When most parents think about ADHD, they think about difficulty paying attention, distractibility, or the child who simply can't sit still.
But ADHD affects so much more than focus.
This episode was inspired by a recent conversation in my online mentoring group. As we talked about children with ADHD, several of the moms began sharing their own experiences of living with ADHD. What struck me most wasn't their difficulty focusing. It was the way years of struggling with things that seemed easy for everyone else had affected the way they saw themselves.
They talked about feeling lazy, irresponsible, disorganized, or somehow less capable than other people.
And it made me think about our kids.
If we don't understand what's behind our children's ADHD behaviors, it's incredibly easy to mistake their struggles for laziness, carelessness, defiance, or lack of motivation. Over time, our kids can begin to believe those things about themselves, too.
In this episode of the Beyond the Box Learning Podcast, we're looking beyond the most obvious symptoms of ADHD to understand what's really happening underneath the behaviors we see.
- Why ADHD is much more than difficulty paying attention
- Common ADHD myths that can lead parents to misunderstand their kids
- Why a child can focus intensely on something they love but struggle tremendously with schoolwork
- Why ADHD and dyslexia so often occur together
- Signs of inattentive ADHD that parents frequently miss
- Why ADHD is often overlooked in girls
- How ADHD can affect working memory, task initiation, organization, time management, impulse control, motivation, and transitions
- How ADHD affects emotional regulation and relationships
- The emotional cost of growing up believing you're lazy, careless, or not trying hard enough
- Why understanding ADHD can protect a child's confidence and sense of self
- My family's experience with ADHD medication and some considerations for parents
- How children and adults are evaluated for ADHD
- Why understanding the why behind a child's behavior changes the way we support them
One of the most important things I've learned after many years of homeschooling kids with dyslexia and ADHD is this:
Understanding changes the story.
Instead of asking, “Why won't this child just do it?” we can begin asking, “What's getting in the way, and what skills or support does this child need?”
Those are two very different approaches, and they can produce very different experiences for our kids.
If ADHD is affecting your homeschool, your relationship with your child, or the way your child sees themselves, I've created a six-part ADHD course specifically for homeschooling families.
We go beyond basic ADHD information and look at practical, research-based ways to help with:
- Focus and attention
- Organization and executive functioning
- Learning
- Social skills and relationships
- Emotional regulation
You'll also learn what's happening underneath common ADHD behaviors so that you can better understand your child and give them the support they need.
This week, you can save $50 on the complete ADHD course through Monday.
[Learn more about the ADHD course]
