Does your child avoid or flat-out refuse to go to school sometimes? School avoidance and refusal is the most stressful and upsetting thing I’ve gone through as a parent. The law says my kid has to attend school but my kid is so stressed and so pained in that environment that he couldn’t physically force himself to go many days, no matter the consequences. Listen in as I share our 9-year journey with school refusal and help you understand why it’s happening and how to handle it as effectively as possible. The struggle is real… but you are not alone.

Parenting ADHD Podcast

PAP 147: School Avoidance and Refusal

Our culture seems to dictate that parents should have control over their kids. We should command them and they should comply. But this authoritarian parent-child relationship is harmful and not at all helpful. It sets us up to see our kids as our enemies — a mindset that is enormously damaging and actually makes our kids’ behavior worse. In this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, I’ll outline how to get on the same team as your child and show you how that positively impacts your child’s behavior, self-worth, and success. 

PAP 146: Your Child is Not Your Enemy

Yelling at someone who is causing you anguish or frustration is totally natural. We are wired to respond in kind to keep ourselves safe. However, yelling at our kids, no matter what the situation, is never helpful. Ok, if they’re running out into traffic, yelling is warranted, I’ll give you that. But outside of safety situations, yelling is counterproductive. Listen in to this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast where I talk with parent coach, Robbin McManne, about the power of putting a pause in place and what that looks like. You must put space between what’s happening for your child and what’s happening for you at that moment so you can parent with intention… and effectively. Listen in as Robbin explains why you have to fight for your calm like you fight for your kids. 

PAP 145: How to Stop Yelling at Your Kids, with Robbin McManne

Parents get to choose how they view their child’s behavior. You can decide that they are behaving poorly or have “bad” qualities, like laziness. Or, you can take into account your child’s brain and biology and use it to guide how you view challenging behavior. It really is your choice to make. In this first episode of the Behavior Revolution series on the Parenting ADHD Podcast, Sarah and I share how to choose and use the most effective view of behavior. You’ll learn about dysregulation and why your child acts the way they do and, most importantly, how to help your child feel better and do better. 

PAP 144: Creating Success for Your Child by Changing Your Lens, with Sarah Wayland, Ph.D. & Penny Williams

A lack of motivation isn’t a character flaw. There’s always a reason why someone isn’t on task or meeting expectations, and it’s virtually never that they just don’t care. When it feels like your child is unmotivated, ask yourself, “What’s getting in the way?” In this episode of the parenting ADHD Podcast, Dr. Norrine Russell shares how to take a deep dive into a seeming lack of motivation to determine what is preventing your child or teen from getting things done. 

PAP 143: Helping Your Teen Get Motivated, with Dr. Norrine Russell

When kids are struggling in school, it’s not just about academics — social connectedness and mental and emotional health play a key role in success at school too. Our current tick-the-box, high-stakes educational culture doesn’t work for our kids, especially kids with ADHD and/or autism. In this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, join me as I talk with Jeannine Jannot, Ph.D., author of “The Disintegrating Student,” about what to do when your bright kid hits the wall of rigor and loses confidence in their ability to succeed at school. 

PAP 142: What to Do When Smart Kids are Struggling, with Jeannine Jannot, Ph.D.

Many students with ADHD are underachievers or gifted underachievers. They are bright but don’t do well in school. Alex Hargrove JD — author of "Reversing Underachievement: A Practical Guide for Parents of Underachieving Gifted Children," is one of those students. He graduated high school with a 2.2 GPA and a real disinterest in school and learning. Yet, he went on to get a law degree and co-found a multimillion-dollar company. In this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, Alex shares what sparked his eventual school success and what parents can do to help their underachieving students find their own spark.

PAP 141: Motivating Bright but Bored Students, with Alex Hargrove

What I most wanted to know when my son was little was what it was like to have ADHD. I wanted to know his experience so I could be as helpful as possible. I asked as many ADHD adults as I could what would be helpful for my son. Lia McCabe is sharing these same insights as an adult who grew up with undiagnosed ADHD in this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast. She shares her story with you to help you understand your child and what they need from you most. 

PAP 140: What It’s Like to Grow Up with Undiagnosed ADHD, with Lia McCabe

Many parents feel like their kids simply won’t listen to them. And when you have a kid with ADHD (or autism), it feels like they won’t listen most of the time, but you can change that. In this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, I’m talking with Julie King, co-author of the newest book in the famed “How to Talk” parenting series, How to Talk When Kids Won’t Listen. Join us to learn the three basics of getting kids to listen, as well as many strategies to foster a family dynamic where kids are primed to listen.

PAP 139: How to Talk When Kids Won’t Listen, with Julie King

No one disputes that raising kids with ADHD is more challenging. There’s a definitive struggle that can often overwhelm parents and family. But, that doesn’t mean your parenting life and family journey has to be devoid of joy. Quite the opposite! Join me and the ladies of The Childhood Collective — Lori Long, Mallory Yee, and Katie Severson — as we discuss the process necessary for parenting with intention and creating joy. Learn to see the beauty of the storm.

PAP 138: Finding Joy in Parenting Kids with ADHD, with The Childhood Collective

Very often people receive something we say differently than we intended them to. This is even more true for kids with neurodifferences like ADHD and autism. Kids who struggle with social skills, emotional awareness, a sensitized stress response, and an inflated sensitivity to rejection and criticism. Our parenting comes from the best of intentions and love, but it’s often received much differently than intended. Listen in as Penny highlights the pitfalls of unintended messages and outlines how to be more mindful of the ways your messages are received and interpreted to prevent inadvertently hurting our kids. 

PAP 137:Are You Sending Unintended Messages?

ADHD creates many hurdles to academic success, most often in the way of lagging executive functioning skills. It takes an ADHD-informed caregiver, coach, or tutor to truly help a student with learning challenges that stem from ADHD. And it’s also important to know when to keep challenging and when a student needs the pressure released. In this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, I’m talking with school counselor and the founder of Progress Parade, Laura Reber, about how to guide kids to turn their learning challenges into lifelong achievements. Spoiler alert! It isn’t all about academics. 

PAP 136: Turning Learning Challenges Into Lifelong Achievements, with Laura Reber

We don’t want to change who our kids are, but we do want them to feel empowered to function well in our neurotypical world so they can build a fulfilling life for themselves. And the only way to do that is to see behavior as communication, understand the biology that triggers challenging behavior, and implement a systematic approach that uses those foundations as it’s core. In this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, Penny and Sarah talk about their Behavior Revolution and the new system they developed to finally address behavior in a compassionate and informed way, grounded in brain science and honoring neurodiversity. If you struggle with your child’s behavior, this episode is a must listen. 

PAP 135: A Behavior System that Works! with Penny Williams and Sarah Wayland, Ph.D.

The COVID pandemic has been hard on almost everyone in one way or another. It has changed us, and it has certainly changed our kids. Understood.org conducted a survey to get a clearer picture of how the pandemic has impacted kids who are different learners and different thinkers, like kids with ADHD. On this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, I welcome back Amanda Morin to share some results of their study and, most importantly, how to go forward from here to help restore the mental and emotional health of our kids. Going back to school isn’t going to be easy, so parents will need to talk with their kids and make plans to ease the anxiety and stress. Listen in to find out how. 

PAP 134: Helping Kids with the Impact of the Pandemic on Learning & Mental Health, with Amanda Morin

Neurodivergent kids can often be picky eaters. And parents of picky eaters worry about their child’s health and wellness when their list of approved foods is very narrow and limited. However, there are things you can do to help picky eaters broaden their food horizon that don’t include bartering and threats (which don’t work anyway). In this episode of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, I’m talking with the author of Play with Your Food, Sarah Appleman. Sarah uses a sensory lens to understand food aversions and help kids become less tactilely defensive in small, incremental steps. Learn how to do that with your child as well as how to make sure you’re setting your kid up for success when it comes to food. Get ready to play with your food!

PAP 133: Helping Picky Eaters with Sarah Appleman, MS, OTR/L

Penny Williams reveals her powerful parenting strategies, ADHD management tips, and hard-won wisdom so you can get ahead of the curve, to parent your child with ADHD successfully. Penny has been where you are and understands the hurdles blocking your way to successful parenting. Gain the ability to understand and change your child’s behavior, reduce your own stress, increase parenting confidence, and create more successes and joy in your family.

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Parenting ADHD Podcast

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