this episode, Dr. Carey Heller talks about behavioral strategies that can help you manage a child’s ADHD at home, especially during the summer break.

For students with ADHD, the transition from high school to college is a time for them to show their independence and not rely much on their parents' support. But college is dramatically different than high school. With increased academic demands, differences in teaching methods and grading procedures, and fewer available accommodations and supports, many students with ADHD soon find themselves falling behind. Judy Bass, a Certified Educational Planner, talks about the learning supports and interventions that help students who learn differently to succeed in college.