Chaos & Caffeine - ADHD Parenting Podcast

Ever walked into an IEP or 504 meeting feeling like you needed a law degree, a therapist, and a damn battle plan just to get your child the support they deserve?

You're not alone.

For parents raising kids with ADHD, autism, learning disabilities, and other neurodevelopmental differences, navigating the special education system can feel like a full-time job nobody applied for.

And when your child is struggling at school, the last thing you need is another meeting where everyone talks in circles and nothing actually changes.

This week on Chaos & Caffeine: ADHD Parenting Podcast, Danielle Kelly sits down with Vicki Christensen, special education advocate and founder of Blue Glasses Advocacy, to break down the complicated world of IEPs, Section 504 plans, school accommodations, parental rights, and effective special education advocacy.

With 15 years of experience advocating for families as both a parent and professional, Vicki brings a child-centered perspective to helping families navigate the special education system.

We're digging into:

• IEP vs. 504 Plan: What's the difference, and what should ADHD parents understand about each?
• Special Education Rights: What parents need to know when their child isn't receiving appropriate school support.
• IEP and 504 Meetings: How to prepare, ask better questions, and advocate confidently.
• ADHD School Accommodations: What meaningful classroom support can actually look like.
• School Red Flags: How to recognize when an accommodation or intervention isn't working.
• School Pushback: How to respond when educators disagree with your concerns or requests.
• Parent Advocacy Burnout: How to work collaboratively with schools without losing your damn mind.

Because here's the thing: our neurodivergent kids don't need to become different children to succeed in school.

They need appropriate support, individualized strategies, and adults willing to understand how their brains work.

And we need to know how to advocate for those things.

Connect with Vicki 👉 Blue Glasses Advocacy

This Month's Sponsors:

💚 KinderFarms

KinderFarms offers thoughtfully formulated children's medicines and wellness products made with ingredients parents can feel good about.

🧩 Clixo

Screen-free, hands-on, creative play for kids who need to move, build, fidget, and let their imaginations run wild.

🌎 bina school

A small, global online school built for kids who need learning to be more flexible, personalized, and human.

🔬 Kodo Kids

Open-ended, sensory-rich play materials that let neurodivergent kids explore, experiment, and learn in the ways that work for their brains.

🧱 Cubles

Recyclable building sets that transform flat pieces into 3D creations—keeping busy hands building and brilliant brains creating.

 🧦 Parker & Talia

Sensory-friendly clothing and socks made for kids who can’t just “ignore” the tag, seam, texture, or waistband. 

🌱 MaryRuth Organics

If you’ve got a kid who treats vegetables like a personal enemy, MaryRuth Organics might become your new best friend. 

Join Our Patreon and Find All of Our Faves! 

📧 Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected].

Support the show

Danielle is the host of Chaos & Caffeine, a fast-growing ADHD parenting podcast where she interviews leading psychologists, clinicians, researchers, and neurodivergent advocates about what actually helps ADHD kids thrive in the real world. Through science-backed conversations and very real mom-in-the-trenches storytelling, the show helps parents navigate executive function challenges, emotional regulation struggles, learning differences, and the everyday chaos of raising neurodivergent kids.

Each week, Danielle translates complex ADHD research into practical tools parents can actually use — from building routines that support developing brains to helping kids strengthen focus, flexibility, and self-regulation skills.

Listen to the podcast and explore expert interviews at:
https://linktr.ee/chaosandcaffeinepodcast

Danielle frequently speaks and writes about ADHD parenting strategies, executive function development, emotional regulation, screen use and attention, learning challenges like dyslexia, and building resilient neurodivergent families.

Why can an ADHD child understand exactly what they need to do—but still struggle to begin, organize, remember, or finish it?

In this episode of Chaos & Caffeine: ADHD Parenting Podcast, Danielle Kelly sits down with Dan Levine, president and founder of Engaging Minds, to unpack the executive-function challenges affecting ADHD kids at school and at home.

Dan explains why inconsistency is not the same as laziness, defiance, or a lack of motivation—and why planners, checklists, timers, folders, and color-coded systems sometimes fail spectacularly. 😂

Together, Danielle and Dan explore:

• What executive functioning actually looks like in everyday life
• Why ADHD kids often struggle to turn knowledge into action
• How task initiation, working memory, planning, organization, and time management affect school performance
• Practical ways to make homework feel less overwhelming
• Why common ADHD organization systems stop working
• How repeated mistakes and missing assignments affect confidence
• The difference between supporting, scaffolding, rescuing, and taking over
• How parents can help neurodivergent kids build independence without removing support before they are ready

This conversation is part of our ADHD Kids and School Success campaign, created to give neurodivergent families practical strategies for surviving school with more understanding, more confidence, and significantly fewer backpack-related nervous breakdowns.

Listen to Chaos & Caffeine and find our ADHD parenting resources:
https://linktr.ee/chaosandcaffeinepodcast

Connect with Dan 👉 Engaging Minds

This Month's Sponsors:

🌎 bina school

A small, global online school built for kids who need learning to be more flexible, personalized, and human.

🔬 Kodo Kids

Open-ended, sensory-rich play materials that let neurodivergent kids explore, experiment, and learn in the ways that work for their brains.

🧱 Cubles

Recyclable building sets that transform flat pieces into 3D creations—keeping busy hands building and brilliant brains creating.

 🩵 Parker & Talia

Sensory-friendly clothing and socks made for kids who can’t just “ignore” the tag, seam, texture, or waistband. 

🎓 Inclusive Expectations

 Special education advocacy and personalized support helping parents navigate IEPs, school meetings, and accommodations with more confidence.

🌱 MaryRuth Organics

If you’ve got a kid who treats vegetables like a personal enemy, MaryRuth Organics might become your new best friend. 

Join Our Patreon and Find All of Our Faves! 

📧 Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected].

Support the show

Danielle is the host of Chaos & Caffeine, a fast-growing ADHD parenting podcast where she interviews leading psychologists, clinicians, researchers, and neurodivergent advocates about what actually helps ADHD kids thrive in the real world. Through science-backed conversations and very real mom-in-the-trenches storytelling, the show helps parents navigate executive function challenges, emotional regulation struggles, learning differences, and the everyday chaos of raising neurodivergent kids.

Each week, Danielle translates complex ADHD research into practical tools parents can actually use — from building routines that support developing brains to helping kids strengthen focus, flexibility, and self-regulation skills.

Listen to the podcast and explore expert interviews at:
https://linktr.ee/chaosandcaffeinepodcast

Danielle frequently speaks and writes about ADHD parenting strategies, executive function development, emotional regulation, screen use and attention, learning challenges like dyslexia, and building resilient neurodivergent families.

Dr. Russell works with students with ADHD, autism, anxiety, learning differences, and executive functioning challenges—and she's also raised neurodivergent kids herself.

We talk about what happens when bright, capable kids struggle in traditional school, why ADHD symptoms can be mistaken for laziness or lack of motivation, how executive functioning affects academic success, and why the answer isn't always pushing a child harder to fit into the same system.

Dr. Russell also shares her family's experience with homeschooling and what parents should consider when the traditional educational path simply isn't working.

We get into:

• ADHD and executive functioning in school
• Why smart ADHD kids can still struggle academically
• Motivation, task initiation, organization, and follow-through
• Homeschooling neurodivergent and ADHD kids
• Recognizing when the learning environment isn't working
• Supporting kids with ADHD, autism, anxiety, and learning differences
• Building independence without removing needed support
• Why behavior may actually be a lagging executive functioning skill
• Finding educational options that fit your child's individual brain
• Redefining what “school success” looks like for neurodivergent kids

Because ADHD school success isn't about forcing our kids to become better at fitting into a box.

It's about giving them the tools, support, and environment they need to thrive.

Connect with Dr. Russell 👉 Russell Coaching

This Month's Sponsors:

🌎 bina school

A small, global online school built for kids who need learning to be more flexible, personalized, and human.

🔬 Kodo Kids

Open-ended, sensory-rich play materials that let neurodivergent kids explore, experiment, and learn in the ways that work for their brains.

🧱 Cubles

Recyclable building sets that transform flat pieces into 3D creations—keeping busy hands building and brilliant brains creating.

 🩵 Parker & Talia

Sensory-friendly clothing and socks made for kids who can’t just “ignore” the tag, seam, texture, or waistband. 

🎓 Inclusive Expectations

 Special education advocacy and personalized support helping parents navigate IEPs, school meetings, and accommodations with more confidence.

🌱 MaryRuth Organics

If you’ve got a kid who treats vegetables like a personal enemy, MaryRuth Organics might become your new best friend. 

Join Our Patreon and Find All of Our Faves! 

📧 Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected].

Support the show

Danielle is the host of Chaos & Caffeine, a fast-growing ADHD parenting podcast where she interviews leading psychologists, clinicians, researchers, and neurodivergent advocates about what actually helps ADHD kids thrive in the real world. Through science-backed conversations and very real mom-in-the-trenches storytelling, the show helps parents navigate executive function challenges, emotional regulation struggles, learning differences, and the everyday chaos of raising neurodivergent kids.

Each week, Danielle translates complex ADHD research into practical tools parents can actually use — from building routines that support developing brains to helping kids strengthen focus, flexibility, and self-regulation skills.

Listen to the podcast and explore expert interviews at:
https://linktr.ee/chaosandcaffeinepodcast

Danielle frequently speaks and writes about ADHD parenting strategies, executive function development, emotional regulation, screen use and attention, learning challenges like dyslexia, and building resilient neurodivergent families.

If you’re raising a child with ADHD, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve accidentally become their executive function.

You’re checking the homework. Remembering the deadlines. Finding the missing assignments. Packing the backpack. Watching the grades. Reminding them about the thing you already reminded them about twelve times.

But how do we help ADHD kids succeed in school without managing every single thing for them?

This week on Chaos & Caffeine, Danielle Kelly talks with Diane Dempster, co-founder of ImpactParents and professional coach, about helping neurodivergent kids build executive functioning skills, independence, and confidence at school and at home.

We’re getting into the messy stuff: when helping becomes rescuing, how to shift from managing to coaching, when to let kids experience natural consequences, how to hand responsibilities back without setting them up to fail, and why ADHD parents so often end up completely burned out during the school year.

Because the goal isn’t to raise a kid who never forgets an assignment, loses something, or struggles.

It’s to raise a kid who eventually knows what to do when they do.

Connect with Diane 👉 Impact Parents

This Month's Sponsors:

🌎 bina school

A small, global online school built for kids who need learning to be more flexible, personalized, and human.

🔬 Kodo Kids

Open-ended, sensory-rich play materials that let neurodivergent kids explore, experiment, and learn in the ways that work for their brains.

🧱 Cubles

Recyclable building sets that transform flat pieces into 3D creations—keeping busy hands building and brilliant brains creating.

 🩵 Parker & Talia

Sensory-friendly clothing and socks made for kids who can’t just “ignore” the tag, seam, texture, or waistband. 

🎓 Inclusive Expectations

 Special education advocacy and personalized support helping parents navigate IEPs, school meetings, and accommodations with more confidence.

🌱 MaryRuth Organics

If you’ve got a kid who treats vegetables like a personal enemy, MaryRuth Organics might become your new best friend. 

Join Our Patreon and Find All of Our Faves! 

📧 Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected].

Support the show

Danielle is the host of Chaos & Caffeine, a fast-growing ADHD parenting podcast where she interviews leading psychologists, clinicians, researchers, and neurodivergent advocates about what actually helps ADHD kids thrive in the real world. Through science-backed conversations and very real mom-in-the-trenches storytelling, the show helps parents navigate executive function challenges, emotional regulation struggles, learning differences, and the everyday chaos of raising neurodivergent kids.

Each week, Danielle translates complex ADHD research into practical tools parents can actually use — from building routines that support developing brains to helping kids strengthen focus, flexibility, and self-regulation skills.

Listen to the podcast and explore expert interviews at:
https://linktr.ee/chaosandcaffeinepodcast

Danielle frequently speaks and writes about ADHD parenting strategies, executive function development, emotional regulation, screen use and attention, learning challenges like dyslexia, and building resilient neurodivergent families.

Your kid can understand something ridiculously complicated… but can't remember their homework, find their shoes, start a five-minute assignment, or handle a tiny change in plans without completely falling apart.

How the hell can both things be true?

This week on Chaos & Caffeine: ADHD Parenting Podcast, Danielle Kelly sits down with Mark Talaga, M.A., LPC, director and owner of the Center for Identity Potential and host of the Hopelessly Gifted Podcast, to talk about the complicated reality of raising gifted, ADHD, neurodivergent, and twice-exceptional (2e) kids.

We're digging into the gap between intelligence and executive functioning—and why being incredibly capable in one area doesn't mean a child should automatically be capable everywhere else.

Mark breaks down asynchronous development, executive dysfunction, emotional regulation, giftedness, ADHD, anxiety, perfectionism, identity, and why some incredibly bright kids struggle with things adults assume should be “easy.”

We also talk about what happens when adults mistake executive-function struggles for laziness, defiance, lack of motivation, or wasted potential—and how constantly hearing “You're so smart, why can't you just…” can affect a neurodivergent child's identity and confidence.

Connect with Mark 👉 Center for Identity Potential

This Month's Sponsors:

🌎 bina school

A small, global online school built for kids who need learning to be more flexible, personalized, and human.

🔬 Kodo Kids

Open-ended, sensory-rich play materials that let neurodivergent kids explore, experiment, and learn in the ways that work for their brains.

🧱 Cubles

Recyclable building sets that transform flat pieces into 3D creations—keeping busy hands building and brilliant brains creating.

 🩵 Parker & Talia

Sensory-friendly clothing and socks made for kids who can’t just “ignore” the tag, seam, texture, or waistband. 

🎓 Inclusive Expectations

 Special education advocacy and personalized support helping parents navigate IEPs, school meetings, and accommodations with more confidence.

🌱 MaryRuth Organics

If you’ve got a kid who treats vegetables like a personal enemy, MaryRuth Organics might become your new best friend. 

Join Our Patreon and Find All of Our Faves! 

📧 Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected].

Support the show

Danielle is the host of Chaos & Caffeine, a fast-growing ADHD parenting podcast where she interviews leading psychologists, clinicians, researchers, and neurodivergent advocates about what actually helps ADHD kids thrive in the real world. Through science-backed conversations and very real mom-in-the-trenches storytelling, the show helps parents navigate executive function challenges, emotional regulation struggles, learning differences, and the everyday chaos of raising neurodivergent kids.

Each week, Danielle translates complex ADHD research into practical tools parents can actually use — from building routines that support developing brains to helping kids strengthen focus, flexibility, and self-regulation skills.

Listen to the podcast and explore expert interviews at:
https://linktr.ee/chaosandcaffeinepodcast

Danielle frequently speaks and writes about ADHD parenting strategies, executive function development, emotional regulation, screen use and attention, learning challenges like dyslexia, and building resilient neurodivergent families.

Why can an incredibly smart child with ADHD know EXACTLY what they're supposed to do at school…and still forget the assignment, lose the worksheet, miss the directions, struggle to get started, or completely fall apart when expectations increase?

If your ADHD child is struggling in school, this episode is for you.

This week on Chaos & Caffeine: ADHD Parenting Podcast, Danielle Kelly sits down with Dr. Stephen Faraone, one of the world's leading ADHD researchers, to talk about what decades of research actually tell us about ADHD kids, executive functioning, academic performance, and the ADHD brain at school.

Dr. Faraone is a Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Professor of Neuroscience and Physiology at SUNY Upstate Medical University. He has authored more than 1,000 journal articles, editorials, chapters, and books, and has spent decades studying ADHD, genetics, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes.

And we're taking that science straight into the classroom.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why ADHD can make school so difficult—even for very bright kids
• ADHD and executive function struggles at school
• Why knowing what to do isn't the same as being able to consistently DO it
• Attention, impulsivity, hyperactivity, and self-regulation in the classroom
• ADHD and academic performance
• Why grades don't always tell the whole story
• What parents and teachers may misunderstand about ADHD
• How increasing independence and school demands can expose ADHD struggles
• ADHD diagnosis and what parents should understand about symptoms and impairment
• ADHD medication, treatment, and what the evidence actually shows
• Separating evidence-based ADHD information from myths and misinformation
• What decades of ADHD research can teach us about helping our kids succeed

Research involving Dr. Faraone has found that children with ADHD who also have executive-function deficits can be at particularly high risk for academic difficulties—including lower academic achievement and grade retention.

So when your child knows the material but can't find the homework…

When the teacher says, “But they CAN focus when they want to…”

When your kid is capable as hell but their school performance doesn't seem to reflect what you KNOW they're capable of…

There may be a whole lot more happening underneath the behavior.

Because our goal isn't to make ADHD kids better at pretending they don't have ADHD.

It's to understand their brains well enough to give them a real shot at succeeding with the one they have.

This Month's Sponsors:

🌎 bina school

A small, global online school built for kids who need learning to be more flexible, personalized, and human.

 🦘 Ted Kangaroo

Sensory tools that help kids wiggle, focus, and regulate—without another battle. Use code: CHAOS20 to save 20%. 

 🩵 Parker & Talia

Sensory-friendly clothing and socks made for kids who can’t just “ignore” the tag, seam, texture, or waistband. 

📚 Reading.com

Helping struggling readers build confidence and parents keep their sanity one lesson at a time.

🎲 DSS Games

Helping families put down the screens, laugh together, and actually enjoy spending time with each other again.

🎓 Inclusive Expectations

 Special education advocacy and personalized support helping parents navigate IEPs, school meetings, and accommodations with more confidence.

🌱 MaryRuth Organics

If you’ve got a kid who treats vegetables like a personal enemy, MaryRuth Organics might become your new best friend. 

Join Our Patreon and Find All of Our Faves! 

📧 Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected].

Support the show

Danielle is the host of Chaos & Caffeine, a fast-growing ADHD parenting podcast where she interviews leading psychologists, clinicians, researchers, and neurodivergent advocates about what actually helps ADHD kids thrive in the real world. Through science-backed conversations and very real mom-in-the-trenches storytelling, the show helps parents navigate executive function challenges, emotional regulation struggles, learning differences, and the everyday chaos of raising neurodivergent kids.

Each week, Danielle translates complex ADHD research into practical tools parents can actually use — from building routines that support developing brains to helping kids strengthen focus, flexibility, and self-regulation skills.

Listen to the podcast and explore expert interviews at:
https://linktr.ee/chaosandcaffeinepodcast

Danielle frequently speaks and writes about ADHD parenting strategies, executive function development, emotional regulation, screen use and attention, learning challenges like dyslexia, and building resilient neurodivergent families.

Getting your ADHD kid into college is one thing.

But are they actually ready to manage college without you?

In this episode of Chaos & Caffeine: ADHD Parenting Podcast, Danielle Kelly sits down with Gerene Keesler, founder of Admissions Untangled and a college admissions expert with more than 30 years of experience, to talk about what parents of ADHD and neurodivergent teens need to know BEFORE college move-in day.

Because college readiness isn't just GPA, SAT scores, applications and acceptance letters.

For an ADHD student, it can also mean managing executive functioning, deadlines, organization, medication, accommodations, professors, laundry, sleep, money, appointments—and knowing when and how to ask for help.

Gerene brings both professional and personal experience to this conversation. After spending decades working in college admissions and higher education, she now specializes in helping neurodivergent students navigate the college admissions process, identify schools that fit their actual needs, develop self-advocacy skills, and prepare for greater independence.

We're talking about:

• How to know if your ADHD teen is actually ready for college
• Executive functioning skills students need before leaving home
• How ADHD accommodations change from high school to college
• What happens to an IEP or 504 Plan after high school
• Teaching ADHD teens to advocate for themselves
• How parents can gradually step back without removing support completely
• What to look for when choosing a college for an ADHD or neurodivergent student
• Why the "best" college isn't necessarily the most prestigious one
• College admissions and application strategies for neurodivergent students
• When a traditional four-year college may NOT be the best next step
• Preparing ADHD teens for deadlines, organization and independence
• How parents can stop being their teenager's external frontal lobe before move-in day 😂

Gerene's message is one every ADHD parent needs to hear:

The goal isn't simply finding a college that will accept your child. It's finding a place where your child can actually thrive.

And preparing them doesn't mean making sure they never struggle.

It means helping them build the skills to recognize when they're struggling, advocate for what they need, access support—and recover when things inevitably go sideways.

If you're raising an ADHD middle schooler or high schooler and college feels simultaneously exciting and absolutely freaking terrifying, start here.

Connect with Gerene 👉 Admissions Untangled

This Month's Sponsors:

🌎 bina school

A small, global online school built for kids who need learning to be more flexible, personalized, and human.

 🦘 Ted Kangaroo

Sensory tools that help kids wiggle, focus, and regulate—without another battle. Use code: CHAOS20 to save 20%. 

 🩵 Parker & Talia

Sensory-friendly clothing and socks made for kids who can’t just “ignore” the tag, seam, texture, or waistband. 

📚 Reading.com

Helping struggling readers build confidence and parents keep their sanity one lesson at a time.

🎲 DSS Games

Helping families put down the screens, laugh together, and actually enjoy spending time with each other again.

🎓 Inclusive Expectations

 Special education advocacy and personalized support helping parents navigate IEPs, school meetings, and accommodations with more confidence.

🌱 MaryRuth Organics

If you’ve got a kid who treats vegetables like a personal enemy, MaryRuth Organics might become your new best friend. 

Join Our Patreon and Find All of Our Faves! 

📧 Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected].

Support the show

Danielle is the host of Chaos & Caffeine, a fast-growing ADHD parenting podcast where she interviews leading psychologists, clinicians, researchers, and neurodivergent advocates about what actually helps ADHD kids thrive in the real world. Through science-backed conversations and very real mom-in-the-trenches storytelling, the show helps parents navigate executive function challenges, emotional regulation struggles, learning differences, and the everyday chaos of raising neurodivergent kids.

Each week, Danielle translates complex ADHD research into practical tools parents can actually use — from building routines that support developing brains to helping kids strengthen focus, flexibility, and self-regulation skills.

Listen to the podcast and explore expert interviews at:
https://linktr.ee/chaosandcaffeinepodcast

Danielle frequently speaks and writes about ADHD parenting strategies, executive function development, emotional regulation, screen use and attention, learning challenges like dyslexia, and building resilient neurodivergent families.

Is your child bright but still struggling to read?

Do they guess at words, avoid reading altogether, melt down during homework, or insist they're "bad at reading"? If you're raising a child with ADHD, it can be incredibly difficult to know whether these challenges are caused by attention, dyslexia, or something else entirely.

This week on Chaos & Caffeine: An ADHD Parenting Podcast, Danielle Kelly sits down with reading specialist, Certified Academic Language Therapist, and Home Reading Coach founder Faye Bankler Casell to break down what every ADHD parent needs to know about reading difficulties.

Together, they discuss:

• The difference between ADHD and dyslexia
• Why so many bright kids struggle with reading
• Early warning signs parents shouldn't ignore
• What the Science of Reading actually means (without the educational jargon)
• Why traditional reading practice often isn't enough
• Practical, research-backed strategies parents can use at home
• How to protect your child's confidence while building stronger reading skills

Whether your child has ADHD, dyslexia, learning differences, or simply isn't making the reading progress you'd expect, this episode will help you understand what's really happening—and what you can do next.

Because struggling to read doesn't mean a child isn't smart. It means they deserve instruction that works for the way their brain learns.

🎧 Subscribe to Chaos & Caffeine for weekly conversations with leading ADHD experts, psychologists, educators, researchers, physicians, and parents who are changing the way we support neurodivergent kids.

Connect with Faye 👉 Home Reading Coach

This Month's Sponsors:

🌎 bina school

A small, global online school built for kids who need learning to be more flexible, personalized, and human.

 🦘 Ted Kangaroo

Sensory tools that help kids wiggle, focus, and regulate—without another battle. Use code: CHAOS20 to save 20%. 

 🩵 Parker & Talia

 Sensory-friendly clothing and socks made for kids who can’t just “ignore” the tag, seam, texture, or waistband. 

📚 Reading.com

Helping struggling readers build confidence and parents keep their sanity one lesson at a time.

🎲 DSS Games

Helping families put down the screens, laugh together, and actually enjoy spending time with each other again.

🎓 Inclusive Expectations

 Special education advocacy and personalized support helping parents navigate IEPs, school meetings, and accommodations with more confidence.

🌱 MaryRuth Organics

If you’ve got a kid who treats vegetables like a personal enemy, MaryRuth Organics might become your new best friend. 

Join Our Patreon and Find All of Our Faves! 

📧 Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected].

Support the show

Danielle is the host of Chaos & Caffeine, a fast-growing ADHD parenting podcast where she interviews leading psychologists, clinicians, researchers, and neurodivergent advocates about what actually helps ADHD kids thrive in the real world. Through science-backed conversations and very real mom-in-the-trenches storytelling, the show helps parents navigate executive function challenges, emotional regulation struggles, learning differences, and the everyday chaos of raising neurodivergent kids.

Each week, Danielle translates complex ADHD research into practical tools parents can actually use — from building routines that support developing brains to helping kids strengthen focus, flexibility, and self-regulation skills.

Listen to the podcast and explore expert interviews at:
https://linktr.ee/chaosandcaffeinepodcast

Danielle frequently speaks and writes about ADHD parenting strategies, executive function development, emotional regulation, screen use and attention, learning challenges like dyslexia, and building resilient neurodivergent families.

If your child has ever completely lost it because their socks feel wrong, a tag is driving them CRAZY, the waistband is uncomfortable, or the shirt they wore perfectly happily yesterday is suddenly absolutely unacceptable… this episode is for you. 😂

For ADHD, autistic, and sensory-sensitive kids, getting dressed isn't always a simple part of the morning routine. Seams, tags, fabrics, waistbands, textures, fit, and even tiny changes in how clothing feels can become genuinely overwhelming—and what looks like stubbornness or defiance from the outside may actually be a child trying to communicate that something feels WRONG.

This week on Chaos & Caffeine: ADHD Parenting Podcast, Danielle Kelly sits down with Valerie Bernal, founder of Parker & Talia, to talk about sensory sensitivities, clothing struggles, and why getting dressed can become such a huge source of stress for neurodivergent kids and their parents.

We talk about:

• Why some ADHD and autistic kids are extremely sensitive to clothing
• Tags, seams, waistbands, fabrics, textures, and other common sensory triggers
• Why a child may tolerate an outfit one day and refuse it the next
• Sensory discomfort vs. behavior or defiance
• How clothing battles can affect regulation and the entire morning routine
• Supporting bodily autonomy and listening when kids tell us something doesn't feel right
• Helping sensory-sensitive children build confidence and independence
• Valerie's journey to creating Parker & Talia
• How sensory-friendly clothing can remove one unnecessary struggle from a neurodivergent child's day

Because when our kids are already navigating a world that asks their nervous systems to adapt ALL DAY LONG, maybe getting dressed doesn't need to be another freaking battle.

Connect with Valerie 👉 Parker & Talia 

This Month's Sponsors:

🌎 Bina School

A small, global online school built for kids who need learning to be more flexible, personalized, and human.

 🦘 Ted Kangaroo

Sensory tools that help kids wiggle, focus, and regulate—without another battle. Use code: CHAOS20 to save 20%. 

📚 Reading.com

Helping struggling readers build confidence and parents keep their sanity one lesson at a time.

🎲 DSS Games

Helping families put down the screens, laugh together, and actually enjoy spending time with each other again.

🎓 Inclusive Expectations

 Special education advocacy and personalized support helping parents navigate IEPs, school meetings, and accommodations with more confidence.

🌱 MaryRuth Organics

If you’ve got a kid who treats vegetables like a personal enemy, MaryRuth Organics might become your new best friend. 

Join Our Patreon and Find All of Our Faves! 

📧 Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected].

Support the show

Danielle is the host of Chaos & Caffeine, a fast-growing ADHD parenting podcast where she interviews leading psychologists, clinicians, researchers, and neurodivergent advocates about what actually helps ADHD kids thrive in the real world. Through science-backed conversations and very real mom-in-the-trenches storytelling, the show helps parents navigate executive function challenges, emotional regulation struggles, learning differences, and the everyday chaos of raising neurodivergent kids.

Each week, Danielle translates complex ADHD research into practical tools parents can actually use — from building routines that support developing brains to helping kids strengthen focus, flexibility, and self-regulation skills.

Listen to the podcast and explore expert interviews at:
https://linktr.ee/chaosandcaffeinepodcast

Danielle frequently speaks and writes about ADHD parenting strategies, executive function development, emotional regulation, screen use and attention, learning challenges like dyslexia, and building resilient neurodivergent families.

Does your ADHD child actually have the school support they need—or have you been told they’re “doing fine” because their grades look okay?

For parents of neurodivergent kids, navigating IEPs, 504 Plans, school accommodations, evaluations, and special education services can feel like learning an entirely new language while simultaneously trying to advocate for the person you love most.

This week on Chaos & Caffeine: ADHD Parenting Podcast, Danielle Kelly sits down with Kelly from Inclusive Expectations to help parents understand how to advocate for their ADHD and neurodivergent children at school.

We’re talking about:

• Signs your child may need additional school support—even with good grades
• IEP vs. 504 Plans and navigating the accommodation process
• What to do when the school says your child is “doing fine”
• What school data parents should actually be asking for
• Turning ADHD and executive-function challenges into meaningful accommodations
• How to prepare for an IEP or 504 meeting
• Advocating confidently without creating a parent-versus-school battle
• Making sure accommodations actually work in your child’s real school day

If you've ever walked into a school meeting surrounded by acronyms and wondered, “How the hell am I supposed to know what my kid needs?”—start here.

You don't have to become a special education expert overnight. But you CAN learn how to ask better questions, understand the information in front of you, and become a powerful member of your child's educational team.

Connect with Kelly 👉 Inclusive Expectations

This Month's Sponsors:

🌎 Bina School
A small, global online school built for kids who need learning to be more flexible, personalized, and human.

 🦘 Ted Kangaroo
Sensory tools that help kids wiggle, focus, and regulate—without another battle. Use code: CHAOS20 to save 20%. 

📚 Reading.com

Helping struggling readers build confidence and parents keep their sanity one lesson at a time.

🎲 DSS Games
Helping families put down the screens, laugh together, and actually enjoy spending time with each other again.

🌙 Moonbuddy

Helping kids calm their nervous systems without another screen in sight. Use code: CHAOSANDCAFFEINE10 to save 10%.

🌱 MaryRuth Organics

If you’ve got a kid who treats vegetables like a personal enemy, MaryRuth Organics might become your new best friend. 

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📧 Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected].

Support the show

Danielle is the host of Chaos & Caffeine, a fast-growing ADHD parenting podcast where she interviews leading psychologists, clinicians, researchers, and neurodivergent advocates about what actually helps ADHD kids thrive in the real world. Through science-backed conversations and very real mom-in-the-trenches storytelling, the show helps parents navigate executive function challenges, emotional regulation struggles, learning differences, and the everyday chaos of raising neurodivergent kids.

Each week, Danielle translates complex ADHD research into practical tools parents can actually use — from building routines that support developing brains to helping kids strengthen focus, flexibility, and self-regulation skills.

Listen to the podcast and explore expert interviews at:
https://linktr.ee/chaosandcaffeinepodcast

Danielle frequently speaks and writes about ADHD parenting strategies, executive function development, emotional regulation, screen use and attention, learning challenges like dyslexia, and building resilient neurodivergent families.