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One thing I notice when reading books, courses, and parenting programmes for ADHD is that many of them focus almost entirely on the child. The strategies might be helpful. The advice might be evidence-based. The intentions are usually good. But there is one important thing that is often missing. What happens when the parent has ADHD too? Research suggests that ADHD often runs in families, which means many parents are trying to support a child with ADHD while managing their ow

Sibling arguments can be exhausting, especially when ADHD is involved. Many parents tell me they feel as though they spend their entire day refereeing arguments, repeating themselves, and trying to keep the peace. When this happens, it can feel like nothing is working. But what if we looked beyond the argument itself? Instead of asking: "How do I stop the argument?" Perhaps we could ask: "What skills are my children learning through this process?" Children are not born knowin

When most people think about ADHD, they often picture a child who is constantly running, climbing, interrupting, and unable to sit still. Whilst these can be signs of ADHD, they are often not the first things parents notice at home. As an ADHD Early Years Practitioner, a parent of neurodivergent children, and someone with ADHD myself, I have found that many of the early signs parents talk about are much more subtle. It is also important to remember that many young children wi

One of the biggest misunderstandings around young ADHD children is the belief that emotions should always look the way adults expect them to look. As adults, we often assume we know what emotions “should” look like: If a child is upset, they should cry. If they feel guilty, they should look sorry. If they understand they have done something wrong, they should show emotion outwardly. But many ADHD children do not respond emotionally in the ways adults expect. Some children lau

One thing I think is often missing from ADHD parenting advice is this: Many parents supporting ADHD children also have ADHD themselves. Yet most parenting strategies are written as though the parent has endless emotional regulation, consistency, patience, organisation, and emotional distance available at all times. Real life does not work like that. Especially in ADHD households. A lot of parenting support focuses heavily on: routines consistency consequences emotional coachi

As adults, we often assume children understand what their bodies are trying to tell them. Hungry Full. Tired. Too hot. Too overwhelmed. Needing the toilet But for some children with ADHD, recognising and understanding these internal body signals can take longer to develop. This is something I remember very clearly from my own childhood. When I was around 10 years old, I went to a birthday party where there were lots of cakes and sweets laid out on the table. I loaded my plate

Many parents struggle when it comes to giving consequences to a child with ADHD. They try different approaches, take things away, set rules… and still feel like nothing is working. It can feel frustrating, confusing, and at times, pointless. But the truth is, consequences do work. They just don’t work in the way we often expect them to. For young children with ADHD, learning from consequences is not as straightforward. Their understanding of time, cause and effect, and emotio

As parents, it’s natural to want to protect our children from feeling upset. We step in, we soften things, and we try to make things easier. But when your child has ADHD, this becomes more complex. Because resilience, the ability to bounce back from something uncomfortable, is not just about personality, it’s developmental. Understanding what’s happening Young children with ADHD often have delayed executive function. This means they may struggle with: emotional regulation im

Sibling rivalry can feel constant in a home with ADHD. It might look like: constant arguments one child always “starting it” tension over small things one sibling being targeted more than the other And often, the child with ADHD is seen as the one causing the problem. But what we’re seeing on the surface… isn’t the full picture. WHAT IT CAN LOOK LIKE Sibling rivalry with ADHD doesn’t always come from one clear reason. It can look like: provoking for no obvious reason taking

Your child gets told off in class…in front of everyone. And suddenly… it’s not just about what they did. They feel like everyone is against them. Like they’re not good enough. Like something is wrong with them. From the outside, that reaction can look too big. But for your child… it doesn’t feel small at all. What you’re seeing isn’t just behaviour This can be the start of what many people describe as rejection sensitivity. Not something your child is born with… but somethi

How many times have you heard this — or even said it yourself: “I’ve tried everything… nothing works with my child.” And underneath that is usually something much heavier: “Am I failing as a parent?” That feeling hits even harder when you are an ADHD parent yourself and already find structure difficult to stick to. You’re trying to put something in place that doesn’t come naturally to you either. The truth is, most parents don’t think structure works. But in reality, structur

Many parents and teachers are told that children with ADHD simply need more structure. The advice often sounds simple: Feeling of no structure Break tasks down. Chunk homework. Use “now and next”. While these ideas are helpful in theory, they often miss something important. Structure is not just about the next step. For many children with ADHD, structure means understanding the whole path, not just the first part. When Instructions Assume Skills That Haven’t Developed Yet A c

Many parents say the same thing: “My child is fine at school, but everything falls apart when they get home.” This can be confusing. Teachers may say there are no concerns, while at home, a child may seem overwhelmed, emotional, or exhausted. For many children, especially children with ADHD, this difference actually makes sense. During the school day, children are often concentrating very hard. They are following instructions, managing social situations, and trying to keep up

Many parents are aware that their child may have additional needs even before they begin school. Some notice differences in behaviour. Others notice that developmental milestones are not being met. Either way, many find themselves in a position where they feel they must wait-wait until school age, wait for assessment, wait for support within the system. Within the SEN system, children are rarely formally assessed before the age of three, and often much later. At a young age,

When people talk about ADHD and developmental delay, the conversation often begins at school. We hear phrases like: “Behind in maths.” “Behind in concentration.” “Behind in maturity.” But developmental delay in ADHD does not begin in the classroom. It begins much earlier. From birth, the emotional parts of the brain are active. Babies respond to tone, facial expression, tension, and emotional climate long before they understand language. In ADHD, research suggests that the de

When children struggle with ADHD, support often focuses on discipline, routine, motivation, and consistency. While these approaches can be helpful, they tend to address behaviour at the surface level. What’s often overlooked is what sits underneath: emotional understanding and internal awareness. From birth, the emotional parts of the brain are active and responsive. The systems that help us evaluate emotions, put them into context, and soothe ourselves develop gradually over

When babies are born, the amygdala and the limbic system are already formed. They may not be able to be used in a cognitive way that we can consciously control, but they are still very much in use. From birth to around ten years old, the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that helps us rationalise when we feel overwhelmed by reminding us that situations can resolve and are not always as bad as they feel, is still developing. By around age 10, this area typically functio

When children are very young, learning doesn’t look like lessons. It happens quietly, through stories, repetition, and emotional experiences that settle into the body long before they are understood consciously. This is why emotional intelligence is most powerful when it begins earl y. Young children are constantly absorbing information about: how feelings work whether emotions are safe what happens when something feels uncomfortable whether support is available They don’t a

Why these books exist Over the past few weeks, I’ve been quietly publishing a series of children’s books focused on emotional intelligence, especially for children with ADHD and emotional sensitivity. They aren’t written to teach children how to behave better. They aren’t about fixing feelings or rushing children through them. They exist for one simple reason: to help children understand what they feel, without shame. Big feelings don’t mean something is wrong Emotions like

One of the most common ideas shared in ADHD parenting spaces is that children need time to process their thoughts and feelings, especially before sleep. While this sounds supportive, it often misunderstands how ADHD brains actually work. Processing is an executive skill Processing emotions isn’t passive. It requires: working memory emotional labelling sequencing inhibition perspective-taking These are executive functions, the very areas that develop more slowly in children wi