Understanding how the ADHD brain works and doesn’t work, as well as the impact of emotions and stress on the brain, helps you understand your child better. And understanding your child better means helping your child more effectively.

Listen as Sarah Wayland, PhD, and I discuss how the brain works, the impact of stress and emotions on cognitive functioning, and the differences in physiological functioning specific to the ADHD brain. Learn a little of what the ADHD experience is like so you can understand your child’s behavior more accurately, and address it more successfully.

Sarah Wayland, PhD, is a certified RDI Consultant, parent coach, and Special Needs Care Navigator at the company she founded, Guiding Exceptional Parents. She helps parents learn how to confidently and effectively help their children at home, at school, and in the community by learning about everyone in the family and collaborating with them to develop customized strategies that work.

The adolescent years often carry an extra challenge for parents (to say the least). When you add ADHD to that already tumultuous time, it can feel overwhelming, sometimes even impossible. 

Listen as Sharon Saline, PsyD, and I discuss how the adolescent brain works, from a physiological standpoint, and how to use that knowledge to help with your parenting, but also to help your child. The goal of parenting teens is to teach independence and resilience, and Dr. Saline provides some insights on how to do that when your teen has ADHD.

Sharon Saline, Psy.D., clinical psychologist and author of What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew, specializes in how ADHD, learning disabilities and mental health issues affect children, teens, and families. Her unique perspective, namely growing up in a household with a sibling who wrestled with untreated ADHD, combined with decades of clinical experience, assists her in guiding families as they navigate the confusing maze of information, emotions, stress and conflict related to ADHD. She helps them create successful dialogues, interventions and connections.

Is your child’s messy disorganization making life harder and driving you crazy? You know it’s their brain, and not a choice, but that still doesn’t make it easier to live with… or succeed with. Join born organizer, Leslie Josel, and I for a conversation about how to help disorganized kids get get more organized — through teaching skills, but also by using some key types of products.

Leslie shares what works, and why it works in this session all about organizing kids with organizational challenges. You will hear ideas you never thought of, and those ideas can make a huge difference for your child and your family.

Leslie Josel is the owner of Order Out of Chaos. She is an academic/life coach, an award-winning author and acclaimed speaker. She is the creator of the Academic Planner: A Tool for Time Management®, a planner that helps students develop and master time management skills, and the author of What’s the Deal with Teens and Time Management, a parents guide to help teach their students the time management skills they need to succeed.

Parents worry about video gaming and screen time a great deal. We hear that video games are bad for our kids. We hear that too much screen time can negatively impact kids’ brains. We cannot deny that technology is part of our daily lives — from work to entertainment to staying connected to others, technology is here to stay.

Join Randy Kulman and I as we discuss the positive impacts video gaming and technology can have on our children, especially kids with ADHD. Learn how games and play can improve executive functioning and social skills, and how to ensure that your child is transferring the skill improvements to everyday life. Your child is likely going to have screens in their lives — learn how to make the experience positive and impactful.

Randy Kulman, PhD, is the Founder and President of LearningWorks for Kids, an educational technology company that specializes in using video games to teach executive-functioning and academic skills. For the past 30 years, Dr. Kulman has also been the Clinical Director and President of South County Child and Family Consultants, a private practice that specializes in assessment of children with learning disorders and attention difficulties.

If you don’t know where you are, how can you create a road map to get where you want to go. You can’t meet your goals without a plan, and you can’t create an effective plan without knowing strengths and weaknesses, and using incorporating them.

Join Dr. Devon and I as we discuss how to identify your child’s strengths and weaknesses, and then use them to make a strategic plan to support your child and to facilitate growth and improvement.

Devon MacEachron, PhD, is a licensed psychologist in private practice on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. She conducts neuropsych assessments focused on uncovering the student’s complete profile of strengths and weaknesses as a learner in order to provide an action plan to families that simultaneously further develops strengths and interests while remediating and accommodating weaker skill areas.

The right mindset as a parent is one of the most valuable strategies for parenting kids with ADHD. In this session, Attention and ADHD Coach, Jeff Copper, and I discuss what that right mindset about ADHD is, how to shift your perspective to adopt this viewpoint, and how much benefit there will be to behavior, getting things done, and crafting successes.

This isn’t just about positive thinking. In fact, we don’t talk about a positive attitude at all. Instead, we’re looking at the way the ADHD brain works, simplifying to the most high-level goal, and then thinking outside the box to help your child succeed.

Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, is an attention coach and expert on attention issues, more commonly referred to as Attention Deficit Disorder or ADD/ADHD. As founder of DIG Coaching Practice and the host and founder of Attention Talk Radio and Attention Talk Video, Jeff coaches individuals and entrepreneurs with ADHD symptoms who are seeking to improve their personal and business results.

Join Dr. Mark Bertin and I as we discuss what mindfulness is and how to implement the practice to create positive changes for you, your child with ADHD, and your entire family. Dr. Bertin shares examples of mindfulness exercises for all ages, and describes how these mindfulness practices can reduce stress, maintain more calm, and offer the awareness necessary to set appropriate expectations for kids with developmental disabilities, like ADHD.

In this session, you’ll also learn the STOP Practice, to catch yourself when your thoughts are running away from you: “Stop whatever you’re doing; take a few slow breaths; observe what’s going on around you and in your mind; and then pick how to proceed.” This is a powerful tool for every parent raising a child with ADHD… and every child.

Dr. Mark Bertin is a developmental pediatrician and author of How Children Thrive, Mindful Parenting for ADHD, and The Family ADHD Solution, the last two of which integrate mindfulness into the rest of evidence-based ADHD care. He is also a contributing author for the book Teaching Mindfulness Skills to Kids and Teens.

Kids with ADHD need a different parent than neurotypical kids. A parent attuned to the way their brains work and what their experience is like. A parent who can see a child’s intention and spirit and honor that.

Listen as John Willson and I discuss what parenting approaches and strategies are optimal for raising kids with ADHD. With years of experience helping children and adolescents with ADHD see their true value and potential at SOAR, as well as raising his own children with ADHD, “Big John” understands kids with ADHD and learning disabilities like no one I’ve met. He and his program are exceptional — don’t miss his insights.

John Willson, M.S., LRT/CTRS, has spent over 25 years working with youth diagnosed with LD and AD/HD. He joined SOAR in the summer of 1991, returned as a semester course instructor in 1993, and became Director of LD and AD/HD Services in 1994. He has lead hundreds of adventure courses across the country and Latin America, and continues to enjoy field time with campers on a variety of programs.

We often grow up ourselves with the understanding that parenting should be authoritarian, and American society certainly encourages that. However, that parenting style does not work the same for kids with ADHD. ADHD necessitates different parenting approaches.

Listen as Elaine Taylor-Klaus and Diane Dempster, of Impact ADHD, and I discuss taking a coach approach to parenting kids with ADHD. Learn the basics of a coach approach and how to implement it with your own child. Recognize how this approach fosters independence, teaching kids to understand, manage, and use their brains effectively.

Elaine Taylor-Klaus, PCC, CPCC, and Diane Dempster MHSA, PCC, CPC, are co-founders of ImpactADHD.com, an online resource for parents raising kids with ADHD, LD, Anxiety and related challenges. Parent educators and certified coaches with 6 complex kids between two families, Elaine and Diane are internationally recognized as leaders in the fields of parenting, coaching and ADHD. The authors of Parenting ADHD Now, they help parents reduce the stress of raising complex children. 

Let’s face it… kids with ADHD often don’t fit in the box of societal expectations or the norm. Yet, they are capable of successes, just in different ways. Dr. Roberto Olivardia knows this first-hand, not only as a successful adult with ADHD, but as a parent of a child with ADHD and as a clinical psychologist.

Join Dr. Olivardia and I as he explains why it’s so crucial for parents to think outside the box when parenting kids with ADHD, and as we discuss different examples of out-of-the-box strategies that can work for kids with ADHD. You need to open your mind for this session, but that’s exactly as it should be.

Dr. Roberto Olivardia is a Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Instructor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School. He maintains a private psychotherapy practice in Lexington, Massachusetts, where he specializes in the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), executive functioning issues, and issues that face students with Dyslexia. He also specializes in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and in the treatment of eating disorders in boys and men.

How do you teach your child skills that you, yourself, don’t have? How do you manage work and a family and daily life when you have ADHD? These are just a couple of the struggles parents of kids with ADHD who have ADHD themselves face frequently.

Join Terry Matlen and I as we discuss challenges of raising kids with ADHD when mom or dad also has ADHD. Terry provides lots of practical advice and tips on everything from meal planning, to managing the family schedule, to ensuring your own mental and emotional wellbeing. If you have ADHD, you don’t want to miss this session.

Terry Matlen, MSW, ASCW, is a psychotherapist, author, consultant, and coach, specializing in women with ADHD. She is the author of the award-winning book, “The Queen of Distraction” and “Survival Tips for Women with AD/HD”, and runs ADDconsults.com, an online resource serving adults worldwide with ADHD and QueensOfDistraction.com, an online coaching program for women with ADHD.

There are many possible causes of challenging behavior when your child has ADHD. Often, it’s a symptom that expectations are out of scale for the child’s actual capability.

Join Holly Moses and I as we discuss expectations and capability for kids with ADHD. We define how to measure your child’s developmental age, and then use it to determine appropriate expectations for your child. We talk about unwanted behavior, some red flags that expectations are beyond a child’s true capability, and outline what to do if your child can’t meet your expectations.

Holly Blanc Moses, MS, BCBA, LPC, LP, is a psychologist and behavior analyst with over 20 years’ experience in ADHD and Autism. Her specialty areas include challenging behavior, anxiety, and social skills deficits. She is also a mother of two differently wired boys.

Executive functioning deficits are a large part of an individual’s struggles when they have ADHD. Yet, this aspect isn’t part of the diagnostic criteria of ADHD, so few parents know exactly what executive functions are, and why they’re so important. Executive functions make or break our ability to succeed, so identifying and supporting these deficits is crucial for your child.

Join Dr. Jim Forgan and I as he defines what executive functions are, lists what these deficits look like both at home and at school, and outlines the Quadruple P approach to supporting and improving executive functioning skills in your child.

Jim Forgan, PhD, is a licensed school psychologist. Dr. Forgan has two children and he understands giftedness, dyslexia, dysgraphia, and ADHD from both the parent and professional perspectives. He specializes in helping parents help their children. Dr. Forgan has written more than seven books including Raising Boys with ADHD, Raising Girls with ADHD, and The Impulsive, Disorganized Child: Solutions for Parenting Kids with Executive Functioning Difficulties.

ADHD is a struggle, to be sure. However, Dr. Edward Hallowell teaches parents and families to view ADHD as a different way of viewing the world, not simply a disability or a disorder.

Listen in as Dr. Hallowell and I discuss how ADHD isn’t really a deficit of attention, but too much attention. We talk implementing a treatment plan first, and then focusing on creativity, imagination, strengths, and interests to help a child with ADHD thrive, and grow up to be a successful adult who also has ADHD.

Edward (Ned) Hallowell, MD, is a board-certified child and adult psychiatrist, a thought leader, a NY Times bestselling author, a world-renowned keynote speaker and a leading authority in the field of ADHD. He is the Founder of The Hallowell Centers in Boston MetroWest, New York City, San Francisco and Seattle. He has authored 20 books on various psychological topics, including ADHD, the power of human connection, the childhood roots of adult happiness, how to help your people SHINE, forgiveness, managing worry and managing your “crazy busy” lives.

School and many parts of life in general can be defeating when a child has ADHD. Speed artist, Ben Glenn, knows that well. He struggled in school growing up and didn’t even consider art or take an art class until his junior year in high school. And yet, he has this phenomenal gift that he uses (very successfully) to reach and teach others.

Listen in as Ben and I discuss growing up with ADHD and being supported by family, surrounded by people who could mentor, and open to doing things differently helped him discover his talent and passion, and provided the spark to help him blaze his own, successful, trail.

Ben Glenn, aka The ChalkGuy, struggled with ADHD throughout his formative years, ultimately finding it impossible to stay interested in school and leaving following his junior year in college. Although his ADHD caused him to struggle academically, it proved to be a perfect companion in his career as a performer, creator, and educator. Rather than let it hold him back, he chose to be inspired by his condition. He uses it as a tool for writing, speaking, and making videos focused on ADHD and personal development.

We’ve all seen the viral videos of young kids being handcuffed in classrooms and hauled away by a police officer for behavior. It’s disheartening to imagine that our own children could be criminalized for behavior related to ADHD, or other disabilities. That’s why this session is so very important.

Listen as attorney, Robert Tudisco, and I discuss how ADHD behavior can be criminalized as young as elementary school, but especially in schools with school resource officers on the premises every day. More importantly, take note of his advice on how to prevent your child from criminal behavior they may not recognize as such, and what to do or not do if your child is suspended or put into the criminal justice system, especially when the result of behavior due to a disability. You (and your child) cannot afford to miss this session.

Robert M. Tudisco, Esq, is a nationally recognized author, motivational speaker and non-profit management consultant and an adult diagnosed with ADHD. He is a practicing attorney and Senior Counsel to the law firm of Barger & Gaines in Tarrytown, New York and a contributing writer and legal expert for Understood.org. Since his diagnosis, he has researched and written extensively on the subjects of education law, disability advocacy, school discipline and the over representation of individuals with ADHD and co-occurring mental health conditions in the juvenile/criminal justice systems.

It’s no secret that school and ADHD don’t mix too well. Students with ADHD often struggle with planning and organization, distractibility, and specific learning challenges, like dyslexia and dysgraphia. As Assistive Technology Coach, Jenn Choi, tells me in this session, there are many products and tools that can help struggling learners succeed in and out of the classroom.

Listen in to learn how to determine what assistive technology tools could benefit your child, how to get access to them, and how to discern if each tool is having the right impact for your child.

Jenn Choi is a speaker, journalist, and coach in the areas of assistive technology and children with disabilities. Deriving from her experiences in journalism, youth services, and raising two children with ADHD, autism, and learning disabilities, Jenn has become an expert in helping children increase access to their education through the ever-changing methods in technology.

Kids with ADHD are shown to often have much lower self-esteem and internal values of self-worth. This is a unwanted reality for many growing up with ADHD. In light of that, parents who are raising kids with ADHD need to be much more mindful of their child’s self-awareness and work harder to offer frequent successes for their kids.

Listen in as Jackie Flynn and I discuss not only tips and strategies to boost your child’s confidence and self-esteem, but parenting pitfalls to be aware of that actually damage a child’s self-esteem more. Learn why self-esteem and self-worth are crucial for all kids, bust especially for kids with ADHD.

Jackie Flynn EdS, LMHC, RPT is the founder and director of a group private therapy practice in Central Florida, Counseling in Brevard. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Registered Play Therapist, Certified EMDR Therapist, Couples Counselor, Education Specialist, Certified Hypnotherapist, and a Former Elementary and Middle School Counselor. Her passion for helping people through a variety of therapeutic modalities inspired her to open a heart-centered, private practice group where she provides caring, thoughtful counseling and therapy to individuals of all ages, families, couples, and groups.

Acceptance for kid and adults doesn’t come easy when you have a different way of experiencing the world, like those with ADHD do. The human population is become more and more neurodiverse and it’s time that our cultures embrace it. And we can help with that mission.

Join Debbie Reber and I as we discuss what neurodiversity is and how to create that level of acceptance for our children, and for ourselves as parents of differently wired children even. Debbie is on a mission to rewrite the narrative for differently wired kids, and we can all do our part, by working on acceptance for our own kids and in our own communities. Listen in to find out how.

Deborah Reber is a New York Times bestselling author, coach, and the founder of TiLT Parenting, a podcast and online community for parents raising differently wired children. Debbie’s podcast has more than 300,000 downloads and on it she interviews high-profile thought leaders in parenting and education. Debbie’s next book, “Differently Wired: Raising an Exceptional Child in a Conventional World,” comes out in June 2018.

Being the parent of a child with special needs is hard. It’s incredibly stressful and that stress impacts your physical and mental health. A healthy dose of resilience is needed to survive and thrive in this special parenthood. 

Listen in as I chat with Mantu Joshi, author of The Resilient Parent, about what it takes to build resilience in the face of adversity, and how necessary that resilience truly is. Learn the power of perspective and the steps necessary to build your own resilience. 

Rev. Mantu Joshi is a stay-at-home Dad who has been in the trenches with a kid with ADHD, just like you. He is an award winning theological scholar, an ordained minister, and has worked as a chaplain in a trauma center and children’s hospital. His book,“The Resilient Parent: Everyday Wisdom for Life with Your Exceptional Child”, has changed thousands of people’s lives and has been called one of the eight must reads for parents of kids with ADHD by ADDitude Magazine.

Conventional Western medicine tells us that medication and behavior therapy are the best treatments for ADHD. While I believe that to be true, I also recognize that the many systems in the body work together in harmony to create health. When one or more parts of the systems aren’t functioning optimally, it can affect other systems. That’s why integrative or functional medicine is a great complement to conventional treatment.

Join Dr. Elisa Song and I as we discuss these other systems in the body that affect brain health and even how effective medication is. Learn about common deficiencies and insufficiencies in kids with ADHD, and the vitamins, herbs, and other supplements that can be used to bring balance to the entire body. I especially encourage you to listen in if your child has tried or is taking medication but it isn’t as well tolerated or effective as it should be. 

Holistic mama doc, Dr. Elisa Song, MD, is a holistic pediatrician, pediatric functional medicine expert, and mama to 2 crazy fun kids. In her integrative pediatric practice, Whole Family Wellness, she’s helped 1000s of kids get to the root causes of their health concerns and helped their parents understand how to help their children thrive – body, mind, and spirit – by integrating conventional pediatrics with functional medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and essential oils. 

Do you feel like you’ve lost your personal identity outside of being “Mom?” Do you feel like you’re just going through the motions, but not really walking through your life with purpose? Parenting is not meant to replace who we are. You shouldn’t describe yourself as “before I had kids” and “after I had kids.”  

Join Julie Neale and I as we talk about rediscovering who you are as a woman, defining your own parenting vision, and describe how to live your life with intention. Julie offers four steps to create and live your epic life, whatever epic looks like for you.

Julie Neale is a life and leadership coach and facilitator. She’s also a community builder, dedicated to creating understanding and connections across differences. After a 20-year career as a leader in youth-serving non-profit organizations, Julie turned her focus to coaching, training at the Coaches Training Institute, and facilitating a group process known as “reflection” for youth development professionals. She founded her for-purpose venture, Mother’s Quest, to provide inspiration, coaching and community for herself and other mothers who want to live what she calls an E.P.I.C. life. 

While the diagnostic symptoms of ADHD are the same for boys and girls, makes and females, the experience of living with ADHD can be quite different, especially with the impact of estrogen on neurotransmitter production.

Listen as Linda Roggli and I talk about how culture, psychology, and hormones create a much different ADHD experience for girls, especially once puberty starts. Learn the signs of ADHD in girls, how they sometimes fall through the cracks as being identified as having ADHD, and how much they internalize ADHD challenges as somehow being their fault. 

After years of seeking advice from any available “expert,” Linda Roggli, PCC, set out to live her deepest dreams. Along the way, she was diagnosed with ADD (at age 45 to be precise), which she promptly dismissed as “silly.” The ADD began to make more sense as she realized she was never content with one occupation. She retrained as a spiritual life coach, a retreat facilitator and a public speaking trainer. Then she jumped into ADD coaching (usually women, plus a few very special teens, men and couples) and created the ADDiva Network.

It is impossible to understand the true experience of your child with ADHD. What they feel like in different environments and from one day to the next. Add autism to the mix, and it’s doubly complicated. 

Listen as Robert Cox and I talk about the co-existence of autism in many kids with ADHD, and what that feels like to the child, using the way the brain works as evidence. Learn how sensory struggles and fear impact kids with ADHD and autism, why it’s virtually the same experience as traumatic events, and how to help your child cope.

Robert Cox, LPC, NCC, CCT, is a therapist and owner of Life Recovery Consulting, LLC a company that specializes in the treatment of trauma, addictions and autism in the NW MO area. He has worked for over 23 years with autism, developmental disabilities and addictions in one capacity or another. In his work and research, Robert noticed that sensory issues and social exclusion begin to shape the brain in the same ways as developmental trauma and recently released his first book from that work, The Life Recovery Method: Autism Treatment From A Trauma Perspective.

One of the most difficult parts of parenting kids with ADHD is ADHD medication. The consideration is difficult enough — Should you give your child medication? Is it safe? Once you decide to try ADHD medication, you enter a trial and error vortex that can be frustrating and exhausting. But, it doesn’t have to be.

Join Dr. Charles Parker and I as we discuss all the facets of ADHD stimulant medication. Learn what affects the efficacy of ADHD medication, what other body functions need to be evaluated, how to know if your child is on the right medication and the right dose, and so much more. If your child takes or may someday take ADHD medication, you can’t miss this session.

Dr. Charles Parker specializes in diagnostic and medical services for troubled children, adolescents and adults. His broad range of clinical experience from psychoanalysis to substance abuse, to psychopharmacology and SPECT neuroimaging, to his experience with systems/functional medicine and advanced biomedical assessments, provides a comprehensive foundation for more informed treatment interventions – especially for previous treatment failures. 

The old adage, “You are what you eat,” has a lot of truth to it. The better we nourish our bodies, the better our bodies feel and perform. That’s true for brain and neurological functioning too, which is so important for individuals with ADHD.

Listen as Mira Dessy and I discuss nutrition and optimizing neurological functioning. Learn what your child should and shouldn’t be eating. Learn what ingredients to avoid and what nutrients to amp up in your child’s diet. Get strategies to nourish even the pickiest of eaters, too.

Mira Dessy, NE is The Ingredient Guru. She is the author of the book The Pantry Principle. A holistic nutritionist and a popular public speaker, she knows that it’s not just what you eat, but what’s in what you eat. Mira is a Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner who has been working with clients for over 10 years. She is in clinical practice with a Functional Medicine Pediatrician and supports clients in reaching their health goals through holistic nutrition, lifestyle modifications, and chemical cleanup. 

The special education system in the United States is complex. There are two different laws that govern the rights of students with disabilities. And, each of those laws has it’s own set of rules and complexities. Just determining if your child should get a 504 plan or an IEP can be overwhelming.

Join Carolyn D’Argenio and I as we discuss special education laws and the rights of students with disabilities. Learn the difference between a 504 Plan and an IEP, and how to start the ball rolling to get the help your child needs in school.

Carolyn D’Argenio, is an ADHD Coach and education advocate. She established Uniquely U, Inc. in 2014 to support individuals, schools, organizations, and criminal justice practitioners interested in providing more-informed support for children and adults with ADHD, Executive Functions Deficits, and Type 1 Diabetes. She provides strong advocacy and support for those seeking special education or accommodations at schools nationwide and is a recognized resource for those with these diagnoses.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when parenting kids with ADHD. The additional stress alone necessitates some outside support and respite for parents. And the added cost can cause families financial strain. 

Join Zondra Moss and I as we discuss what resources are available to caregivers raising kids with ADHD, and how to find them. From support groups and playdates, to respite scholarships and help paying for treatments and services, there’s a lot available if you know where to look and you’re willing to work at it. 

Zondra Moss, MS, LMF, is the mother of 9 children, one with Cerebral Palsy and anxiety and 2 with learning challenges and ADD. She’s a Marriage and Family Therapist, working in the IDD/MH field. Her nonprofit, Helping Outcomes for Parents of Exceptional Children, works to reduce the stress and isolation for those parents.

ADHD is a very complex condition. Not only does it have three subtypes, but there are conditions the symptoms must meet in order to reach the diagnostic level for diagnosis. Compounding the complexity are all the myths and misnomers about ADHD.

Listen as Dr. Marilyn Griffin and I discuss the diagnostic criteria for ADHD and treatment options. Learn how ADHD medication works and what to expect from appointments with your child’s psychologist or psychiatrist. At the end of this session, you’ll be clear on the basics of ADHD. 

Dr. Marilyn Griffin is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Medical Director of the Comprehensive Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Clinic (CAC) in the Department of Psychiatry. Additionally, Dr. Griffin is a Consultant for the Illinois Doc Assist Program which provides phone consultation to primary care providers throughout the state of Illinois. She is experienced in working with children and adolescents, facilitating groups and in clinical research, her goal is to decrease the stigma attached to mental health services by providing culturally competent, evidence-based assessments and treatment. She is interested in collaborative care and incorporating psychiatric services into primary care practices to increase access to treatment and decrease the stigma attached to mental health services. 

There is a certain rhythm and pace to life. The more we engage in a steady rhythm, the better we feel and the more sustained energy we have. A steady pace is even more powerful for kids with ADHD. 

Listen as Suzanne Cresswell and I discuss the role that rhythm and pace of performance can play for kids with ADHD. Learn how to help your child set a more steady pace in day-to-day life and how that will create positive changes in regulation and behavior. 

Suzanne Cresswell is an occupational and physical therapist who has worked with unique learners for over three decades. Suzanne works to educate and provide proven solutions and strategies to those that parent, instruct and work with unique learners. By creating an understanding of unique learners and their learning behavior, she helps parents, teachers and the students themselves find the ability in learning disability.

Suicide rates are climbing and kids who are thinking about it are younger and younger. It’s so important to have open and honest conversations about those thoughts and feelings, as well as when someone your child knows takes their own life.

Listen as Johnathan Singer, PhD, and I discuss the reality of suicide in our culture, how to know if your child is showing warning signs of contemplating suicide, how to have conversations with your child when they have thoughts about ending their life or when someone they know has died by suicide, and how to get help if and when your child needs it. Yes, talking about and thinking about suicide is uncomfortable, but this session could save a life. 

Dr. Jonathan Singer is associate professor of social work at Loyola University Chicago. For the past 20 years, Dr. Singer has been a community mental health clinician, educator and researcher, much of that time providing crisis services to suicidal youth in schools. He is trained in EMDR, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Attachment-based Family Therapy (ABFT) for depressed and suicidal youth. His clinical and research interests focus on interventions for suicidal and cyberbullied youth; service access and service utilization; and use of technology in education and clinical practice.

It’s common for parents to consider homeschooling their child with ADHD when mainstream school isn’t a good fit. The idea of homeschooling can be overwhelming and daunting, however.

Join Shawna Wingert and I as we discuss the basics of homeschooling, how to get started, and the potential pros and cons of homeschooling your child. Learn the truth about homeschooling — positive and negative — so you can make an informed decision.

Shawna Wingert is the creator of Not The Former Things, a blog dedicated to homeschooling children with learning differences and special needs. She loves finding out-of-the-box ways for out-of-the-box learners to thrive. She has participated in ADHD and Autism discussions at Today.com, Autism Speaks, The Mighty and Scary Mommy and is a regular contributor to Simple Homeschool.net. Shawna is the author of two books, Special Education at Home and Everyday Autism. She lives in Southern CA with her voice actor husband and two awesome sons.

When our kids are diagnosed with ADHD, our parent intuition is to “fix it,” fix it all, and fix it quick. That’s not reality though, and the sooner you recognize, accept that, and let it go, the better off you and your family will be. You can’t thrive until you accept and let go.

Listen as Penny Williams explains the process or acceptance and letting go when raising kids with ADHD. Learn the powerful outcomes of having the right mindset in this special brand of parenthood, and how truly freeing that can be.

Penny Williams trains and coaches parents raising kids with ADHD and/or autism. She’s the award-winning author of four books on parenting ADHD — “Boy Without Instructions,” “What to Expect When Parenting Children with ADHD,” “The Insider’s Guide to ADHD,” and “The Hidden Layers of ADHD.” Penny hosts the annual Happy Mama Retreat and the Purposeful Parent Bootcamps, and is also a frequent contributor on parenting and ADHD for ADDitude Magazine and other parenting and special needs publications.

Many kids with ADHD are what’s called twice-exceptional, having a gifted IQ and a disability. Often the ability (giftedness) hides the disability, or the disability hides the ability. And, most U.S. schools do not have programs to address both disability and giftedness in the same student. That means parents often take on the job of enrichment for gifted needs.

Listen as Colleen Kessler, M.Ed., and I discuss what giftedness really means and the set of strengths, weaknesses, and challenges that come with giftedness. Learn how to advocate for your child’s twice-exceptional needs in school and how to understand and nurture those same needs outside the school environment, as well.

Colleen Kessler, M.Ed., is an explorer, tinkerer, educator, writer, creator, and a passionate advocate for the needs of gifted and twice-exceptional children. She has a B.S. in elementary education, a M.Ed. in gifted studies, is the founder of the popular blog and podcast Raising Lifelong Learners as well as Raising Poppies, a community of support for parents of gifted children, and a sought after national speaker. The author of more than a dozen books for teachers, parents, and kids, Colleen left teaching after more than a decade to write and speak about parenting, education, giftedness, and hands-on learning and play.

Why is it that moms feel guilty and ashamed of taking some time to nurture themselves? Self-care is a parenting strategy. Self-care is paramount to your family’s wellbeing, not just your own.

Listen as Vikki Spencer, aka The Mom Whisperer, and I bust the myths of mom self-care, offer ideas for self-care activities and how to make it a regular part of your life, and give you permission to make yourself a priority, too.

Vikki Spencer is a family change agent, encourager of the worn, and mom whisperer. She helps moms subtly and powerfully shift family life so it becomes as phenomenal as they are. Vikki teaches parenting strategies, identity work, and self care practices to moms of toddlers through the teen years.

Parenting kids with ADHD is tough. It feels like it should be about ADHD and struggle all the time, but that’s detrimental to our entire families. Instead, we should actually work on ourselves first, for better parenting success.

Listen as Dr. Ali Griffith and I discuss how to walk through life and parenthood with purpose and intention. Learn why your mindset is key and how to create the shift for yourself that will allow you to feel better, parent better, and meet your goals better. Discover and re-ignite your fire within.

Dr. Alisha “Ali” Griffith is the proud mother of Zachary, her bright and extraordinary son, who is on the autism spectrum. She is also a trained educator, speech-language pathologist, and audiologist for more than 20 years. A best-selling author of Au-mazing Gift: A Journey to Autism, and autism parenting and ignite coach, and transformational speaker. She boldly launched her own Autism Parenting training and development company in 2015.

Are you a stressed out and exhausted parent? Feel like you don’t have the energy to get through each day anymore? Studies show that the strain of raising a child with ADHD impacts the human body physically, not just emotionally.

Join Maureen Lake and I as we discuss what physical symptoms may be attributed to the stress created by the daily struggles of parenting challenging kids. Learn what to look for, how to gain control of your health, and the improvements you’ll see when you address the impacts of stress on your health.

Maureen Lake, MA, IAHC, is a compassionate advocate for mothers who raise challenging children. She thoroughly enjoyed raising her three children and had a first-hand knowledge living a frenzied lifestyle of a mom who typically put herself last. Maureen has spent numerous years as a special education teacher and now a holistic health coach, but her passion rests with her desire to advocate for moms who want to create long-lasting positive change for themselves.

Behavior is the problem most parents of kids with ADHD hone in on. Yet, behavior isn’t really the problem, only a symptom of the actual problem. You won’t see improvement until you address the underlying problems — the reasons behind the behavior.

Join Dr. Ross Greene and I as we discuss his Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS) approach to parenting challenging kids. You’ll learn how to determine the actual problems, and the collaborative process to work with your child to find lasting solutions. Dr. Greene’s approach changed our family, and it can change yours, too.

Ross W. Greene, PhD, is the originator of the innovative, evidence-based approach called Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS), as described in his influential books The Explosive Child, Lost at School, Lost & Found, and Raising Human Beings. Dr. Greene has worked with several thousand behaviorally challenging kids and their families, and he and his colleagues have overseen implementation and evaluation of the CPS model in hundreds of schools, inpatient psychiatry units, and residential and juvenile detention facilities, with dramatic effect: significant reductions in discipline referrals, detentions, suspensions, and use of restraint procedures and solitary confinement. He has infused the parenting and teaching of all kids with humanity, empathy, and compassion.