ADHD Archives - Family Pathways Coaching

February 24, 2026

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Executive Function Skills: Managing and Organizing Life

Years ago, one of my sons complained that he lost points on his math grade not because he provided wrong answers, but because he regularly failed weekly binder checks. His teacher was trying to help her students develop organizational skills by requiring tidy binders, with all assignments, notes and tests kept neatly in date order. But my son was the kid whose backpack, locker, and bedroom were more akin to a trash heap than a well-ordered binder. Sure, his teacher was right to instruct her students on the importance of organization, but she didn’t consider that students with ADHD – and even some who do not have ADHD – struggle mightily with executive function skills like organization. Just asking her students to be neat would not help those whose brains are wired differently. And ADHD brains are wired differently.

February 10, 2026

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Screen Time: How Much is Too Much?

It’s cold in the Northeast right now. Really cold. And when it’s cold out, it’s harder and maybe less pleasant to be outdoors, away from our screens. So what happens to our kids – in particular our neurodiverse children – when they are glued to the couch and even more likely than usual to turn to their screens for entertainment, information, and company? Read on for help discerning between too much and just enough screen time, and how to use technology to support your child’s development, rather than impede it.

February 3, 2026

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In Honor of Black History Month

This past weekend, in honor of February’s Black History Month, I listened to a 2021 conversation with David Ikard, renowned professor of African American and Diaspora Studies at Vanderbilt University. Prof. Ikard’s work focuses on the idea that we need to view history accurately in order to learn from it. In this same vein, we need to examine honestly how Black neurodiverse children are diagnosed and supported in an effort to provide everyone their best care.

January 27, 2026

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How ADHD Affects Self Esteem

When one of my sons was very young and just starting school, he struggled … a lot. As a playful and friendly elementary school boy with ADHD and dyslexia, he couldn’t get the knack of sitting at a desk and reading quietly. Even harder than the constant classroom reprimand and redirection was the image he had of his brothers, who all seemed successful where he struggled. One night, he asked me tearily if perhaps he was adopted. He couldn’t possibly be related to the smart, disciplined boys he admired so reverently.

October 21, 2025

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ADHD Parents Parenting ADHD Kids

In 2007, my sons and I were featured in a television news segment about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and its genetic link. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) had just published a “Science Update” regarding a gene variant found in ADHD teens, and a news outlet thought a family with four ADHD sons would put a human face on the report that emphasized ADHD’s hereditability. We all thought the report was pretty funny: My husband has ADHD and all of his sons have been diagnosed with ADHD. We had little doubt that genetics was at play in our family. If you’re a parent with ADHD, read on for some simple systems all parents – especially those with ADHD -- can implement for easy and effective parenting.

October 14, 2025

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ADHD

October: ADHD Awareness Month

One afternoon, when my oldest son was in the fourth grade, he came bounding through the door after school and announced through panting breath: “I have ADHD!” Yes, indeed you do, I told him, but a little context please! It turned out, my son’s class was learning about “differences.” What are the differences we can see in people, and what are the hidden differences we can’t see? When his teacher talked about ADHD (Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder), my son related to everything she described. He wasn’t ashamed, but rather empowered. It all made sense why he struggled to maintain focus on tasks that bored him but could delve in deep and for long, uninterrupted stretches on the subjects that fascinated him. He understood why it was hard for him to curb his impulses, and why he always needed something in his hands in order to stay focused in school.