Raising ADHD: Real Talk For Parents & Educators

Send us Fan Mail ADHD parenting burnout is real, and it's not the same as being tired. The three stages, why parents of ADHD kids burn out faster, and five research-backed ways to recover. __________________________________________________ You keep saying you're just tired. A good night's sleep should fix it, but it doesn't, and the moment your kid walks in the door your tank h...

Send us Fan Mail Surviving summer with an ADHD kid? Here are five small, real-life things saving my sanity right now, plus a pep talk for when nothing feels like it's helping. ________________________________________________________________ It's week five of summer and you're holding on for dear life. Same. Here are the small, ordinary things keeping me afloat this ADHD summer, and...

Send us Fan Mail Traveling with an ADHD child without the meltdowns is possible. A travel expert shares how to plan Disney, cruises, and trips that actually feel like a vacation. ______________________________________________________________ The thought of planning a vacation with your ADHD kid makes your stomach clench, so you either skip it or push through and come home needing a vacation from y...

Send us Fan Mail Why your ADHD child kicks, hums, and can't sit still, and what to do instead of yelling. A simple reframe for sensory and dopamine-seeking behavior. _________________________________________________________ You're three minutes into the drive home, and your kiddo is already kicking the back of your seat, humming the same three notes on a loop, and poking their sibling un...

Send us Fan Mail Traditional discipline doesn't work for ADHD kids—here's the brain science why, plus 6 research-backed strategies that do. ________________________________________________________________ Raise your hand if you've ever been told, "You just need to discipline your child more." Or maybe you've thought it yourself: Why won't they just try harder? Th...

Send us Fan Mail What's the best daily routine for a child with ADHD? Not a rigid schedule, but a flexible anchor system. Get the research-backed summer framework that actually works.  ___________________________________________________ School ends, and within 48 hours, your ADHD kid is dysregulated, bored, melting down, and you're wondering how you'll survive until August. Here&apo...

Send us Fan Mail ADHD executive function is why your checklist isn't working. Learn how to become your child's GPS and scaffold the skills that actually get things done at home. ________________________________________________________________________ You made the checklist. You laminated it. You hung it on the fridge. Your child used it for two days. Now you're frustrated because th...

Send us Fan Mail Not sure how to talk to your child about ADHD? Get age-specific scripts, do's and don'ts, and the mom perspective on making the conversation feel natural, not heavy. _____________________________________________________________ Have you been putting off the ADHD conversation with your child? Maybe you're not sure what to say. Maybe you're afraid you'll say...

Send us Fan Mail ADHD meltdowns aren't tantrums. Learn why they happen, the ABCs of behavior tracking, and a 5-step system to reduce meltdowns by building invisible skills. _________________________________________________________ You say "turn off the iPad" and your child loses it. Total, utter meltdown. Or you're at the store, you say no, and everything explodes. Or plans cha...

Send us Fan Mail There's something that happens in parenting around elementary school age, and no one talks about it. Learn the parenting pivot that change how you parent today...and reduce meltdowns and defiance.  _______________________________________________________ You've tried the chore charts. You've labeled the bins. You've explained what a clean room looks like a hundr...

Send us Fan Mail ADHD hyperactivity isn't a behavior problem to suppress. Learn 5 neuroscience-backed strategies to channel your child's movement, including the PINCH framework. ______________________________________________ Your child can sit completely still for an hour playing a video game. They cannot sit for five minutes doing math. And you're wondering... is this a choice? It&...

Send us Fan Mail Traditional discipline fails ADHD kids. Learn what research from Harvard, Yale, and the AAP says actually works, plus the strategies that changed our home. ________________________________________________________________ If you've ever taken away the iPad, watched your kid escalate, so you took it away for the rest of the week, watched them escalate MORE, and thought... nothi...

Send us Fan Mail ADHD kids are 30-40% behind peers in executive function skills. Learn what that means, which skills matter most, and how to build them at home. _______________________________________________________________ You've said "stop bugging your brother" 47 times. It's not even 7 a.m. and you're already yelling. Your child KNOWS how to put on their shoes. So why...

Send us Fan Mail Your ADHD child is on multiple meds and you're not sure why. Two psychiatrists explain how to prevent the drug cascade and advocate at every appointment. _________________________________________________ You took your child to the doctor for ADHD. One medication turned into two, then three—and now you're staring at a pill organizer wondering how did we get here? You&apos...

Send us Fan Mail When ADHD kids lie, it's not a character flaw, it's a coping strategy. Learn what the research says and what actually helps instead of shame spirals. ______________________________________________________ If you've ever looked at your child and thought, "Why are you lying to me right now?" —this episode will change how you see that moment. Here's some...

Send us Fan Mail Your child's behavior card comes home negative every day. It's not a character issue—it's a design issue. Learn the REACT framework that actually works. ____________________________________________________ It's 3:07 pm. The dismissal bell rings. And somewhere across town, your phone lights up with the same behavior report you got yesterday. Had difficulty stayi...

Send us Fan Mail Overwhelmed by conflicting ADHD advice? Discover what actually works (and doesn't) for managing ADHD without medication, backed by top-tier research. ______________________________________ If you've ever found yourself Googling "ADHD help without medication" at midnight, wondering if anything actually works, or if you're just failing your kid, this episode...

Send us Fan Mail ADHD mornings don't have to be chaos. Learn how to identify your household's biggest battle zone and make one environmental shift that changes everything. _______________________________________ Someone's crying. You're already running late. The shoes are right there but somehow invisible—and suddenly you're not just tired, you're angry. Before you&ap...

Send us Fan Mail Your phone buzzes: another behavior report. Learn why punishment fails ADHD kids and get scripts to build a real school-home team. ____________________________________ It's 2:47 PM. Your phone buzzes. You already know what it is before you look. Behavior update. Today was difficult. Please discuss consequences at home. Your stomach drops—because this isn't information. I...

Send us Fan Mail ADHD kids hear "I'm the problem" on repeat. Learn why repairing after yelling rewrites that story—and what to do when your child won't engage. ________________________________________ There's a sentence ADHD kids learn really early. They don't usually say it out loud, but they're living it internally: I'm the problem. Not "that was hard...

Send us Fan Mail Yelled at your ADHD child and feel awful? Learn the 5-step repair system that protects your child's self-esteem and actually strengthens your relationship. _______________________ The explosion is over. The house is quiet. Your kid has disappeared into their room, and you're standing there with a pit in your stomach, replaying the look on their face and asking yourself t...

Send us Fan Mail Destructive anger in ADHD kids is one of the most misunderstood, shame-loaded experiences parents face. The advice most families are given — harsher consequences, bigger punishments, “making it stop” — often makes these episodes happen more often, not less. In this episode, Apryl and Dr. Brian walk through what’s actually happening in the ADHD brain during these moments — and the...

Send us Fan Mail This is the holiday episode every ADHD parent needs. After five weeks of dismantling holiday myths, decoding meltdowns, and rebuilding your confidence piece-by-piece…we’re finally here. In this episode of Raising ADHD , Apryl (former teacher + ADHD mom) and Dr. Brian Bradford (child & adolescent psychiatrist) reveal the complete, step-by-step ADHD Holiday Survival System — the...

Send us Fan Mail There’s a moment every ADHD parent remembers. Not the big, Instagram-perfect one — the small, quiet one. It’s the moment you realize: “Wait… this actually worked.” The morning didn’t explode. The meltdown didn’t happen. Your kid didn’t spiral at the holiday party. For a few seconds, your home felt calm — and you almost didn’t believe it. This episode of Raising ADHD is about that...

Send us Fan Mail If your holidays feel louder, harder, and more meltdown-heavy than everyone else’s, there’s a reason — and it’s not your parenting. It’s the three myths you were taught to believe about ADHD and the holidays. In this episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on the well-intentioned advice that’s been making December nearly impossible for ADHD kids (and the adults raising them). Thes...