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The ADHD Parenting Podcast: Daily Summaries Delivered
by The ADHD Parenting Podcast
The ADHD Parenting Podcast helps parents of children and teens with ADHD improve behavior, emotional regulation, executive function, and cooperation at home and school. Hosted by Ryan Wexelblatt, LCSW, founder of ADHD Dude, and Mike McLeod, SLP, executive function specialist and author of The Executive Function Playbook, each episode delivers practical, evidence-informed strategies for reducing conflict, strengthening routines, supporting school success, and helping kids with ADHD build independence and confidence.
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- 1 weeks ago26 min
Understanding ADHD medications: What Parents Need to Know - Part One
Hosts Ryan and Mike tackle one of the most frequently asked questions from parents: Is ADHD medication safe? In this first installment of a two-part series, they break down what the long-term research actually shows about stimulant medications, address common fears around side effects — including appetite suppression, sleep difficulties, growth concerns, personality changes, tics, and cardiovascular risks — and explain how each is typically monitored and managed by prescribers. They also discuss the medication holiday debate, make the case that medication decisions should be adult-guided with input from the child rather than child-decided, and explain why pharmacogenetic testing doesn't deliver on its marketing promises. Throughout the episode, Ryan and Mike emphasize that the right question isn't just whether medication has risks, but what the risks of untreated ADHD look like — and that informed decisions should be made with a licensed clinician, not strangers in Facebook groups.Find Mike @ www.grownowadhd.com & on IGFind Ryan @ www.adhddude.com & on Youtube{{chapters}}[00:00:00] Start[00:02:21] Long-Term Safety of ADHD Medication[00:06:15] Common Side Effects and How to Manage Them[00:10:51] Height Velocity and Growth Concerns[00:12:15] Personality Flattening and the Zombie Myth[00:16:11] Should Kids Take Meds Only on School Days?[00:19:05] Who Should Make Medication Decisions?[00:22:18] Why Genetic Testing Doesn't Pick the Right Med[00:24:05] Conclusion and Part Two Preview
- 3 weeks ago20 min
Top Three Tips For A Successful School Year (High School)
Hosts Ryan and Mike deliver the high school companion to their elementary and middle school back-to-school episode, focusing on the shift parents need to make from managing their teen to consulting. Find Mike @ www.grownowadhd.com & on IGFind Ryan @ www.adhddude.com & on Youtube{{chapters}}[00:00:00] Start[00:04:26] Tip 1: Stop Rescuing Executive Functions[00:06:43] Tip 2: Set Technology Expectations Now[00:10:00] The Phone You Bought Is Your Problem[00:14:01] Tip 3: Build Independence, Not Dependence[00:16:38] Bonus: Collaborative Relationships With Teachers
- Aug 12, 202625 min
Top Three Tips For A Successful School Year (Elementary & Middle School)
Hosts Ryan and Mike share the three things that will have the biggest impact on an ADHD child's school year — and none of them involve buying supplies. First, they explain why setting clear, specific expectations before school starts (morning routines, homework, electronics, bedtime, after-school activities) prevents the negotiation battles that derail families every fall. Second, they walk through building routines now rather than scrambling once school begins, with particular emphasis on keeping school-issued laptops out from behind closed doors and advocating with the school when technology becomes a distraction rather than a tool. Third, they lay out how to start strong with teachers through concise, collaborative communication — and why badmouthing a teacher in front of your child or demanding a classroom switch does more harm than good. Throughout the episode, Ryan and Mike stress that consistency lowers emotional intensity and that small changes now prevent big problems in September and October.Find Mike @ www.grownowadhd.com & on IGFind Ryan @ www.adhddude.com & on Youtube{{chapters}}[00:00:00] Start[00:05:19] Tip 1: Set Clear Expectations Before School[00:09:23] Tip 2: Build Routines Before You Need Them[00:13:45] Managing School-Issued Laptops and Screens[00:16:37] Tip 3: Start Strong With Teachers[00:21:18] Don't Badmouth Teachers in Front of Your Child[00:22:47] Summary: Small Changes Now Prevent Big Problems
- Jul 22, 202625 min
Competent Roles for Kids with ADHD
Hosts Ryan and Mike make the case that children with ADHD don't need fewer responsibilities — they need better-scaffolded, consistent ones. They introduce the idea of a "competent role": an ongoing, child-owned job that genuinely matters to the family, distinct from a random chore. Along the way they name the "high giving, low expectations" trap that well-meaning parents fall into, explain why learned helplessness gets weaponized to escape non-preferred tasks, and walk through the executive-function skills these roles quietly build. The episode closes with a practical playbook for creating one competent role this week, grounded in research on autonomy, competence, and relatedness.Find Mike @ www.grownowadhd.com & on IGFind Ryan @ www.adhddude.com & on Youtube{{chapters}}[00:00:00] Start[00:02:14] What a Competent Role Actually Is[00:04:09] High Giving, Low Expectations[00:11:09] The Four Parts of a Competent Role[00:14:19] How Roles Build Executive Function[00:16:50] Create One Competent Role This Week
- Jul 8, 202629 min
Answering Parents' Questions
Hosts Ryan and Mike work through five real listener questions covering some of the most common — and most misunderstood — challenges of raising kids with ADHD: a six-year-old with borderline intellectual functioning caught between a cautious school and a hands-off psychiatrist, a ten-year-old with total time blindness for non-preferred activities, sibling conflict where the hosts openly diverge on whether to hold the older child more accountable or redirect the younger one, a physically aggressive first-grader stuck in a cycle of ineffective next-day suspensions, and a fifteen-year-old with ADHD, anxiety, OCD, and autism who avoids school at the first sign of feeling unwell. The thread running through all five: executive functioning is environment-dependent, and parental accommodation — however loving — tends to make avoidance and anxiety worse rather than better.Find Mike @ www.grownowadhd.com & on IGFind Ryan @ www.adhddude.com & on Youtube{{chapters}}[00:00:00] Start[00:00:52] Borderline Functioning: School vs. Psychiatrist[00:05:16] Time Blindness and Non-Preferred Activities[00:09:03] Sibling Conflict and the Dopamine Cycle[00:15:15] Aggression, Suspensions, and Brain Breaks[00:22:28] Autism, Illness Avoidance, and School Refusal
- Jun 24, 202614 min
ADHD Medication: What Parents Need to Know | Part 2
In part two of this two-part series, Mike and Ryan discuss why families often abandon medication too quickly after a single difficult trial, the importance of trial-and-error in finding the right medication regimen, and why genetic testing isn't the shortcut many parents hope it will be.Find Mike @ www.grownowadhd.comFind Ryan @ www.adhddude.comTimestamps[00:00:00] Start[00:00:46] Why Families Give Up on Medication Too Easily[00:01:30] Two Main Stimulant Categories Explained[00:03:42] Non-Stimulant Medication Options[00:04:22] Why Medication Alone Is Not Enough[00:07:15] Genetic Testing Is Not Recommended[00:09:43] Key Takeaways on ADHD Medication[00:12:13] Final Thoughts on Kids and Medical DecisionsCitationsAmerican Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (2020). Clinical use of pharmacogenetic tests in prescribing psychotropic medications for children and adolescents. https://www.aacap.org/aacap/Policy_Statements/2020/Clinical-Use-Pharmacogenetic-Tests-Prescribing-Psychotropic-Medications-for-Children-Adolescents.aspxAmerican Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (2022). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Parents’ medication guide. https://www.aacap.org/App_Themes/AACAP/docs/resource_centers/resources/med_guides/ADHD_Medication_Guide-web.pdfAmerican Psychiatric Association. (n.d.). What is ADHD? https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/adhd/what-is-adhdCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Clinical care of ADHD. https://www.cdc.gov/adhd/hcp/treatment-recommendations/index.htmlDalsgaard, S., Leckman, J. F., Mortensen, P. B., Nielsen, H. S., & Simonsen, M. (2015). Effect of drugs on the risk of injuries in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A prospective cohort study. The Lancet Psychiatry, 2(8), 702–709. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(15)00271-0Dalsgaard, S., Østergaard, S. D., Leckman, J. F., Mortensen, P. B., & Pedersen, M. G. (2015). Mortality in children, adolescents, and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A nationwide cohort study. The Lancet, 385(9983), 2190–2196. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61684-6de Vries, W., Boer, M., Stevens, G. W. J. M., & van Dorsselaer, S. (2025). Exploring concept creep: Youth’s portrayal of ADHD on TikTok. SSM Mental Health, 7, 100374.Harpin, V., Mazzone, L., Raynaud, J. P., Kahle, J., & Hodgkins, P. (2016). Long-term outcomes of ADHD: A systematic review of self-esteem and social function. Journal of Attention Disorders, 20(4), 295–305. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054713486516Myer, N. M., Boland, J. R., & Faraone, S. V. (2018). Pharmacogenetics predictors of methylphenidate efficacy in childhood ADHD. Molecular Psychiatry, 23, 1929–1936.Shaw, M., Hodgkins, P., Caci, H., Young, S., Kahle, J., Woods, A. G., & Arnold, L. E. (2012). A systematic review and analysis of long-term outcomes in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Effects of treatment and non-treatment. BMC Medicine, 10, 99. https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7015-10-99Wetterer, L. (2020). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: AAP updates guideline for diagnosis and management. American Family Physician, 102(1), 58–60.Wolraich, M. L., Hagan, J. F., Allan, C., Chan, E., Davison, D., Earls, M., Evans, S. W., Flinn, S. K., Froehlich, T., Frost, J., Holbrook, J. R., Lehmann, C. U., Lessin, H. R., Okechukwu, K., Pierce, K. L., Winner, J. D., & Zurhellen, W. (2019). Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 144(4), e20192528. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-2528Yeung, A., Ng, E., & Abi-Jaoude, E. (2022). TikTok and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A cross-sectional study of social media content quality. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 67(12), 899–906. https://doi.org/10.1177/07067437221082854
- Jun 10, 202618 min
ADHD Medication: What Parents Need to Know | Part 1
Ryan & Mike take on ADHD kids' medication based on research and doctors, not social media. They cover untreated ADHD risks, debunk the psychiatrist myth, and put decisions with parents and prescribers.Find Mike @ www.grownowadhd.comFind Ryan @ www.adhddude.com{{chapters}}[00:00:00] Start[00:01:05] Why Parents Get Confused About Medication[00:03:40] The Risks of Untreated ADHD[00:06:46] Where Medication Misinformation Comes From[00:10:15] Do You Really Need a Child Psychiatrist?[00:13:34] Who Makes the Medication DecisionCitationsAmerican Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (2020). Clinical use of pharmacogenetic tests in prescribing psychotropic medications for children and adolescents. https://www.aacap.org/aacap/Policy_Statements/2020/Clinical-Use-Pharmacogenetic-Tests-Prescribing-Psychotropic-Medications-for-Children-Adolescents.aspxAmerican Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (2022). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Parents’ medication guide. https://www.aacap.org/App_Themes/AACAP/docs/resource_centers/resources/med_guides/ADHD_Medication_Guide-web.pdfAmerican Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (n.d.). Pharmacogenetic testing. https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Pharmacogenetic_Testing-128.aspxAmerican Psychiatric Association. (n.d.). What is ADHD? https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/adhd/what-is-adhdCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Clinical care of ADHD. https://www.cdc.gov/adhd/hcp/treatment-recommendations/index.htmlDalsgaard, S., Leckman, J. F., Mortensen, P. B., Nielsen, H. S., & Simonsen, M. (2015). Effect of drugs on the risk of injuries in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A prospective cohort study. The Lancet Psychiatry, 2(8), 702–709. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(15)00271-0Dalsgaard, S., Østergaard, S. D., Leckman, J. F., Mortensen, P. B., & Pedersen, M. G. (2015). Mortality in children, adolescents, and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A nationwide cohort study. The Lancet, 385(9983), 2190–2196. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61684-6de Vries, W., Boer, M., Stevens, G. W. J. M., & van Dorsselaer, S. (2025). Exploring concept creep: Youth’s portrayal of ADHD on TikTok. SSM Mental Health, 7, 100374.Harpin, V., Mazzone, L., Raynaud, J. P., Kahle, J., & Hodgkins, P. (2016). Long-term outcomes of ADHD: A systematic review of self-esteem and social function. Journal of Attention Disorders, 20(4), 295–305. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054713486516Myer, N. M., Boland, J. R., & Faraone, S. V. (2018). Pharmacogenetics predictors of methylphenidate efficacy in childhood ADHD. Molecular Psychiatry, 23, 1929–1936.Shaw, M., Hodgkins, P., Caci, H., Young, S., Kahle, J., Woods, A. G., & Arnold, L. E. (2012). A systematic review and analysis of long-term outcomes in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Effects of treatment and non-treatment. BMC Medicine, 10, 99. https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7015-10-99Wetterer, L. (2020). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: AAP updates guideline for diagnosis and management. American Family Physician, 102(1), 58–60.Wolraich, M. L., Hagan, J. F., Allan, C., Chan, E., Davison, D., Earls, M., Evans, S. W., Flinn, S. K., Froehlich, T., Frost, J., Holbrook, J. R., Lehmann, C. U., Lessin, H. R., Okechukwu, K., Pierce, K. L., Winner, J. D., & Zurhellen, W. (2019). Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 144(4), e20192528. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-2528Yeung, A., Ng, E., & Abi-Jaoude, E
- May 27, 202618 min
Debunking Four ADHD Parenting Myths
Ryan and Mike take on four of the loudest myths in Facebook ADHD parenting groups: pharmacogenetic ("cheek swab") testing for medication selection, the idea that every ADHD child needs one-to-one talk therapy, the "everything is sensory" framing, and rejection sensitive dysphoria as a discrete diagnosis. For each one, they walk through what the actual research and clinical practice guidelines support — and what they don't.Find Mike @ www.grownowadhd.com & on IGFind Ryan @ www.adhddude.com & on Youtube{{chapters}}[00:00:00] Start[00:02:13] Myth 1: Genetic Panel Testing for ADHD Meds[00:04:25] Myth 2: Every ADHD Kid Needs Therapy[00:10:36] Myth 3: Everything Is Sensory[00:13:00] Myth 4: Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria[00:16:25] Closing: Research Over PopularityCITATIONS:American Academy of Pediatrics. (2019). Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 144(4), e20192528.Antshel, K. M., & Barkley, R. A. (2020). Psychosocial interventions in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 29(3), 499–519.Barkley, R. A. (2013). Distinguishing sluggish cognitive tempo from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adults. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 122(4), 978–990.Barkley, R. A. (2015). Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A handbook for diagnosis and treatment (4th ed.). Guilford Press.Barkley, R. A. (2020). Taking charge of ADHD (4th ed.). Guilford Press.Doffer, M., et al. (2023). Behavioral parent training for children with ADHD: Long-term outcomes and effectiveness. Journal of Attention Disorders, 27(5), 1–14. (Note: verify exact pages for final)Evans, S. W., Owens, J. S., & Bunford, N. (2014). Evidence-based psychosocial treatments for children and adolescents with ADHD. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 43(4), 527–551.Luman, M., Tripp, G., & Scheres, A. (2010). Identifying the neurobiology of altered reinforcement sensitivity in ADHD. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 34(5), 744–754.Pinquart, M. (2017). Associations of parenting dimensions and styles with externalizing problems of children and adolescents: An updated meta-analysis. Developmental Psychology, 53(5), 873–932.Sibley, M. H. (2021). Annual research review: Defining and treating ADHD in adolescents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 62(6), 706–724.Tripp, G., & Wickens, J. R. (2020). Neurobiology of ADHD. Neuropharmacology, 173, 108–127.
About The ADHD Parenting Podcast
The ADHD Parenting Podcast helps parents of children and teens with ADHD improve behavior, emotional regulation, executive function, and cooperation at home and school. Hosted by Ryan Wexelblatt, LCSW, founder of ADHD Dude, and Mike McLeod, SLP, executive function specialist and author of The Executive Function Playbook, each episode delivers practical, evidence-informed strategies for reducing conflict, strengthening routines, supporting school success, and helping kids with ADHD build independence and confidence.
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