The ADHD Kids Can Thrive Podcast

Tune into The ADHD Kids Can Thrive Podcast Episodes

Collaborative Problem Solving for ADHD: What If It’s Skill, Not Will?

You set the expectation. Your child knows the rule. You remind them. You explain why it matters. Then you add a consequence. And somehow you are having the exact same argument again tomorrow. For parents raising children with ADHD, challenging behavior can quickly turn into a frustrating cycle of reminders, consequences, power struggles, and exhaustion.…

Why Smart Kids With ADHD Struggle With Executive Function: Colin Guare on Smart but Scattered

Your child is bright. They understand complicated ideas. They can talk for an hour about something they love. They may be creative, funny, curious, and capable. Yet they forget to turn in the homework they already completed. Their backpack is a mess. They wait until the night before to begin a project. You remind them…

Parenting A Child With ADHD: Insights from a Parent and Advocate

In this episode, host Kate from ADHDKidsCanThrive.com is joined by Jennifer Gay Summers, an esteemed author and writer. Jennifer, a mother of a neurodivergent child, shares her personal journey from initial denial to becoming an empowered advocate for her child. Jennifer offers valuable insights drawn from her experiences, providing guidance for parents on supporting children…

Small Changes That Make a Big Impact on ADHD Children’s Health

Parenting a child with ADHD can feel overwhelming and confusing. Many parents struggle to connect their child’s health issues—like frequent infections or poor sleep—to their emotional struggles. They may get advice from doctors, but it often focuses only on symptoms, leaving them searching for real solutions. In this episode, host Kate Brownfield from ADHDKidsCanThrive.com is…

Supporting a Child with ADHD by Addressing Emotional and Social Needs

Supporting a child with ADHD can feel overwhelming, especially when parents don't know where to begin. ADHD affects not only a child's ability to focus and learn but also their self-esteem and relationships. Without early support, small challenges can grow into bigger struggles. Tony Bellezza and Cassi Bellezza faced this reality when their son Anthony…

What Oppositional Behavior in ADHD Means and How Parents Can Help

Oppositional behavior in ADHD often creates challenges for children and those around them. Many people misunderstand this behavior, viewing it as defiance. However, it often reflects a child’s response to feeling stressed or overwhelmed. Understanding this behavior is crucial to offering the right support. Dr. Christie Rogers-Larke, founder of Outside of the Box Therapy in…

Living With ADHD: Dr. Sarah Cheyette on Diagnosis, Focus, Emotional Regulation, and Support

ADHD can affect attention, executive functioning, emotional regulation, school performance, relationships, routines, and everyday family life. Yet for many parents, understanding what is actually ADHD—and what may be stress, anxiety, sleep problems, or another challenge can be confusing. In this episode of The ADHD Kids Can Thrive Podcast, Kate Brownfield, ACC, ADHD and Executive Function…

How Occupational Therapy Helps Kids with ADHD and Autism Thrive

Many children struggle with focus, coordination, and sensory challenges, making everyday tasks difficult. These struggles can affect their ability to learn, play, and build relationships. Parents often wonder if their child's difficulties are typical or if extra support is needed. Occupational therapy helps children develop essential skills for daily life. It focuses on fine and…

The Role of Schools and Parents in Supporting Neurodivergent Kids

More people now understand neurodiversity, but many schools and communities still don't fully support neurodivergent kids. These children often face challenges, not because of their differences, but because their environment doesn't match how they learn and think. Schools expect kids to sit still, follow strict schedules, and learn in one set way. However, neurodivergent kids…

Why ADHD kids’ organizational skills Take Longer to Develop

Many kids with ADHD struggle with organization. Their schoolwork piles up, their rooms stay messy, and they often miss deadlines. Tasks that seem simple to others feel overwhelming to them. This happens because their brains develop executive function skills, like planning and time management, at a slower pace. Dr Damon Korb, a developmental and behavioral…

The ADHD Kids Can Thrive Blog and Podcast provides trusted ADHD parenting information for parents, caregivers, families, and educators supporting children and teens with ADHD and other neurodivergent needs. Created by Kate Brownfield, ACC, Certified ADHD & Executive Function Parent Coach, the site features expert interviews, research-informed articles, and practical guidance on the ADHD brain, executive function, emotional regulation, school challenges, homework, sleep, screen time, anxiety, learning differences, motivation, and family life. The goal is to help families better understand ADHD, reduce everyday struggles, and support children in building skills, confidence, independence, and well-being.

When Reminders Fail: Rethinking Homework for Kids with ADHD

If ADHD homework in your house has become a nightly cycle of reminders, missing assignments, frustration, and “Did you check Google Classroom?”, the problem may not be that your child needs to try harder or that you need to remind them more. For kids with ADHD, homework can break down

How to Help a Child With ADHD Build Confidence and Strengths: Dr. Ned Hallowell

When you are raising a child with ADHD, it can become very easy to spend most of your time focused on what is not working. The missing homework. The forgotten backpack. The argument over chores. The struggle to get out the door. The reminders that seem to disappear the moment

ADHD Diagnosis, Labels, and the Healing Power of Fiction: Lorelei Brush on The Boy with the Butterfly Mind

An ADHD diagnosis can bring up complicated feelings for parents. Will this label follow my child? Will other people see the diagnosis before they see my child? Does a diagnosis mean something is wrong? Or could knowing what is going on actually open a doorway to better understanding, appropriate support,

ADHD Homework Avoidance: Is Your Child Facing a “Wall of Awful”?

ADHD Homework Avoidance: Is Your Child Facing a “Wall of Awful”? Why can a child with ADHD sit in front of an assignment they know how to do—and still not begin? Parents often see this around homework, chores, missing assignments, school projects, getting ready in the morning, or other everyday

Riley Mulcahy and The RILEY Project: Building Belonging for Neurodivergent Teens and Young Adults

For parents raising a child with ADHD, dyslexia, or another learning difference, so much attention goes toward what needs support. School. Executive function. Organization. Friendships. Emotional regulation. Independence. But as our children move toward adolescence and young adulthood, another question becomes increasingly important: Where will my child find people and

ADHD and Academic Pressure: How Parents Can Reduce School Stress and Support Success

For many parents raising a child with ADHD, school can become one of the biggest sources of worry. Is my child keeping up? Are they working hard enough? Why is homework taking so long? Should I push more—or back off? Underneath those questions is often a much bigger one: Will

ADHD and Sleep: Why Bedtime Can Be Harder for Neurodivergent Kids

Your child is exhausted. You are exhausted. Yet somehow, when bedtime arrives, your child with ADHD suddenly seems wide awake, restless, anxious, silly, or ready to negotiate for another hour. If this sounds familiar, bedtime may not simply be a behavior problem. Children with ADHD and other forms of neurodivergence

ADHD Parent Training: What Parents Can Change First

What if your child with ADHD is not the first person who needs to change? That question can feel uncomfortable when you are already exhausted. You may be waiting for the meltdowns to stop. Waiting for the morning routine to finally stick. Waiting for homework to stop becoming a battle.

ADHD and Gambling: What Parents Need to Know

Gambling looks very different today. Young people no longer need to walk into a casino. Instead, they can place bets from a phone. They can also follow scores in real time, use fantasy sports apps, or explore prediction markets from home. For kids and young adults with ADHD, this can

ADHD and Dyslexia: Reading Support and Parent Wisdom

When a child has ADHD and dyslexia, reading can feel hard. Parents may see their child avoid books. They may resist homework, lose focus, or shut down when there is too much text. At first, this can look like a behavior problem. However, many children are not being lazy. Their

ADHD Nutrition: Food, Mood, and Emotional Regulation

What the Science Really Says About ADHD Medication: Dr. Stephen Faraone on Treatment, Misinformation, and Evidence-Based Care

Parents raising a child with ADHD are surrounded by information. One expert says medication is essential. Another says it should be avoided. Social media offers strong opinions about stimulants, non-stimulants, addiction, side effects, behavior therapy, supplements, and alternative treatments. So how is a parent supposed to know what to believe?

Parenting a Child With ADHD: Aimee Kaufman on Love, Advocacy, and Hope

What helps a parent stay connected to a child with ADHD when behavior is difficult, school is challenging, and everyone seems to have an opinion about what you should be doing differently? In this episode of The ADHD Kids Can Thrive Podcast, Kate Brownfield, ACC, ADHD and Executive Function Parent

Helping ADHD Young Adults Find the Right Path After High School

Many young adults struggle after high school, unsure of what comes next. Some start college without a clear plan and figure things out as they go. Others face challenges with confidence, decision-making, or life skills, which can make the traditional path difficult. For ADHD young adults, this transition can be

ADHD Emotional Outbursts: Dr. Tamara Rosier on Helping Kids With Big Reactions

A small disappointment becomes a huge reaction. Your child is frustrated, yelling, refusing, or completely overwhelmed—and suddenly you are overwhelmed too. For parents raising children with ADHD, these moments can be difficult to understand. Is this defiance? Emotional dysregulation? Should I set a consequence? Give space? Step in? In this

Why ADHD Kids Success Needs More Than Medication

Some kids with ADHD thrive, turning their energy into careers, sports, or creative success. Others struggle with school, impulsive decisions, or even legal trouble. What makes the difference? Early diagnosis, structured support, and a clear understanding of how ADHD affects them. ADHD isn't just about hyperactivity. It impacts focus, emotions,

ADHD Kids Eating Habits and How to Make Mealtimes Easier

Many children go through a phase where they refuse certain foods, but for kids with ADHD, eating challenges can last much longer. They may stick to a few familiar foods, avoid new textures, or struggle with appetite changes caused by medication. These habits can make mealtimes stressful for both children

Why ADHD Kids Struggle With Math and Writing: The Executive Function Connection

Your child understands the math lesson in class but cannot seem to complete the homework independently. They have plenty of ideas for an essay but stare at a blank page and insist they do not know what to write. For parents of children with ADHD, this inconsistency can be confusing.