Everyone with ADHD has trouble with executive function in some way — and these challenges can make the transition to adulthood especially hard.

Today, we’re sharing an episode of the In It podcast called “Adulting and executive function skills.” Clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Karen Wilson shares common executive function challenges young adults face in the real world. Get her expert advice on how to help young adults with ADHD cope with the demands of college or that first job.  

To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the In It podcast page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].

• Life after high school: Tips to get your child ready
• Executive function challenges and learning: 6 ways to help your child after high school
• Everyday challenges for people who struggle with executive function

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

It’s the hair twirling that always gives it away. After silently coping for years, Livingston Steele can spot the signs of ADHD, and the anxiety it can cause. He’d been working here at Understood.org for about a year when he was officially diagnosed.

Livingston talks about his perfectionism and what led him to get evaluated for ADHD. He also shares how ADHD helped him build empathy for his brothers (who also have ADHD), and for himself.

To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the ADHD Aha! podcast page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].

• ADHD and perfectionism
• Is ADHD hereditary?
• ADHD and anxiety

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Need organization and decluttering tips? Wendy Zanders has tips for days. She also has ADHD. We don’t usually associate strong organization skills with ADHD. And yet, Wendy is a decluttering coach with ADHD. She moved to the United States from Trinidad and Tobago at 14. At first, she struggled to keep up with her classes. But then she discovered her secret weapon: hyperfocusing on cleaning to de-stress and bring focus to her school life.

Today, Wendy is a United States veteran, business owner, and mom of 2 kids who also have ADHD. When her son was being evaluated, she recognized her own symptoms in him. Find out how Wendy helps other families tackle clutter, and how having ADHD brings empathy to her work.

To find a transcript for this episode and more resources, visit the episode page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].

• Check out Wendy’s website: yourdecluttercoach.com
• ADHD and messiness
• 4 ways I stay organized with ADHD

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Before her ADHD diagnosis, accountant Sam Salmons felt “fixed, but still broken.” As a young adult, she spent years in therapy, treated her depression, and had a laundry list of coping skills. So, why couldn’t she stop her body from doing things — like interrupting — that her mind didn’t want to do?

Sam saw herself as an “extroverted extrovert.” She was constantly talking and impulsively saying yes to everything. Then her therapist recommended an ADHD evaluation.

To find a transcript for this episode and more resources, visit the episode page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].

• ADHD in girls: Overlooked?
• What causes trouble with self-control?
• How ADHD is diagnosed in adults

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Parents and caregivers: if you have a child with ADHD, you’ve probably dealt with your share of behavior challenges at home. Just in time for the holidays, here we share an episode of Understood’s newest podcast, What Now? A Parent’s Guide to Tantrums and Meltdowns. Listen to psychologist (and dad) Dr. Andrew Kahn explain how to tell the difference between tantrums and meltdowns and what to do next. In each episode, he shares practical strategies to help you respond more effectively to your child’s outbursts — and manage your own stress along the way.

Find the entire season’s YouTube playlist here. 

Get a transcript of this show and check out more What Now? A Parent’s Guide to Tantrums and Meltdowns episodes by visiting the podcast page. 

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].

• Taming tantrums vs. managing meltdowns
• When older kids still have tantrums: What to know

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Executive Mananya Komorowski has been described as “brilliant but chaotic” and “unlike any other executive.” Mananya thought she was just quirky, until she found out she has ADHD.

Over the last few years, Mananya has experienced a lot of loss. A number of her loved ones have died. To cope, she’d set her emotions aside and hyperfocus on work. Then her grief counselor recommended an ADHD test. Now, she’s making space to process her feelings. And she’s thinking a lot about ADHD accommodations at work — especially in high-stress executive roles.

To find a transcript for this episode and more resources, visit the episode page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].

• ADHD and emotions
• Understanding hyperactivity
• 32 examples of workplace accommodations

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

ADHD doesn’t go away. Dr. Johnathan Flowers, who specializes in the philosophy of disability, got that message loud and clear when he hit a wall in grad school.  

Johnathan had been diagnosed with ADHD in grade school. As a child, he had a complex journey with ADHD medication and teachers who didn’t understand his behavior or how to support him. As a young adult, Johnathan thought maybe he’d “gotten over ADHD,” but then he hit that wall. So he got re-evaluated for ADHD.

Also in this episode: How Johnathan’s mom, who’s a special education teacher, advocated for him at school. Plus, what it’s like to be a professor with ADHD.

To find a transcript for this episode and more resources, visit the episode page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].

• All about ADHD medication
• 8 common myths about ADHD 
• What happens in an ADHD test for adults?

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Actor Oliver Vaquer has a “noisy” ADHD brain. Growing up, he had a hard time paying attention to just about everything — and he’d lie to cover it up. His thoughts would all shout at him at once, and he felt pressured to blurt them out before he forgot them. 

As an adult, Oliver’s rushed, “staccato” speech spurred his doctor to give him an ADHD questionnaire. His responses to the questionnaire surprised them both.

Also in this episode: How Oliver uses ADHD medication as a tool to build better habits. Plus, ADHD social anxiety and feeling like you’re operating at 100% for the first time ever.  

To find a transcript for this episode and more resources, visit the episode page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].

• ADHD and lying: Why kids with ADHD may lie a lot
• ADHD and anxiety
• What is working memory?

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

People with ADHD know what it’s like to be called lazy. Is that because they don’t seem “productive”? Who better to talk about this with than the creator of The Anti-Planner: How to Get Sh*t When You Don’t Feel Like It, Dani Donovan. Dani shares her ADHD “aha” moments and what drove her to create an activity book designed for procrastinators.

Dani and host Laura Key chat about what it means to be productive with ADHD. Dani shares how she would criticize herself intensely so that others wouldn’t. They also talk about analysis paralysis, rejection sensitivity, friendship, and how understanding neurodiversity can change the game.

To find a transcript for this episode and more resources, visit the episode page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].

• ADHD and perfectionism
• ADHD and “analysis paralysis”
• Dani’s website

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

Executive function comes up all the time in our interviews with people with ADHD. Why is that? Expert Dr. Karen Wilson joins Laura in this episode to explain. She defines executive function and talks about the types of skills under the executive function umbrella. Dr. Wilson also answers questions like: Does everyone with ADHD have executive function challenges?  And what’s the link between executive function and mental health challenges like anxiety?  

Dr. Wilson is a clinical neuropsychologist and the founder of ChildNEXUS, a web application that connects parents of kids with learning or mental health challenges with service providers. Tune in to learn about the connection between ADHD and executive function — and what it means for people with ADHD in everyday life.  

To find a transcript for this episode and more resources, visit the episode page at Understood. 

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].

• What is executive function?
• How I explain the relationship between ADHD and executive function challenges
• The 3 areas of executive function

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give