Top Caregiver Articles for Parenting a Child with ADHD from ADDitude

By Jerome Schultz, Ph.D.

Traditional carrots and sticks don’t motivate students with ADHD. Here, Jerome Schultz, Ph.D., reveals why. “Caregivers can improve motivational problems in their children,” Schultz says. Helping children develop new skills and teaching them the value of honest self-appraisals are two examples. He provides several more ideas in this article.

By Ryan Wexelblatt, LCSW

Children and teens with ADHD may lose friends because of deficits in social executive function skills.

“Better social skills begin to take root when we understand the foundational skills that cause the most trouble – from internal dialogue and cognitive flexibility to perspective-taking and understanding context – and the strategies that effectively build and support these skills in ADHD brains,” says Ryan Wexelblatt, LCSW.

Here, he supplies strategies to help kids bolster social executive function skills and strengthen their friendships.

By Chris A. Zeigler Dendy, M.S.

Next to parents, teachers are the most influential people in a student’s life. The best teacher will develop ADHD strategies to show students they are capable and worthy.

For example, offer students choices. “Children with ADHD who are given choices for completing an activity produce more work, are more compliant, and act less negative,” says Chris A. Zeigler Dendy, M.S. “Establish a list of 15 activity choices for practicing spelling words like writing words on flashcards, using them in a sentence, or air-writing words.”

Check out Dendy’s actionable tips for teaching children with ADHD that establish a supportive, structured classroom that will encourage learning, enforce discipline, and boost self-esteem.

By William Dodson, M.D., LF-APA

“Reasoning with dysregulated, angry kids in the middle of a breakdown is practically impossible,” says William Dodson, M.D., LF-APA. “The best approach in the moment is to stop the meltdown from escalating. But what matters most is what’s done in between explosive reactions to reduce their severity and frequency over time.”

But how? In this article, Dodson gives caregivers tactics for responding to outbursts and reinforcing self-soothing skills.

By Merriam R. Sarcia Saunders, LMFT

“My daughter was starting to hate herself because all day long she was told — by me, her teachers, her friends — that she was constantly messing up. Doing it wrong. Misbehaving,” says Merriam R. Sarcia Saunders, LMFT. Using humor and praise, Saunders explains, saved her daughter — and herself. Read on to learn how.

By Sandy Newmark, M.D.

What we eat, our activity levels, our sleep habits, and lifestyle factors ranging from stress management to screens have a tremendous effect on our health — a fact amplified for ADHD brains and bodies. Here, Sandy Newmark, M.D., outlines how to harness proper nutrition, brain-boosting supplements, physical exercise, adequate sleep, and limited screen time to improve well-being. Regardless of whether they take medication, your child may benefit from these five natural remedies for ADHD.

By Peter Jaksa, Ph.D.

Children with ADHD need routine. Reliable morning, after-school, and bedtime schedules make a tremendous difference in setting expectations, building good habits, and improving symptoms. Here, Peter Jaksa, Ph.D., explains why daily schedules fail and how routines can become a way of life with commitment and consistency, yielding a more relaxed home and stronger family relationships. Recommended templates will help you get started.

By Ann Dolin, M.Ed.

Learn faster. Retain more. Perform better on tests. Yes, really. With these research-based techniques for studying with ADHD, teens can do better on exams without pulling all-nighters. Ann Dolin, M.Ed., guides caregivers through new research that shows students need not study more but study differently — using their noses, naps, and noise.

By Janice Rodden

ADHD and executive functions are tightly linked but far from synonymous. Executive function (EF) refers to the cognitive and mental abilities that help people engage in goal-directed action. Children with executive dysfunction may be unable to handle frustration, recall and follow multi-step directions, and balance tasks (like sports and academic demands). This article reveals how executive functions develop and which impair children with ADHD. Plus, learn about the signs, symptoms, and treatment options for executive dysfunction.

By Larry Silver, M.D.

The right ADHD medication can make life much easier for children with ADHD. But ADHD medications can also worsen things and cause severe side effects, such as headaches, sleeplessness, and a loss of appetite — problems that no child should tolerate. In this article, Larry Silver, M.D., describes common ADHD side effects and ways to manage them to ensure your child gets the best results from their treatment plan.

By Merriam R. Sarcia Saunders, LMFT

Feeling exhausted and running out of ideas to correct your child’s difficult behaviors? You are not alone. Improving behaviors in children with ADHD often means trying a few key strategies with one great twist — there’s no punishment.

“All behaviors serve a purpose. Problem behaviors represent an unmet need and, in ADHD’s case, can be due to impulsivity,” says Merriam R. Sarcia Saunders, LMFT. “Rather than act like a judge and issue punishment to your child after a problem behavior occurs, it is better to put on your detective cap and try to decode the root or cause of the behavior.”

In this article, Saunders details how caregivers can change problem behaviors and teach better ones without punishment.

By Laura Stevens, M.Sci., Susan McQuillan

A balanced breakfast, high in protein and carbohydrates from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, ensures a varied supply of nutrients with enough calories to sustain mental and physical energy until the next meal. This article suggests some quick, easy, and tasty ways to get enough protein into your child’s mouth without turning your kitchen or dining room into a battlefield.

By Stephanie Watson, Susan Yellin, Esq.

A generation ago, parents of children with ADHD and learning differences had few educational choices. Today, parents of students with special educational needs have many options, including public, charter, magnet, private, homeschool, and specialized schools. Don’t get overwhelmed. This comparative overview will help you find the right learning environment for your child.

By Caroline Buzanko, Ph.D.

We can’t (and shouldn’t) protect our children from every stressor that may overwhelm them, but we can use gratitude, pride, and compassion to help them build resilience. Here, Caroline Buzanko, Ph.D., outlines a simple but effective three-pronged approach to improving emotional regulation.

“When it comes to emotion regulation, the best strategies are proactive and positive,” Buzanko says. “This is especially important for kids with ADHD because they invest so much effort into doing well and controlling themselves. Unfortunately, they still overreact and receive much more corrective feedback than other kids, which is very disheartening.”

By ADDitude Editors

With its mood swings and hormonal changes, adolescence also brings new and unnerving ADHD symptoms in teens — challenges that require patience, understanding, and pinpointed strategies. Here, learn how changing biology impacts executive functions, emotions, and decision-making skills — and ways caregivers can protect teens against the greatest risks to their health.

By Karen Barrow

Do you feel beaten down by your child’s defiant behavior? Do you wonder why they are always in a rage? It could be oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), a comorbid condition that frequently occurs alongside ADHD. How are ODD and ADHD linked? What can parents do about disruptive outbursts? Karen Barrow explains and offers tips for recognizing and treating anger disorders in kids.

By ADDitude Editors

What is an Individualized Education Program (IEP)? How does it differ from a 504 Plan? Who qualifies for an IEP or 504 Plan? Read on for a breakdown of special education laws and services for students with ADHD, learning differences, and other related conditions. You’ll also learn the components of building a successful IEP or 504 Plan.

By Caroline Buzanko, Ph.D.

“Children need exposure to normal, manageable threats and stressors,” says Caroline Buzanko, Ph.D. “It’s how they develop appropriate coping skills that increase confidence and resilience. Interrupting this process through overprotectiveness conveys a message that anxious children are already telling themselves: ‘I can’t handle it.’”

Here, Buzanko discusses parenting behaviors that worsen and enable anxiety and how children can better manage their anxious thoughts and feelings.

By Elizabeth Broadbent

“Yes, we are smart. We’re also neurodivergent in a world and a school system designed exclusively for the neurotypical,” Elizabeth Broadbent writes. “So, no matter how ‘smart’ we are, we’re also operating at a significant handicap. How can we ‘do better’ in a class that’s not designed for us? We’re always doing the best we can. This comment just shames us into feeling stupid. Into feeling that we don’t try or don’t care or don’t understand some basic life rules. We end up feeling that our ADHD is our fault.”

Broadbent breaks down nine unhelpful comments, snarky asides, and unsympathetic demands from “mean teachers” and details why they erode children with ADHD’s self-esteem.

By Merriam R. Sarcia Saunders, LMFT

“Your lying child is not a bad seed,” Merriam R. Sarcia Saunders, LMFT, says. “The lying is just another dysfunctional coping mechanism in your child’s ADHD box of unhelpful tools.”

The key to understanding the connection between ADHD and lying, Saunders explains, is in a concept called Magical Thinking: A child does something outside of their control. Magical Thinking allows them to imagine that they hadn’t.

“It’s a bit like if you’d slept-walked and ate a whole cake,” she says, “then snapped out of it to realize what you’d done.”

By Nicole Kear

Rates of sexual violence, suicidality, and sadness have hit a record high among teen girls, according to a 2023 CDC report. The report echoes findings from a 2022 ADDitude survey of 1,187 caregivers, which found that an astounding 75% of adolescent girls with ADHD also have anxiety, 54% suffer from depression, more than 14% have a sleep disorder, and nearly 12% report an eating disorder. That’s more than three times the national average for neurotypical women. Here, ADDitude experts explore the findings and explain how parents can help girls in crisis.

By Laura Flynn McCarthy

Many considerations exist when deciding if ADHD medication is right for your child. For example, caregivers should know how stimulants and non-stimulants work, the potential drug risks, and medication durations. Here, experts answer these and other frequently asked questions about treating your child’s attention deficit with prescription stimulants or non-stimulants.

By Sharlene Habermeyer, M.A.

If you want your child or teen to retain more when cramming for a test or have laser-like focus when completing homework assignments, crank up the study music. Research indicates that music strengthens areas of the brain that, in children with ADHD, are weak.

But not any music will do. “Only certain classical music builds a bigger, better brain,” says Sharlene Habermeyer, M.A. Here are her musical picks (backed by science) to help improve concentration and focus.

By Nicole Kear

Almost two-thirds of children with ADHD have at least one other condition, such as learning disorders, anxiety, mood disorders, and autism spectrum disorder. Yet despite the prevalence of co-occurring conditions, experts in the field report that many students with ADHD do not receive assessments for common comorbidities, at least initially. Here, Nicole Kear reveals why the thread of multiple diagnoses can be difficult to untangle in a child with ADHD and what caregivers can do to advocate for their children.

By ADDitude Editors

Time-outs and lectures won’t magically cure the impulsive tendencies of kids with ADHD. But these real-world tips for teachers and parents just might. For instance, posting classroom rules and routines lets children know what is expected of them and serves as a visual reminder for students who act before they think. And telling your child to “be good” is too vague to address behavioral problems. Instead, be explicit: “When we go into the store, do not touch, just look with your eyes.” “At the playground, wait in line for the slide, and don’t push.” Try out these and other strategies suggested in this article.

By ADDitude Editors

ADHD is not just an inability to pay attention — it’s an inability to control attention. Children with ADHD often tune out distractions when an activity is not sufficiently stimulating. They quickly lose focus or may struggle to pay attention to lectures or follow tasks requiring sustained mental effort. Read on to discover classroom and home solutions to end distractibility and help children focus on their schoolwork.