In ADHD grandfamilies, grandparents are raising or helping to raise their grandchildren for a variety of reasons — while simultaneously learning how to parent and support a neurodivergent child, often for the first time. So much has changed in our understanding of ADHD and its comorbidities, and grandparents are working hard to catch up and help out.

If your grandchild has ADHD, you likely struggle with kickstarting the morning routine, tackling and turning in homework, doing chores, and even sitting at the dinner table. Navigating your role as a grandparent—whether you’re raising your grandchild or just contributing to childcare—requires patience and energy when your grandchild presents with inattentive, hyperactive and/or impulsive behavior.

In this webinar, grandparents will learn:

• About the three presentations of ADHD and how each can affect a child’s life at home, at school, and in peer relationships
• About evidence-based behavior management strategies to improve interactions with your grandchild
• How to address everyday struggles, such as getting ready in the morning, starting and completing homework, following directions, and balancing screen time
• How to avoid common pitfalls, such as yelling and using escalating threats

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

More on ADHD Grandfamilies

• Download: 3 Rules for Organizing Your Child (or Grandchild)
• Read: “Let Me Tell You How ADHD Runs in My Family”
• Read: A Strong Foundation

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on April 26, 2023, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker:

Caroline Mendel, Psy.D., is the Senior Director of Clinical Services for School and Community Programs and a psychologist in the ADHD and Behavior Disorders Center at the Child Mind Institute. She specializes in the assessment and treatment of youth with ADHD, disruptive behavior, and other co-occurring conditions. She is skilled in behavioral parent training approaches and is a certified parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) therapist. She also has experience providing evidence-based interventions including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).

Follow ADDitude’s full ADHD Experts Podcast in your podcasts app:
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Amazon Music | RadioPublic | Pocket Casts | iHeartRADIO | Stitcher

Academic demands, self-regulation challenges, and unreliable motivation can hamper learning and academic success for students of all ages with ADHD. Many feel frustrated and stop trying to achieve what they consider unattainable goals related to their school performance. What can caregivers do to help neurodivergent students reach their academic potential?

In this webinar, caregivers will learn:

• How to build strategies specific to a child’s age and stage to help them stay focused and motivated at home and at school
• How to create daily routines that can make a difference in getting and staying organized, including tips for backpack organization and assignment prioritization
• About strategies that improve sleep routines so children wake without a fight
• About approaches to help your child connect with peers to build their self-confidence

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

Download or Stream the Podcast Audio

Click the play button below to listen to this episode directly in your browser, click the symbol to download to listen later, or open in your podcasts app: Apple Podcasts; Google Podcasts; Stitcher; Spotify; Amazon Music; iHeartRADIO.

More on Student Self-Regulation and ADHD

• Download: Solving Behavior Problems Rooted in Executive Function Deficits
• Read: “I Remembered Not to Forget!”
• Read: Be On Time! Teaching Sequence and Schedules

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on March 8, 2023, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker:

Kristin Seymour, MSN, RN, is a clinical nurse specialist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital at Washington University Medical Center. She is also a coach, blogger, and a contributor in the documentary about ADHD called The Disruptors. She credits her ADHD with making her a better nurse.

Webinar Sponsor

The sponsor of this ADDitude webinar is….

Accentrate® is a dietary supplement formulated to address nutritional deficiencies known to be associated with ADHD. It contains omega-3 fatty acids in phospholipid form (the form already in the brain). This Brain Ready Nutrition helps manage inattention, lack of focus, emotional dysregulation, and hyperactivity without drug-like side effects. | fenixhealthscience.com

ADDitude thanks our sponsors for supporting our webinars. Sponsorship has no influence on speaker selection or webinar content.

Follow ADDitude’s full ADHD Experts Podcast in your podcasts app:
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Amazon Music | RadioPublic | Pocket Casts | iHeartRADIO | Stitcher

Does your tween or teen seem to lack all motivation? Do they need aggressive reminders to begin tasks — especially those they’ve put off for as long as possible? Is it almost always a struggle to finish?

Many adolescents with ADHD stall out when trying to start and/or complete assignments and tasks, especially when they are no fun, boring, or challenging. ADHD-related procrastination and disorganization, combined with perfectionism and low self-esteem, can hamper their ability to complete work or remember to turn in what they have accomplished. Successfully motivating and supporting these students means following a strength-based, collaborative approach that synthesizes cognitive behavioral interventions with practical routines and mindful awareness.

In this webinar, Dr. Sharon Saline, award-winning author, international speaker and consultant, explores how to motivate teens with ADHD and offers effective strategies for offering effective support while helping them build life-long skills.

In this webinar, you will learn:

• How to identify the executive functioning skills that affect motivation
• About strategies for developing enduring time-management skills, organizational skills, and goal-directed persistence
• About effective, collaborative routines with meaningful incentives to reduce procrastination and perfectionism
• How to reduce overwhelm and anxiety by increasing confidence and resilience
• How to determine appropriate levels of parent participation in kids’ lives
• How to help tweens and teens with ADHD develop the accountability and autonomy that fosters success in school and in life

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

Download or Stream the Podcast Audio

Click the play button below to listen to this episode directly in your browser, click the symbol to download to listen later, or open in your podcasts app: Apple Podcasts; Google Podcasts; Stitcher; Spotify; Amazon Music; iHeartRADIO.

More on Motivating Teens with ADHD

• Download: Transform Your Teen’s Apathy Into Engagement
• Read: How Can I Make My Teen Care About School?
• Read: The Roots of ADHD Motivation Problems

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on January 11, 2023, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker

Sharon Saline, Psy.D., clinical psychologist and author of the award-winning book, What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew: Working Together to Empower Kids for Success in School and Life (#CommissionsEarned) and The ADHD Solution Deck (#CommissionsEarned) specializes in working with children, teens, emerging adults and families living with ADHD, anxiety, learning disabilities, autism, twice exceptionality and mental health issues. Her unique perspective – as a sibling in an ADHD home, combined with decades of experience as a clinical psychologist and educator/clinician consultant – assists her in guiding families and adults towards effective communication and closer connections. She lectures and facilitates workshops internationally on topics such as understanding ADHD, executive functioning, anxiety, motivation, different kinds of learners and the teen brain. Click here to read her full bio.

#CommissionsEarned As an Amazon Associate, ADDitude earns a commission from qualifying purchases made by ADDitude readers on the affiliate links we share. However, all products linked in the ADDitude Store have been independently selected by our editors and/or recommended by our readers. Prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

Webinar Sponsor

The sponsor of this ADDitude webinar is….

The first college in the U.S. to exclusively serve students who learn differently (dyslexia, ADHD, autism, executive function challenges, etc.), also offers short-term programs that help neurodivergent high schoolers make the successful transition to college, academically and socially. Visit www.landmark.edu/teen to learn more about residential and online options.

ADDitude thanks our sponsors for supporting our webinars. Sponsorship has no influence on speaker selection or webinar content.

Follow ADDitude’s full ADHD Experts Podcast in your podcasts app:
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Amazon Music | RadioPublic | Pocket Casts | iHeartRADIO | Stitcher

Most of us make New Year’s resolutions. Children with ADHD often wish for things to be different at school. However, they feel they don’t know how to make things better because it’s hard to transform intentions into reliable action.

But focusing on building specific strategies and routines rather than achieving big, unattainable goals can help students stay focused and motivated for the second half of the school year.

This approach can empower your child (whether they’re in elementary, middle, or high school) and make a huge difference in personal and academic outcomes. Routines and strong study habits help students build essential life skills, including planning ahead, staying organized, and doing it without a fight.

Ann Dolin, M.Ed., has more than 30 years of experience with students with various types of learning and attentional issues. During her January 24th webinar, she will share insights to help students impacted by ADHD emerge and shine to make 2023 a Happy New Year!

In her workshop, she will discuss:

Strategies to increase your child’s focus, productivity, and time management
Simple ways to create daily routines that can make the difference in getting and staying organized
Strategies to foster independence and responsibility, so it doesn’t fall on the adults’ shoulders
Research-based ways to prevent the disconnect between what a parent sees as the problem and the areas a child is willing to accept help
Conversation starters to facilitate an improved mindset, build trust, and help your child break free of the “doom loop”
Ways to help resistant kids (common in those with ADHD) overcome roadblocks and achieve what they set out to do (Yes, it’s possible!)

Plus, you’ll receive free downloads to help your family stay organized and plan ahead, as well as word-by-word scripts for what to say when your child is resistant or struggling with motivation.

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

Download or Stream the Podcast Audio

Click the play button below to listen to this episode directly in your browser, click the symbol to download to listen later, or open in your podcasts app: Apple Podcasts; Google Podcasts; Stitcher; Spotify; Amazon Music; iHeartRADIO.

More on School Goals and Strategies for ADHD

• Download: Solving Disorganization at School
• Read: ADHD & the Art of Persistence: Teaching Goal-Setting Skills
• Read: Behold the Magic of a Consistent Routine
  

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on January 24, 2023, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker:

Ann Dolin is the President and Founder of Educational Connections, a company that specializes in helping students with ADHD and executive function issues build confidence through virtual, one-to-one sessions. Ann is a former public school teacher, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Child Psychology and a master’s degree in Special Education (from Boston College). Ann has spent more than 25 years in education, teaching and tutoring students from kindergarten to college. She founded Educational Connections in 1998. Her team now includes 125 highly credentialed and caring subject tutors, test prep tutors, and executive function coaches.

Webinar Sponsor

The sponsor of this ADDitude webinar is…

Play Attention: Improve executive function & self-regulation with NASA inspired technology. Tufts University School of Medicine found Play Attention significantly improved attention, executive function, academic performance and behavioral control of ADHD students. Your program will include a Lifetime Membership and a Personal Executive Function Coach to customize your plan along the way. Home and professional programs available. Call 828-676-2240 or click here to schedule your free 1:1 consultation! | www.playattention.com

ADDitude thanks our sponsors for supporting our webinars. Sponsorship has no influence on speaker selection or webinar content.

Follow ADDitude’s full ADHD Experts Podcast in your podcasts app:
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Amazon Music | RadioPublic | Pocket Casts | iHeartRADIO | Stitcher

It is essential that your son pack up his backpack the night before and leave it by — maybe even blocking — the door he exits. For things he takes every day, I suggest making a mnemonic sung to the tune of “head, shoulders, knees, and toes” but modified to his items. So it could be: “Lunch, homework, keys, and phone.” Of course, this doesn’t address one-time items, such as permission slips, or weekly items, like gym shoes and musical instruments.

Weekly and regular routines can go on a large weekday matrix that is hung by the door, so he knows on Tuesday night to pack his shoes for gym on Wednesday. One-time items can be jotted on a neon Post-It or noted on a phone with a reminder text or a memo, whichever is most convenient and effective for him at the moment. His most valuable tool, however, is you.

[Read: The Messy Student’s Guide to Order]

It may take a month to get him in the habit of packing up the night before, checking the matrix and reminder notes, and placing everything in front of the door. You should be there in the morning to “run the tune.” A good month of this should make it a habit. You might not completely eliminate your trips to the school, but they should become fewer. And best of all, Mom, you will have taught him a valuable organizing system that he can use for the rest of his life.

School Organization: Next Steps

• Download: Your Free Guide to School Organization
• Read: This School Year, Get It Together (and Keep It There)
• Listen: How to Start (and End) The School Year Organized

Susan C. Pinsky is a professional organizer specializing in ADHD. She is the author of Organizing Solutions for People with ADHD and The Fast and Furious 5 Step Organizing Solution(#CommissionsEarned).

#CommissionsEarned As an Amazon Associate, ADDitude earns a commission from qualifying purchases made by ADDitude readers on the affiliate links we share. However, all products linked in the ADDitude Store have been independently selected by our editors and/or recommended by our readers. Prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Behavioral interventions like healthy sleep hygiene, calming visualization, and reliable sleep and wake times are effective at improving ADHD-related sleep issues in children, according to a meta-analysis published in the Journal of Attention Disorders¹. Though the study does not recommend specific interventions, its findings are a promising addition to a growing body of research surrounding behavioral interventions for correcting sleep difficulties.

The researchers’ analyses, which considered 11 studies, focused on children between the ages of 5 and 15 diagnosed with ADHD who had at least one sleep problem and received some form of behavioral sleep intervention. Interventions included educating parents on sleep hygiene, establishing a proper sleep environment, and setting proper wake and sleep time, as well as using positive reinforcement, bedtime fading, and calming visualization for the children involved in the study.

Though researchers found that individualized interventions that targeted the child’s specific sleep difficulty proved more effective and time-efficient than did standardized approaches. In all studies analyzed, behavioral interventions led to positive effects on sleep quality.

The study suffered from a marked gender imbalance: male participants far outnumbered their female counterparts. Knowing that ADHD can affect girls differently, the lack of gender balance raises concerns over the generalizability of the results. The study authors recommend further research to better understand effective interventions and how other factors such as medication or comorbid conditions may affect intervention results.

Sources

¹Malkani, M. K., Pestell, C. F., Sheridan, A. M. C., Crichton, A. J., Horsburgh, G. C., & Bucks, R. S. (2022). Behavioral Sleep Interventions for Children With ADHD: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Attention Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547221106239

Here are some strategies — from fundamental sleep hygiene habits to ideas for quieting a racing mind and more — that I’ve found particularly helpful in getting children with ADHD to sleep soundly.

How to Get Kids to Sleep: The Basics

• Follow a consistent bedtime routine. Practice the routine with your child until it becomes a habit.
  • As much as possible, bedtime should be at the same time every night.
  • The hour leading up to bedtime should be the same every night. The routine can include a bath, story time, reading time, quiet play, drawing —whatever works best to wind down your child.
  • A drink of warm milk before bed may help your child sleep. Try preparing one cup of milk with a teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon of real (not artificial) vanilla.
  • Anticipate procrastination! In the routine, make going to the bathroom, brushing teeth, and (for those children who need it), a drink or a snack.

[Get This Download: Sound Sleep Solutions for Kids with ADHD]

• Set up the bedroom to promote sleep:
  • For several reasons, it is best for your child to not have a TV in their bedroom and for you to limit screen time altogether (including from other electronic devices).
  • If possible, your child should sleep in their own bedroom.
  • It may help to turn down the lights (or switch to a dim lamp) in the last half hour before bedtime. The lower level of illumination helps the brain to slip into sleep.
  • The choice of a night-light or not, door open or closed, depends on your child’s needs.
  • Minimize noise coming from the rest of the home (like a TV in another room) as your child is trying to fall asleep.
  • Keep your child’s bedroom a little on the cool side. We generally sleep better in a cool room.

• Avoid highly stimulating activities in the last half hour of the day. This includes video games, horseplay, and most TV programs.
• Reward your child (in the day!) for following the bedtime routine. This will help motivate them to continue to follow the plan.
• Plenty of exercise during the day (but not close to bedtime) may help your child sleep better at night.

How to Get Kids to Sleep: Quiet the Mind

Many children with ADHD have trouble slowing down their brain enough to fall asleep. The key is to distract your child from all the interesting thoughts that threaten to keep them awake.

Some helpful options:

• For younger children, audiobooks can be very helpful. Start a short audiobook on a Friday night. (This way, there won’t be an issue if your child stays up later than usual to listen, since they don’t need to get up early on Saturday). By the second night, it should be familiar. By Sunday night, it’s practically memorized. Your child will find the familiar voice and story soothing and relaxing. Of course, when your child gets bored of the same audiobook, start a new one over the weekend, or when they don’t have school the next day.
• Older children may prefer to listen to music. Have your child select one to two songs they like, not love, (you don’t want them getting up to dance) to repeat all night long. Soft instrumental music might make most sense to you as a parent, but it is best to be open-minded to your child’s choice. In the end, it doesn’t matter what song they choose as long as it helps them settle to sleep.
• White noise is another option, especially if there is disturbing background noise from outside the bedroom. An electric fan works well — and if it’s too cool, have the fan blow against a wall.

[Read: Sleep Problems in Teens with ADHD – Causes and Solutions]

Is your child anxious about being alone in their bedroom at night? Settle your child into bed and comfort them. Then, tell them that you have to step out for something but will be back in one minute. Be sure to return in exactly in that time. (Your child might time you if they have a clock in their room.) Next, have your child close their eyes, and tell them you will be back in two minutes.  Continue gradually lengthening the time until your child falls asleep. With this activity, you are helping them to develop trust in your proximity.

How to Get Kids to Sleep: Other Strategies

Talk to your child’s doctor about these options for getting a child to sleep:

• Melatonin is a natural sleep hormone available in supplement form that helps to regulate the sleep-wake balance, something that is often off-kilter in children (and adults) with ADHD.
• For teens, a modest dose of caffeine may help. Caffeine is a readily available and accessible stimulant chemical that can mimic the effects of stimulant medication on a smaller scale — in other words, it can help an active, busy ADHD brain calm down, relax, and exert self-control. For many of my teen patients, some coffee with milk and an artificial sweetener works surprisingly well to relax the body and mind in the evening. And if doesn’t work, don’t do it again.
• If your child takes ADHD medication, a low dose of their stimulant near bedtime may be the best choice when nothing else has worked.
• Trazodone and clonidine are commonly prescribed sedatives that aid in sleep and are generally considered safe. Consider speaking with your child’s doctor about these options.

How to Get Kids to Sleep: Next Steps

• Free Download: Routines for Morning and Night
• Read: Why Children with ADHD Hate Bedtime – Solutions to ADHD Sleep Problems
• Q&A: “How Can I Get My Son to Sleep in His Own Bed Without Sparking Anxiety?”

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Why Task Switching and Transitions Roil ADHD Teens

Transitions are difficult for ADHD brains. Why? What seems like a simple process actually comprises several discrete steps, any one of which could cause a derailment.

The first step to supporting your teen is to get to know the different aspects of transitions, as well as the various stages that are involved with task switching.

3 Types of Transitions

• Physical transitions include walking from one room to another, taking out a laptop or a notebook, and getting out of bed. We often think that a transition is finished just because the physical aspect has been completed, but this is false.
• Mental transitions take place internally. When switching tasks, we must change how we are thinking. For example, the competitive mindset needed to play a sport has to change when we’re going out to dinner with family after the game. If we don’t move out of the previous mindset, we won’t be as cooperative as we should be in the new setting. The executive function challenges that go with ADHD may cause this shift to lag.
• Emotional transitions, like mental ones, take place internally and are hard to observe. (The clues are in the nonverbal cues.) Sometimes we have to go from one emotional state to another to take on a new task or situation. When a teen says that they don’t “feel like” doing homework, it’s likely that they haven’t emotionally transitioned to that task yet. The emotional regulation challenges that go with ADHD can make these transitions difficult, and they may cause a child to get stuck in a powerful feeling like excitement, anger, or shame.

A single transition may comprise all three of these.

[Get This Free Download: What Are Your Teen’s Weakest Executive Functions?]

How Things Can Go Wrong When Task Switching

There are three stages to each transition.

1. Making the initial move away from the activity
2. Navigating the path between the last activity and the future one
3. Moving into the coming task or activity.

Things can go wrong at each of these stages.

Problems at the first stage:

• If ending a pleasant, enjoyable task, it may be hard for your teen to let go of the fun that they’re having.
• If the task is urgent, that, too, can make putting it down hard.
• ADHD hyperfocus could make it difficult to disconnect.

Problems at the second stage:

• The path between leaving a task and entering a new one requires focus, a common weak spot for teens with ADHD. It is easy for a teen to get sidetracked and distracted before entering a new activity, especially if it doesn’t start quickly enough.

Problems at the third stage:

• Unclear instructions can make it difficult to move on to the new task. If your teen misunderstands, they may not start the task soon enough.
• If the task is a dreaded one, or one charged with negative feelings, your teen might delay getting started or avoid it altogether. This delay could lead to harsh words from Mom or Dad, which could lead to even stronger negative feelings.

[Read: The Trickiest Transitions for Our Kids — and Proven Remedies]

Task Switching: 6 Tips for Helping Teens with Transitions

1. Establish easy-to-follow routines to let kids know what to expect, and when to expect it. Establishing and following set patterns of behavior goes a long way toward smoothing transitions.

2 . Cue your teen in advance of upcoming transitions. Giving kids a heads-up when a transition is coming will give them more time to make the needed mental and emotional shifts.

3. Use checklists and other visual reminders that build independence as our kids learn to navigate transitions and increase their ownership of their behavior.

4. Play music during transitions. Music helps us time how long a transition will take, and it can also soothe emotions that might arise from the change of tasks.

5. Use timers and reminders. Timers and digital reminders allow parents to stop nagging and, therefore, reduce conflict at home.

6. Let your teen take the lead on transitions. Give a teen as much control over transitions as they can manage. Let them take charge of moving from one task to another. This will reduce the mishegoss of transitions.

7. Understanding goes a long way. Transitions are more complicated than most of us realize. Understanding and patience will go a long way in helping your teen get over the transition hump.

Task Switching and Transitions for ADHD Brains: Next Steps

• Free Download: Sample Schedules for Reliable Family Routines
• Read: 4 Strategies for Easing Tricky Transitions
• Blog: How Zoning Out Helps My Daughter Be All-In

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Ever since the kids were little, Laurie and I impressed on them that they would be getting jobs as early as possible. So when she heard about a snow cone shack willing to hire 15-year-olds, Laurie scheduled Isaac a job interview and, within a few weeks, he had his first paycheck. We took him to the bank and helped him open a debit account. And thus began his obsession with spending his paycheck.

“Can I get membership at your gym?” he asked me.

“Son,” I said. “You’re on the football team. Don’t you work out every day?”

“Yeah.”

“Then why do you want a gym membership?”

“So I can work out more.”

“Why don’t you work harder at the gym at school?”

[Get This Free Download: What Are Your Teen’s Weakest Executive Functions?]

He gives me a look like he’s thinking. A stranger might think he’s considering what I said, but I know he’s really thinking this: Should I ask Mom or just wait a week and ask Dad again as if this conversation never happened because maybe he won’t remember? Which is of course what happened the following week. And the week after. Until finally I took him to my gym.

“You’re giving them your debit card. Right?”

“Of course,” he said. “That was my plan.”

I’m sure another part of his plan was to actually use to the gym, which he did a couple of times. But most evenings and weekends when he wasn’t working at the snow cone shack, he was chilling on the couch. I never questioned him about going to the gym because this was my place — the refuge where I could get some alone time. I also never questioned him about the payments because this was something he wanted and was paying for with his money.

Finally, after several months passed, the gym called to tell me Isaac was past due on his monthly dues. I texted him to call the gym and fix his account, and while he had them on the phone that he needed to cancel the membership. I thought he’d push back harder, but once they told him he had to pay $100, he was convinced.
[Read: How to Spend Less When the ADHD Brain Wants More]

“That’s like three shifts!!” he told me.

“And how many times did you go?” I asked him.

“Uh,” he said, “I don’t know,” which means he knows but doesn’t want to tell me.

Up to this point, I was the one busting out the credit card for fines, late fees, overdrawn lunch accounts, etc. As this burden was lifted off my shoulders, I looked forward to the new burden of watching my kids make their own knucklehead decisions, which is far easier than repeatedly saying, “No.”

Isaac wants $300 headphones. Vivianna wants to upgrade her iPhone, which is working just fine. Jayden wants to see how Door Dash works. “Sure kids!” we say. “How much is in your account?”

They might mumble something under their breath, or they might hand us a huge stack of $1 bills. If it’s the latter, we purchase the item for them. Either way, we’re not the bad guys for saying “No.” Nor are we suffering out-of-pocket for saying “Yes.” And the kids learn valuable lessons about budgeting that never sank in until the money was theirs. It’s a win-win!

Teen Jobs: Next Steps

• Free Download: Boost Your Teen’s Executive Functions
• Read: Teen Jobs Could Be More Powerful — and Tricky — Than Ever
• Read: Show Them the Money – Budgeting for Teens

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Sleep problems in children with ADHD contribute to long-term mental health challenges, including anxiety, for their mothers, according to an Australian study recently published in the Journal of Attention Disorders.¹

The year-long study asked female caregivers of 379 children with ADHD to report on their child’s sleep patterns and their own mental health at three points — at the beginning of the study, 6 months later, and during the last month of the study. The children were between 5 and 13 years old, and researchers controlled for child age, sex, ADHD symptom severity, medication use, comorbidities, caregiver age, and socioeconomic advantage in the study.

Findings show that, while child sleep problems and maternal mental health difficulties were stable across the study period, sleep problems at the 6-month point predicted overall maternal mental health difficulties and maternal anxiety at 12 months. Sleep problems at 6 months, however, did not predict maternal depression or stress at 12 months.

Given that children with ADHD experience more sleep problems than do their non-ADHD peers², the study raises awareness around related mental health difficulties for caregivers. The authors suggest that interventions to improve sleep in these children may improve maternal mental health over time.

Sources

¹Martin, C. A., Mulraney, M., Papadopoulos, N., Rinehart, N. J., & Sciberras, E. (2021). Bidirectional Associations Between Maternal Mental Health and Child Sleep Problems in Children With ADHD: A Longitudinal Study. Journal of Attention Disorders, 25(11), 1603–1604. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054720923083

²Gruber, R., Xi, T., Frenette, S., Robert, M., Vannasinh, P., & Carrier, J. (2009). Sleep disturbances in prepubertal children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a home polysomnography study. Sleep, 32(3), 343–350. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/32.3.343

Click the play button below to listen in your browser. Mobile users can open this episode in: Apple Podcasts; Google Podcasts; Stitcher; Spotify; iHeartRADIO

Click here to access the original webinar broadcast and accompanying slides.

Add ADDitude’s ADHD Experts Podcast to your podcasts app: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Pocket Casts | iHeartRADIO| Stitcher 

In this audio webinar of “Sleep Solutions for Children with ADHD,” Lisa Shives, M.D. and Elaine Taylor-Klaus, CPCC, PCC, discuss:

• How getting enough sleep can help children manage ADHD symptoms
• How good sleep hygiene optimizes a child’s sleep
• How to create a buffer zone between the busy day and sleep time

Recommended resources: 

• Free Download: Sound Sleep Solutions for Kids with ADHD
• Exercise and Sleep: The Better Brain Therapies Your Child Needs
• What Comes First: ADHD or Sleep Problems?
• eBook: Mindfulness & Other Natural Treatments for ADHD Symptoms

This ADHD Experts webinar was first broadcast live on November 6, 2013.

Note on audio quality: This podcast is a recording of a webinar series, and the audio has been captured from telephone conversations, not recorded in a studio. Register to participate in the live webinars at: www.additude.com/webinars/

Hi WebinarMom:

Many children with ADHD are extremely irritable right after they wake up. They might be rude, cranky, or just plain angry. Pair that with their inability to get moving in the morning and you’ve got a super-stressful start to the day.

Think about it: Your daughter might be struggling to focus and remember what she needs to do to start her day. She may be overwhelmed by the decisions she needs to be make. Or she might have difficulty transitioning from one task to the other while the clock ticks down. This is a lot for a child with ADHD to handle, which may explain her moody morning behavior.

Just to be clear, I’m not saying that speaking to her in the morning is wrong. What I’m saying is that her brain is overloaded. You don’t say how old she is or if she is exhibiting the same behavior at night. Therefore, my advice to you is stay calm, ignore the outbursts, and focus on the goal of moving her through her morning with minimal back-and-forth interaction.

Here are a few ideas.

[Free Download: The Morning Survival Guide for ADHD Families]

1. Do as much as possible the evening before.

This tip is less about saving time in the morning (even though it does) and more about your daughter making decisions in the evening when the pressure is off, her brain is calm, and she’s fully alert.

Before bed, lay out clothes and toiletries for the next morning. While making lunches and snacks for the next day, prepare breakfast, too. Transition her to evening showers. Gather homework and school supplies, pack backpacks, and place everything by the front door or even in the car. (One of my parent coaching clients does this and it works wonders.) In other words, leave very little to talk about during the morning madness.

2. Manage your expectations… and your daughter’s.

When all is calm, problem solve together. Make it clear what behavior you expect from your daughter in the morning and make sure she gets the opportunity to do the same. If the main goal is to get her out the door with limited prompting or communicating, then perhaps limiting the expectations might make for smoother mornings. What does that look like? As long as she is dressed and teeth brushed by a certain time with NO prompting from you, then we call that a success.

3. Provide visual cues.

Let visual prompts (not you) “talk” to your daughter in the morning. Setting up a wash station at the kitchen sink can act as a reminder that she needs to brush her teeth and wash her face. A colorful, cute note or drawing posted on the bathroom mirror can gently remind her what needs to happen next. Or try this out-of-the box idea: Take photos of her moving through her morning routine. These should be “action shots” of her brushing her teeth, eating breakfast, even finishing responsibilities such as making her bed or feeding the dog. You get the picture! Post the photos wherever the activity takes place. Research shows that we have an easier time processing images, which might appeal to her brain in the morning.

[Read: The Secret to No-Nag, Never-Late Mornings]

Though I’m hopeful all of these ideas will work to minimize her moodiness, my advice to you is to keep doing what you’re doing. Stay calm, ignore the outbursts, and focus on the goal of moving her through her morning with minimal squabbling. You are on your way.

Good Luck!

Bad Mood in the Morning: Next Steps

• Read: The Importance of a Daily Schedule for Kids with ADHD
• Download: A Routine That Works for Kids with ADHD
• Read: If Your Mornings Are Hell, Read This

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

No matter the underlying causes, persistent sleep problems can impact functioning and impair quality of life over time. Thoughtful interventions and practices, however, can significantly improve sleep quality — especially when implemented during the childhood and adolescent years.

Sleeping Problems in Teens with ADHD: Causes and Outcomes

Common sleep problems in teens with ADHD include:

• Insomnia, or difficulty falling asleep even when going to bed later. This often comes with early awakenings and an inability to fall back asleep.
• Sleep onset association, or when falling asleep is linked to an object or an event (like turning on the TV for “background noise” to sleep).
• Bedtime resistance, or refusing to go to bed or adhere to bedtime limits.
• Anxiety, which may be sleep related (feeling worried about darkness or other things in the sleep environment), or related to worries and stressors experienced throughout the day.
• Delayed sleep phase, which refers to falling asleep late and waking up late in a strong deviation from what would be expected of a typical circadian or developmental pattern. This is a common issue, as teens have to rise early for school on weekdays but delay their sleep drastically on weekends.

Some factors predict sleep problems in teens with ADHD:

• Biology – similar neurological pathways appear to be involved in the regulation of attention, arousal, and sleep.
• Comorbidities – internalizing (anxiety, mood disorders) and externalizing (aggression, oppositionality) comorbidities are strong predictors of sleep problems.
• Medication – all stimulants can produce sleep problems, with sleep onset latency (how long it takes to fall asleep) as the main disturbance. But these disturbances generally resolve and subside after some time on medication¹. Furthermore, unmedicated children with ADHD will still have elevated sleep problems compared to children without ADHD. Sleep should be monitored for teens initiating or changing ADHD medication doses.
• Environmental factors like parental mental health, family and social dynamics, and difficulties with schoolwork or homework can contribute to sleep problems.

For some children and teens, these sleep problems will resolve on their own or through some intervention. But for a sizable subset, they will persist. Teens with ADHD, for example, are more likely than their neurotypical peers to get insufficient sleep on school nights, and more likely to report doing “all-nighters.”² They also have more variable sleep behaviors compared to peers without ADHD (i.e. varied sleep duration, quality of sleep, etc.).^{3 4}

[Read: Why Children with ADHD Hate Bedtime -Solutions to ADHD Sleep Problems]

Sleeping Problems: Outcomes

Sleep problems in youth with ADHD are associated with several negative outcomes. They impact functioning during the day, be it at school or at home, and they are associated with mental health problems over time. Sleep problems in adolescents with ADHD are tied to poorer quality of life and parent mental health⁵, as well as poor academic performance and lower grades⁶. They also contribute to an increase in mood disorder symptoms and oppositional behaviors among teens with ADHD, even when accounting for baseline levels.⁷

Shortened sleep duration is also a causal contributor to the affect and mood disturbances frequently experienced by adolescents with ADHD, according to recent research^{8 9}. When subjected to a shortened sleep duration compared to extended sleep time, teens with ADHD in these studies experienced greater

• difficulty waking
• daytime sleepiness
• symptoms of inattention
• oppositional behaviors
• emotional dysregulation
• executive dysfunction

Notably, sleep restriction in this study was not associated with any effects on symptoms of anxiety or of hyperactivity and impulsivity in participants.

How to Improve Sleep in Teens with ADHD

Healthy sleep practices and behavioral interventions can effectively curb many sleeping problems and improve psychosocial and daytime functioning in youth with ADHD^{10 11 12}. A comprehensive sleep assessment conducted by a sleep clinic can also reveal individual factors contributing to sleep problems, including those related to ADHD symptoms, medication, and comorbidities.¹³

[Read: Seriously, Why Won’t My Teen Sleep?]

Healthy Sleep Practices

Sleep hygiene is the foundation to a good night’s sleep, which is influenced by day and evening routines, health and nutrition, light exposure, and other habits. Gradually shifting habits will be more effective, in the long run, than is making sudden and drastic changes. Basic sleep practices include:

• Maintaining a steady sleep-wake schedule. A reasonable schedule allows for enough sleep (the recommended time for high school students is 8 to 10 hours). Teens, however, are known to get to bed at unpredictable hours. Fortunately, it’s the wake-up time that is most important, regardless of bedtime. Weekday wake-up times are largely determined by school, and teens should try to wake up as close as possible to this time on weekends — within one to two hours.
• Avoiding technology (TV, computers, tablets, phones, video games, etc.) within one hour of bedtime. Some teens may depend on TV noise, a podcast, or music to help them fall asleep, but it’s best to gradually remove these items to establish independent sleep.
• Engaging in daytime physical activity and exercise (but not too close to bedtime).
• Avoiding meals close to and after bedtime to avoid “waking up” the body.
• Avoiding naps, which can interfere with the sleep-wake schedule, making it difficult to fall asleep at an established bedtime and wake up feeling rested the next day.
• Following a calming bedtime routine to get the body in sleep mode.
• Using the bed only for sleep to instill a powerful bedtime cue.

Is Melatonin Safe? Does It Work?

Melatonin sold over the counter is an increasingly popular supplement used to aid sleep. It is frequently used as a hypnotic to reduce sleep onset latency (the time it takes to fall asleep), and several studies in children with ADHD suggest that it is effective^{14 15}. Melatonin supplements, however, are not associated with improvement in other sleep domains or with ADHD symptoms.

In the U.S., melatonin is considered a dietary supplement; it is not regulated by the FDA for safety, purity, or efficacy. One study that analyzed melatonin supplements found that a significant number did not meet label claims, and some contained serotonin¹⁶. While melatonin is generally considered safe, teens and families should talk to clinicians about the supplement and whether it could help address their sleep problems.

Relaxation Exercises for Better Sleep

Racing thoughts and the inability to calm the body and mind for bedtime are common problems among teens with ADHD, especially if anxiety is also present. Mitigating these stressors can reduce their interference in sleep. Strategies include:

• Relaxation training:
  • Breathing exercises
  • mindfulness; thinking of pleasant imagery
  • progressive muscle relaxation
• Cognitive behavioral therapy to address distorted thoughts, worries, and fears

Sleeping Problems in Teens with ADHD: Next Steps

• Q&A: How Can I Help My Teen Learn to Mute His ADHD Brain at Bedtime?
• Read: End the ‘I Can’t Sleep’ Cycle of Exhaustion
• Guide: How to Fall Asleep with a Rowdy, Racing ADHD Brain

The content for this article was derived from the ADDitude Expert Webinar “Why Am I Always So Tired?” The Latest Science on Improving Sleep in Children and Teens with ADHD” [Video Replay & Podcast #351] with Stephen Becker, Ph.D. which was broadcast live on April 21, 2021.

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Sources

¹ Chen, M., Wardlaw, M., Stein, M., (2019). Chapter 6 – ADHD Medications and Sleep. Hiscock, H., Sciberras, E. (Eds.)., Sleep and ADHD (pp. 151-174). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-814180-9.00005-3

² Becker, S. P., Langberg, J. M., Eadeh, H. M., Isaacson, P. A., & Bourchtein, E. (2019). Sleep and daytime sleepiness in adolescents with and without ADHD: Differences across ratings, daily diary, and actigraphy. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 60, 1021–1031. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13061

³ Becker, S. P., Sidol, C. A., Van Dyk, T. R., Epstein, J. N., & Beebe, D. W. (2017). Intraindividual variability of sleep/wake patterns in relation to child and adolescent functioning: A systematic review. Sleep medicine reviews, 34, 94–121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2016.07.004

⁴ Langberg, J.M., Breaux, R.P., Cusick, C.N., Green, C.D., Smith, Z.R., Molitor, S.J. and Becker, S.P. (2019), Intraindividual variability of sleep/wake patterns in adolescents with and without attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder. J Child Psychol Psychiatr, 60: 1219-1229. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13082

⁵ Sung, V., Hiscock, H., Sciberras, E., & Efron, D. (2008). Sleep problems in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: prevalence and the effect on the child and family. Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine, 162(4), 336–342. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpedi.162.4.336

⁶ Langberg, J. M., Dvorsky, M. R., Marshall, S., & Evans, S. W. (2013). Clinical implications of daytime sleepiness for the academic performance of middle school-aged adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of sleep research, 22(5), 542–548. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12049

⁷ Becker, S. P., Langberg, J. M., & Evans, S. W. (2015). Sleep problems predict comorbid externalizing behaviors and depression in young adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. European child & adolescent psychiatry, 24(8), 897–907. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-014-0636-6

⁸ Becker, S.P., Tamm, L., Epstein, J.N. and Beebe, D.W. (2020), Impact of sleep restriction on affective functioning in adolescents with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder. J Child Psychol Psychiatr, 61: 1160-1168. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13235

⁹ Becker, S.P., Epstein, J., Tamm, L. et al (2019). Shortened sleep duration causes sleepiness, inattention, and oppositionality in adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Findings from a crossover sleep restriction/extension study. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 58(4), 433-442

¹⁰ Keshavarzi, Z., Bajoghli, H., Mohamadi, M. R., Salmanian, M., Kirov, R., Gerber, M., Holsboer-Trachsler, E., & Brand, S. (2014). In a randomized case-control trial with 10-years olds suffering from attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) sleep and psychological functioning improved during a 12-week sleep-training program. The world journal of biological psychiatry : the official journal of the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry, 15(8), 609–619. https://doi.org/10.3109/15622975.2014.922698

¹¹ Hiscock, H., et al. (2015). Impact of a behavioural sleep intervention on symptoms and sleep in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and parental mental health: randomised controlled trial. BMJ, 2015;350:h68. doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h68

¹² Corkum, P., et al. (2016). Better Nights/Better Days—Distance Intervention for Insomnia in School-Aged Children With/Without ADHD: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 41(6), 701-713. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsw031

¹³ Corkum, P., et al. (2019). Chapter 5 – Healthy Sleep Practices (Sleep Hygiene) in Children With ADHD. Hiscock, H., Sciberras, E. (Eds.)., Sleep and ADHD (pp. 119-149). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-814180-9.00005-3

¹⁴ Bendz, L. M., & Scates, A. C. (2010). Melatonin treatment for insomnia in pediatric patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The Annals of pharmacotherapy, 44(1), 185–191. https://doi.org/10.1345/aph.1M365

¹⁵ Masi, G., Fantozzi, P., Villafranca, A., Tacchi, A., Ricci, F., Ruglioni, L., Inguaggiato, E., Pfanner, C., & Cortese, S. (2019). Effects of melatonin in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder with sleep disorders after methylphenidate treatment. Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment, 15, 663–667. https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S193891

¹⁶Erland, L. A., & Saxena, P. K. (2017). Melatonin Natural Health Products and Supplements: Presence of Serotonin and Significant Variability of Melatonin Content. Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 13(2), 275–281. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.6462

Picky Eaters and Sensory Challenges

Sensory processing difficulty affects everything you do during the day, and it has a tremendous impact at mealtimes. Research suggests that children with sensory processing challenges frequently struggle to eat. And many children who don’t eat well often have sensory processing problems.

Eating is a complex sensory task. Each time we chew our food we must simultaneously integrate at least one new piece of information from each of our eight sensory systems. Each time you chew, your food feels different in your mouth, it sounds different in your head, and the taste changes. It even smells different as you chew (we have scent receptors in the back of our mouths), and you must use a different amount of chewing pressure. You also have to monitor several internal body signals that are indicators of hunger and fullness.

Understanding why a child has feeding challenges may be difficult. The website feedingmatters.org estimates that 1 in 37 children under the age of five has a pediatric feeding disorder.

A team approach to identify the problem can be beneficial. You know your child best and are a vital team member! Ideally, a feeding team would also include a pediatrician, a registered dietitian, a speech language pathologist or occupational therapist, and a psychologist to explore how a child thinks about food. These four parts of a feeding team’s evaluation make up the categories required to determine whether a child has a pediatric feeding disorder (PFD). When not addressed, young children with a PFD grow up to be teens and adults who still have deficits affecting their eating.

[Get This Free Guide to Delicious (and ADHD-Friendly!) Eating]

Getting Picky Eaters Back on Track Developmentally

Early identification and therapy are vital for helping children with feeding challenges get back on track developmentally and improve their diet and growth. But feeding challenges are often brushed off by medical providers. Many pediatricians tell parents “all children are picky, and they will outgrow it.” However, this is not supported by research.

Studies show that 25 to 33 percent of children are picky eaters at some point in their lives, and only about one-third of these children will outgrow their picky eating without professional help. Research also shows that persistent feeding problems suggest that something about a child’s development is not progressing correctly. Children with developmental challenges frequently present first with feeding difficulties, usually within the first two years of life. If your child has struggled with eating for several years, you feel like mealtimes are a battleground, your child is having trouble following her growth curve, or her doctor is concerned about her, it would be worth seeking out a feeding assessment.

Working with a feeding team is the best way to determine if your child is a problem feeder, but there are many things you can do on your own.

Steps to Better Mealtimes with a Picky Eater

1. Build positive experiences with new foods and low-pressure exposure to them.

Pressuring your child to taste a new food often backfires. The likelihood of a child liking a new food when he is pushed to taste it is very low, and makes it increasingly hard for the child to taste that food in the future. Instead, focus on positive, low-stress experiences with unfamiliar foods.

2. Involve your child in meal preparations.

Age-appropriate cooking tasks help your child gain experience seeing, touching, smelling, and watching foods as they change in the preparation and cooking process. This opportunity to interact with food before it shows up on their plate at meals can significantly increase their comfort with that food, even if they aren’t ready to eat it yet. Kitchen gadgets can often help children engage with unfamiliar foods.

[Watch This Webinar: Got a Picky Eater? How to Solve Unhealthy Food Challenges in Children with SPD and ADHD]

3. Clean up together.

Putting away leftovers is an easy way to have your child interact with a food that he may not be ready to eat. Many children barely look at foods they don’t eat, and helping out in the kitchen lets them engage with that new food without the expectation of eating it yet.

Simplify the Task of Eating for a Picky Eater

1. Fix your child’s chair

Supporting your child’s posture at meals is critical, and this is often the first recommendation I give to families. Make sure that your child’s feet rest flat on the floor, that her knees fall over the front edge of the chair at a 90-degree angle, and that her back rests against the back of the chair.

The easiest option is usually an adjustable wooden chair, such as the Stokke Tripp Trapp. You can also adapt your regular kitchen chair for an older child by adding a footrest and a firm cushion behind his back to give him more support. I like to duct-tape old textbooks or phone books together to make the right-sized footrest. Benches and stools without back or foot support do not set your child up for success at mealtimes.

2. Let your child eat with their fingers.

Eating with fingers increases the mess during meals; however, the mess is a good thing and helps your child learn about the food. Understanding what food is going to feel like in your mouth decreases the stress of trying new foods, and when we eat with our fingers, we get a chance to figure some of that out!

3. Making the right cut.

The way we cut and cook food makes a big difference in how easy or hard it is to eat. Here are a few examples:

• Cutting food into long, stick-shaped pieces helps your child place the food directly on the back molars for more efficient chewing. Peel apples, pears, and cucumbers, then slice them into thin sticks.
• Slice meat against the grain, so that it quickly falls apart. Crockpot and instant pot recipes produce tender meat that is easier to manage.
• Use cocktail forks to spear small cubes of hard-to-chew foods. With a cocktail fork, your child can place the cube directly on her back molars.

Presentation matters. We eat with our eyes first; children often decide whether or not they like a food based on how it looks.

4. Make it fun

You don’t have to be fancy, just thoughtful and a little creative. Small bowls or reusable cupcake liners can be a great way to contain condiments or separate different foods to help avoid the overload that sometimes comes when children look at a big plate full of food. Cookie cutters come in all sizes and themes and can be helpful as well.

5. Serve new foods in tiny portions

Offer familiar foods to your child at every meal, and when you offer a new food, make sure it is a small amount. Let everyone serve themselves, family-style, and encourage everyone to take at least a tiny bit of all the foods on the dinner table.

6. Keep meals simple

One-pot meals, soups, and casseroles are easy, but they may be off-putting to children because of their mixed textures. You may want to separate the different ingredients on your child’s plate to simplify things.

If your child needs more support than these strategies provide, know that many professionals specialize in feeding therapy. They can help your child develop the skills required to eat well. You can start at feeding websites such as Feeding Matters, which has a free Infant and Child Feeding Questionnaire, or the SOS Approach to Feeding website and read through the parent resources to help you start to understand how big of a problem eating might be for your child. You can take this information to your child’s physician and request a referral for a feeding assessment. The Feeding Matters and SOS websites have referral lists to help you find a qualified feeding specialist in your community.

With the right support and a team approach to solving feeding problems, you can improve your child’s relationship with food and lower everyone’s stress at mealtimes.

Picky Eaters with ADHD: Next Steps

• Read: Got a Picky Eater on Your Hands? Here’s How to Cope
• Learn: 9 Nutrition Tricks for Picky Eaters
• Understand: How Can I Get Healthy Meals In My Picky Eater?

Lindsay Beckerman, MOT, OTR/L, is an occupational therapist specializing in feeding therapy. She enjoys empowering children and teens to improve their relationship with food using the SOS Approach Feeding program. You can reach Lindsay at otlindsayb@gmail.com.

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

As a therapist helping families with ADHD (and a parent to two daughters with ADHD as well), I’ve found two principles to be incredibly helpful when dealing with transitions and change: the “game plan” and the “instant replay.”

The Game Plan

Imagine a coach delivering a rousing speech meant to fire up and motivate their team before a game. This pre-game speech includes a run-through of the game plan – what the players can expect during the game, how to handle certain plays from the opposing team, and what the expectation is for each player.

Parents, you can play the coach by providing your children with a game plan before they undertake a tough task; often, it’s just what they need to succeed.

Game plans help children with ADHD compensate for deficits with executive functions — the brain’s board of directors carrying out skills to get a job done. In some kids with ADHD, the director in charge of transitioning may be falling asleep on the job. As parents, we can step in as temporary board members for our children by providing them with a game plan. Dr. Ross Green, in his book The Explosive Child, shares a similar philosophy that he calls “Plan B”.

A good game plan for returning to in-person learning simply details what your child should expect, and what they need to do to meet expectations. A conversation on just one aspect of going back to school may look like this:

[Read: How Can I Teach My Child to Smoothly Transition Activities?]

Mom: Sidney, it’s been a while since you’ve had to get up early to get ready to leave home for school. Let’s go over what your morning routine should look like since you’re going back to school in-person in a few days. What time do you think you should set your alarm to go off?

Sidney: 7 am?

Mom: That sounds good. Let’s make a list of all the things you need to do in the morning to be ready before the bus comes. What time does the bus come?

Sidney: 7:40

Mom: Right! So, what needs to be done between the time you wake up and the time the bus comes? (Allow your kids to come up with their own schedule. It will work better than telling them what to do.)

Sidney: I need to get dressed, eat breakfast, and pack my backpack.

Mom: Yes! You’re right. Can you think of anything else?

Sidney: Oh! I need to brush my teeth and comb my hair.

Mom: Right. What about lunch?

Sidney: Oh yeah, I need to pack my lunch. Maybe I should do that the night before?

Mom: I think that’s a great idea. Do you think you can get your whole list done in 40 minutes? I remember you having a hard time waking up last year, so maybe we need to set the alarm for 6:45am to give you a little extra time so you’re not rushing?

Sidney: Yeah, probably.

Mom: Great, let’s go through your routine one more time and then maybe you could write it down if you think that might help you remember.

[Read: The Importance of a Daily Schedule for Kids with ADHD: Sample Routines and More]

That’s a game plan. You’ve helped prepare your child’s brain for this transition by enlisting their help. You’ve asked questions about potential hurdles so that your child can think of solutions. They’ve visualized what needs to happen to make this part of their day go smoothly, and they will be more ready and willing to complete the necessary tasks when the time comes.

If your child gets off task, you simply point it out, and ask what comes next. 
 
I used the game plan strategy all the time with my daughter when she was younger. We had game plans for getting off the bus and going to basketball practice, bedtime routines, taking a shower, getting chores done, and more.

When she got off task, all I’d have to say was “Sid, what are you supposed to be doing right now?” She’d remember – and I never had to yell or nag at her to get things done.

Another way to bolster your child’s game plan is to involve teachers.

Try getting in touch with your child’s teachers about classroom expectations and routines that you can incorporate into the game plan ahead of time. You can assume your child knows what the expectations are, but they will struggle with HOW to perform to the expectation. Game Plans allow your child to pre-plan and visualize the HOW. Game Plans should include “what if” questions. As parents we can anticipate their hurdles and prepare them with possible solutions.

Instant Replay

Game plans are extremely helpful, but that doesn’t mean that your child will always meet expectations. In fact, as kids are making the tough transition back to school, they will inevitably become frustrated. Distractions, low motivation, boredom, forgetfulness, impulsivity, and more can get in the way. With ADHD, the pause between trigger and reaction is often minuscule, meaning that your child could take their frustration out on you without really meaning to.

Enter the Instant Replay – a chance to extend empathy to the challenges your child is facing, while giving them the opportunity to make a different choice. An instant replay, in a way, grants your child a do-over. It provides them with a pause to rethink what they just said or did.

In my house it sounds like this: “Hey, you want to try that again?” or “How about a do-over on that?” These questions indicate to my daughter that whatever she just said or did isn’t acceptable, but she now has the option to take a different route.

The bottom line? Showing empathy and support toward your child as they transition back to in-person learning will go a long way toward making this change easier on everyone.

In-Person Learning for Students with ADHD: Next Steps

• Read: When Hybrid Learning Causes More Harm Than Good
• Read: Does Your Family Need a Routine Tune-Up?
• Read: How to Calm Turbulent Transitions Back to (In-Person) School

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

#CommissionsEarned As an Amazon Associate, ADDitude earns a commission from qualifying purchases made by ADDitude readers on the affiliate links we share. However, all products linked in the ADDitude Store have been independently selected by our editors and/or recommended by our readers. Prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.