Back-to-School Routines That Actually Stick for ADHD Kids
The morning, after-school, and bedtime routines that finally worked for our ADHD kids, what to do when a routine breaks down, and why predictable beats perfect.
My kid
The school emailed again, third time this month, and your stomach dropped before you got to the second paragraph. You've tried the charts and the consequences. Nothing sticks, and you're starting to wonder what you're doing wrong. You're not doing it wrong. For a neurodivergent kid, knowing what to do and doing it are two different skills, and punishing harder doesn't build the one that's missing. Below are a book, a podcast, and a channel that explain what's going on and what to do about it at home and at school. If you want help with your particular kid, the first call is free.
Start with these
Free resource
Get the free Pills Don't Teach Skills worksheet
Medication can open the door, but your kid still has to learn the skills. This free worksheet covers starting ADHD medication for your child: which changes to expect and when, which side effects level out and which are red flags, why sensory issues can show up, and what to track for the doctor.
For more, check out these Resources!
Book
Taking Charge of ADHD
Russell A. Barkley
The science backbone. If you want to know why willpower isn't the problem, start here.
Russell Barkley's parent guide covers the whole territory: what ADHD is, how it works in a developing brain, how to manage behavior at home, how to deal with schools, and how to think about medication. It's long and thorough on purpose. For parents who want the full picture from a researcher instead of an influencer, and who are willing to read a real book to get it. The audiobook is an earlier edition.
Podcast
Autism Dadcast
Gaz and Andy
Gaz and Andy are two UK dads of autistic kids, and the show is the two of them talking straight about raising them. Behavior, family life, and school, including the British system and how to deal with it. It's explicit, and it's UK-specific: EHCPs, SEND, the NHS. For fathers who want blunt company more than expert instruction.
YouTube channel
Lives in the Balance
Ross Greene, PhD
Ross Greene created Collaborative & Proactive Solutions, and this channel teaches it: how to work with a kid whose behavior keeps blowing up instead of trying to punish it out of him. Meltdowns, explosive behavior, and school. It isn't specific to ADHD or autism. For parents and teachers of a kid who has already failed every sticker chart in the house.