Following directions seems simple - until it isn't. Many children with ADHD struggle when asked to stop what they're doing, transition to something new, or follow through on a request. What can look like arguing, ignoring, negotiating, or even defiance is often connected to challenges with transitions, emotional regulation, and the need for predictability.

In this episode of ADHD Connect, Dr. Tish Taylor explores why direction-following can be so difficult and shares practical strategies to reduce power struggles while helping children move toward cooperation. 

You'll learn:

• Why some children resist directions, even when they know what is expected
• How transitions and shifting attention contribute to arguing, ignoring, and pushback
• Simple prevention strategies that make following directions easier
• Why visual schedules, timers, and advance notice can reduce resistance
• How to acknowledge feelings without getting pulled into lengthy negotiations
• Ways to use choices and motivation to increase cooperation and follow-through

Whether you're dealing with morning routines, homework battles, leaving for appointments, or classroom transitions, this episode offers practical tools to help children follow directions with less frustration and fewer emotional blowups. Visit The ADHD Store and take the next step in your journey.

Children with ADHD often get stuck in a judgment, a feeling, or a belief that something is unfair. When thinking becomes rigid, it can impact emotional regulation, relationships, problem-solving, and everyday success.

In this episode of ADHD Connect, Dr. Tish Taylor explores three common areas where inflexible thinking shows up: labeling people ("They're mean"), rejecting situations ("I hate it"), and getting stuck on fairness ("It's not fair"). She shares practical strategies to help children develop greater flexibility of thought, including expanding vocabulary, using continuums instead of all-or-nothing thinking, and broadening perspective.

You'll discover how these simple but powerful tools can help children better understand situations, regulate emotions, and navigate social challenges with greater confidence.

In this episode:

• Why rigid thinking is common in ADHD
• How language shapes perception and behavior
• Strategies for moving beyond black-and-white thinking
• Helping children develop perspective-taking skills
• Practical tools for parents, educators, and professionals 

Bonus: Download the companion worksheet, Flexible Thinking, for reflection questions and practical exercises to help put these concepts into action.

For more ADHD resources, visit Dr. Tish Taylor at TishTaylor.com.

Big emotions can feel overwhelming for children with ADHD and for the adults supporting them. In this episode of ADHD Connect, Dr. Tish Taylor explores the deeper reasons behind meltdowns, classroom disruptions, impulsive behaviors, and emotional outbursts. 

Rather than viewing these moments as simply “bad behavior,” Dr. Taylor encourages parents and educators to look at the whole child and ask an important question:

What’s driving the behavior? 

She discusses how emotional dysregulation, attention-seeking, academic frustration, peer dynamics, impulsivity, and sensory or movement needs can all contribute to disruptive behavior.

More importantly, she shares practical strategies for responding with calm, structure, and understanding while still maintaining healthy expectations and boundaries. In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why emotional regulation is such a challenge for many children with ADHD
• How to identify triggers and patterns behind meltdowns and outbursts
• The difference between attention-seeking and regulation struggles
• Practical classroom and parenting strategies that actually help
• How movement, sensory supports, and academic adjustments can reduce behavioral challenges
• Why staying calm and curious matters more than reacting emotionally

This conversation is filled with compassionate insight and realistic tools for parents, teachers, and caregivers navigating big emotions and challenging moments.

📄 Download the companion worksheet + episode guide here.

🎙️ Hosted by Dr. Tish Taylor | ADHD Connect Podcast

When the class clown takes center stage, it’s easy to focus on stopping the behavior, but what if the behavior is telling us something important? In this episode of ADHD Connect, Dr. Tish Taylor explores why some students with ADHD become disruptive in the classroom and how parents, teachers, and school professionals can better understand the behavior’s underlying causes. Is it attention-seeking? Impulsivity? Academic frustration? Peer dynamics? Boredom? 

Dr. Tish walks through the underlying causes and explains why identifying the “why” behind the behavior completely changes the intervention. 

You’ll hear practical strategies for:

• Understanding classroom disruption through a functional lens
• Recognizing patterns related to time, peers, and academic tasks
• Supporting hyperactive and impulsive students more effectively
• Using movement, structure, and reinforcement intentionally
• Responding without escalating the behavior
• Building collaboration between home and school

This episode is part of the ADHD: The Social and Emotional Self series, where Dr. Tish takes a deeper look at the often-overlooked emotional, interpersonal, and behavioral experiences connected to ADHD.

📄 Download the companion worksheet + episode guide here.

🎙️ Hosted by Dr. Tish Taylor | ADHD Connect Podcast

In this episode, Dr. Tish Taylor introduces season 2 and the deeper focus on the social, emotional, and relational aspects of ADHD. These are areas that are often talked about, but rarely explored in a comprehensive, practical way. From emotional regulation to peer relationships to a child’s internal experience of themselves, this season is about understanding what’s happening beneath the surface. You’ll hear real-life patterns that many families recognize:

• The child who holds it together all day at school… then melts down at home
• The growing distance in friendships and social struggles that are hard to explain
• The frequent “I’m so bored” leaves parents and teachers unsure how to respond

Dr. Taylor also shares key research insights, including large-scale meta-analyses that highlight challenges with emotional reactivity, peer functioning, and social processing in children with ADHD - reminding us that these struggles are not random, and they’re not a reflection of a child’s character.

This episode sets the stage for a season focused on clarity, compassion, and practical strategies, so you can better understand your child and respond in ways that truly help. 

Have a question or topic you’d like covered this season? Reach out and be part of the conversation at www.TishTaylor.com!

In this episode of ADHD Connect, Dr. Tish Taylor explores one of the most common challenges for children and teens with ADHD: impulsivity. Impulsive behaviors can show up in many ways, including:

• Blurting out or interrupting
• Struggling with personal space
• Attention-seeking behaviors
• Acting without thinking through consequences

While these moments can be frustrating, they’re also opportunities to teach important skills. In this episode, you’ll learn practical tools to help kids pause, think, and make more thoughtful choices:

• “Stop, Think, Go” to support better decision-making
• How to teach a social filter (thinking vs. saying)
• Ways to reinforce positive behaviors
• Simple strategies to help kids understand consequences
• Tools to build perspective-taking and empathy

Dr. Taylor also explores what may be driving impulsive behavior, including sensory needs, attention-seeking, and the desire to fit in with peers, so you can respond with more clarity and confidence. If you’re a parent, teacher, or caregiver, this episode will give you realistic, practical strategies you can start using right away.

How we talk about ADHD shapes how children understand themselves. In this episode of ADHD Connect, Dr. Tish Taylor explores a question many parents and educators don’t often stop to ask: How are we thinking about ADHD, and is that way of thinking actually helping our kids? Some children hear messages like “I can’t help it, it’s my ADHD.” Others hear “You’re just making excuses.” Neither approach gives kids what they truly need to grow. Dr. Taylor explains a more helpful way to understand ADHD as a neurodevelopmental lag in executive functioning and attention, and why the goal isn’t lowering expectations, or pushing through with shame, but building capacity over time. 

You’ll learn:

• Why the language we use about ADHD matters
• How a “not yet” mindset can shift motivation and confidence
• What scaffolding means and how it helps children succeed
• Practical examples of adjusting environments to support kids with ADHD
• Why progress often happens when adults and children work together to find what works

Dr. Tish Taylor also discusses how other challenges, like anxiety, sleep issues, learning differences, or mood concerns, can sometimes be part of the picture and affect how ADHD shows up. This episode offers a calmer, more constructive framework: ADHD may make some things harder, but it doesn’t have to make them impossible. If you're a parent, educator, or caregiver trying to support a child with ADHD, this conversation will help you shift from frustration to strategy, and from limitation to possibility.

When your child has more energy than the situation seems to allow, it can feel exhausting — at home, in the classroom, at sports practices, or even during family outings. In this episode of ADHD Connect, Dr. Tish Taylor talks about hyperactivity in children and teens and offers practical, realistic strategies you can begin using right away.

You’ll learn:

• Why predictable routines help reduce behavioral flare-ups
• How planned physical activity can make focus easier
• The difference between whole-body movement and small fidgets — and when to use each
• Simple mindfulness tools that build self-awareness over time
• How to prepare for challenging settings like church, sporting events, or family gatherings
• In-the-moment strategies that lower frustration for both you and your child

This episode isn’t about stopping your child’s energy — it’s about understanding it and channeling it in ways that work. With the right supports in place, hyperactivity becomes more manageable, transitions get smoother, and everyone feels more successful. If you’ve ever thought, “Why is this so hard?” — this conversation will remind you that you’re not alone, and there are practical ways forward.

Why is it so hard for kids with ADHD to get started on even simple tasks? In this episode of ADHD Connect, Dr. Tish Taylor explores one of the most common and frustrating ADHD challenges - task initiation. From brushing teeth to starting homework, Dr. Taylor shares practical, real-world strategies you can use right away to help your child move from stuck to started. 

In this episode, you'll learn how to:

• Use proximity and visual cues effectively
• Remove distractions that derail progress
• Break tasks into manageable steps
• Use countdowns, timers, and motivation systems
• Support your child without frustration or power struggles

Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or caregiver, this episode is packed with compassionate guidance and expert-backed tools to help kids with ADHD build momentum and success - one step at a time. 

Explore more ADHD resources and tools at TishTaylor.com.

In this episode, we're diving into a common struggle: when kids with ADHD avoid, ignore, or flat-out refuse to do something they’re asked to do - like brushing their teeth, doing homework, or helping around the house. 

You’ll learn:

• The real reasons behind refusal (hint: it's not just defiance)
• How overwhelm, transitions, and motivation play a role
• Common adult responses that accidentally escalate the situation
• How to break out of negative patterns and avoid power struggles
• Simple ways to encourage follow-through—without the yelling or frustration

Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or caregiver, these strategies will help you better understand your child’s behavior and respond in ways that build cooperation, not conflict.