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Support groups, forums, podcasts, apps, books, and magazines: There are plenty of resources available for adults, children, teens, and parents living with ADHD.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder.
It affects 11% of school-age children, and of this group, three-quarters grow up to be adults with ADHD. People with ADHD may have:
- trouble paying attention
- difficulties controlling impulsive behaviors
- excessive activity levels
Symptoms of ADHD can make it hard to function well in school, at work, or in social situations. Research shows that kids and teens often know they’re different from their peers, which can make them feel bad about themselves. Adults may feel the same.
Still, if you have ADHD, or you’re a parent or caregiver of a child with ADHD, there are plenty of resources available to help you learn about the condition and connect with others.
If you’re interested in a specific type of resource, you can click on the category to jump straight to that respective section:
Support groups and forums
Something to keep in mind
When it comes to most forums and online support groups on Facebook or other outlets, anyone can post. Advice given may not align with medical practices and could potentially be harmful. If you’re interested in trying something another user suggests, it’s advisable to speak with a healthcare or mental health professional first.
ADHD is different in adults, and it presents with its own set of challenges that can lead individuals to feel alone in their experience. In fact,
Although it has taken some time for adult ADHD to become more recognized in the therapeutic world, those living with ADHD have historically taken the initiative to form communities of peer support to connect with others who can relate, empathize, and provide advice.
For those who are newly diagnosed, these communities can also provide education and an understanding of treatment options.
Local Children and Adults with ADHD (CHADD) chapters
As the largest national support organization for ADHD, CHADD is a nonprofit organization that supports children and adults with ADHD with programs, conferences, and resources.
They offer a variety of resources, including support groups, called Affiliates. On CHADD’s website, you can search by state to find the closest group. The organization also offers a resource directory where you can search for professionals in your area who may know of other local support groups.
Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) member support groups
As a member of ADDA, you have access to a large variety of virtual peer support groups for adults. The groups are for readers from a range of backgrounds — from those who are just beginning to learn about their ADHD to those looking to connect with individuals that share their ethnic background or sexual preference.
Groups that focus on workplace issues or provide support for individuals that face unique pressures and stigmas due to their high IQ are also available.
ADDitude Magazine’s forum
With over 3,000 posts, ADDitude magazine’s forum is a place you can receive validation and answers from other people around the world. There are specific threads for adults, women and girls, as well as one for teens and young adults.
There are numerous Facebook groups where adults with ADHD can interact, seek advice, share stories, and sympathize. There are more general ones, like the ADDitude — ADHD Support Group and ADHD Diagnosed in Adulthood, and more specific ones, like the ADHD Meds Question & Support Group and ADHD Memes, that all boast thousands of members.
Although they claim to be the “front page of the Internet,” proceed with caution as all Reddit threads are moderated by volunteers.
However, the ADHD community has more than 1 million members and claims that their users “say they ‘feel at home’ and ‘finally found a place where people understand them.’”
This group encourages members to exchange “stories, struggles, and non-medication strategies,” and features weekly positivity threads.
Podcasts
Can’t sleep? Need to clean the house? Going on a walk? Podcasts are a great way to pass the time while also learning a bit about ADHD. Plenty of podcasts discussing life with ADHD are available — some hosted by experts and some not. A few of the expert-hosted podcasts include:
- ADHD 365 and All Things ADHD. CHADD’s two podcasts both address a variety of ADHD-related topics for people who have ADHD or are parenting a child with ADHD.
- ADDitude’s ADHD Experts Podcast. This podcast offers recordings of webinars in which leading ADHD experts answer questions and share their knowledge.
- ADHD reWired. This podcast is hosted by Eric Tivers, a psychotherapist, coach, and author who also has ADHD.
- Hacking Your ADHD. In his podcast, William Curb, who calls himself a “proud owner of an ADHD brain,” teaches techniques that can help others with the condition.
- Taking Control: The ADHD Podcast. With over 400 episodes to choose from, this podcast is hosted by ADHD coach and educator Nikki Kinzer. Kinzer has been helping people with ADHD for over a decade.
- Distraction with Dr. Ned Hallowell. The Distraction podcast is hosted by Dr. Edward Hallowell, ADHD expert, author, and psychiatrist.
Books, workbooks, audiobooks, and magazines
There are plenty of book resources for people with ADHD. If ADHD is making it difficult for you to focus on reading, most of the books below are available as audiobooks or audio CDs.
“A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD: Embrace Neurodiversity, Live Boldly, and Break Through Barriers”
- Written by: Sari Solden, Michelle Frank, and Ellen Littman
- Available as an audiobook
This guided workbook is designed to help women with ADHD break the cycle of negative self-talk and shame-based narratives. It uses a variety of treatment methods to help you “untangle yourself from the beliefs that have kept you from reaching your potential in life.”
Get “A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD” here.
“ADHD 2.0: New Science and Essential Strategies for Thriving with Distraction — from Childhood Through Adulthood”
- Written by: Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey
- Available as an audiobook
Hallowell and Ratey use the latest science to give individuals with ADHD strategies to create “a plan for minimizing the downside and maximizing the benefits of ADHD at any age.” The book may also be a valuable resource for parents of children with ADHD.
“Driven to Distraction (Revised): Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder”
- Written by: Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey
- Available as an audio CD
This is an older, yet still wildly popular book by Hallowell and Ratey that aims to share stories and “dispel common myths, offer helpful coping tools, and give a thorough accounting of all treatment options.” It also has tips for helping a child, partner, or family member with the condition. Additionally, the authors focus on the positive aspects of ADHD, like “high energy, intuitiveness, creativity, and enthusiasm.”
Get “Driven to Distraction” here.
“Taking Charge of Adult ADHD”
- Written by: Russell A. Barkley
- Available as an audiobook and audio CD
In this book, Barkley, a renowned ADHD researcher and clinician, offers “step-by-step strategies for managing symptoms and reducing their harmful impact.”
Get “Taking Charge of Adult ADHD” here.
Attention! Magazine
Published every other month by CHADD, the magazine is for both adults with ADHD and parents of children with ADHD. It provides practical information, clinical insights, and evidence-based strategies for managing ADHD.
ADDitude: Strategies and Support for ADHD and LD
Published quarterly, ADDitude is billed as “the magazine for living well with attention deficit and learning disabilities.” The magazine is both for adults with ADHD and parents of children with ADHD and covers topics like ADHD and learning disabilities, medication, therapies, and parenting children with ADHD.
Approximately
If you’re interested in a specific type of resource, you can click on the category to jump straight to that respective section:
Fidget items
For younger students who may not yet fully understand their ADHD, the best thing you can do is provide tools that help them function in the classroom, like fidget items.
New preliminary research is finally beginning to prove what many people with ADHD already knew: fidgeting improves concentration. When a child fidgets in their desk, the result is an increase in blood flow to the region of the brain that is responsible for executive decision-making. The result is an increase in attention and alertness.
But because wiggling around all day is a distraction to teachers and classmates, there are a number of discreet fidget items that can help your child in the classroom:
- Fidgets. There’s an endless supply of small moveable toys and puzzles, putty, tiny magnetic balls, bracelets, and soft balls for you and your child to choose from. Our best recommendation is a variety pack like these or these so your child won’t lose interest.
- Wobble cushions or wiggle seats. These provide children with a small amount of instability that requires them to discreetly keep moving to remain balanced. They come in smooth surfaces or with soft, plastic spikes.
- Chair bands. Have a leg swinger? These thick rubber bands allow your child to quietly move their legs under their desk without kicking or distracting any of their classmates.
Summer camps
Children with ADHD often know they’re different from their peers. These differences can feel isolating. But there are summer camps specifically designed for children with ADHD where they can connect with other children just like them and pick up a few essential skills along the way.
SOAR
With locations in North Carolina, Florida, Wyoming, California, and New York, SOAR sleepaway camps are outdoor adventure summer camps that help children with ADHD and learning differences “develop self-confidence, social skills and life skills.”
Ramapo
Located in Rhinebeck, New York, Camp Ramapo serves more than 500 children with special needs ages 6–16 years every summer. One of the hallmarks of their program is to help children build “essential conflict resolution skills.”
Their sleepaway camp offers three options: a general adventure program for all ages, a teen leadership program for ages 14–16 years, and a week-long introductory program for first-timers.
Summit
Summit Camp, for children ages 8–14 years, began in 1968. It offers a traditional sleepaway camp program for children and teens with learning and social challenges. The camp features a social skills development program and a program to improve executive functioning skills.
Their upper camp, called Super Teens, is for individuals ages 15–21 years old and focuses on vocational and personal development.
Local day programs
A variety of day camps are available around the country for children with ADHD or other special needs. A quick web search for “local ADHD day programs near me” may give you options in your area. Plus, if you’re a member of a local ADHD support group like a local CHADD chapter, people within the network may know of day programs close to you.
Podcasts
Podcasts specifically for kids and teens with ADHD are somewhat uncommon, but here are two that can help.
- Journey With Me Through ADHD: A Podcast for Kids. Not only will children with ADHD feel understood, but this encouraging podcast will “educate, empower, and encourage listeners to understand their uniquely wired, neurodivergent minds.”
- Mostly Mindful for Teens and Tweens. Mindfulness is an important skill for people with ADHD. This podcast is geared specifically toward tweens and teens, teaching them age-appropriate skills to help them better manage their stress.
Apps
There are numerous apps for children and teens with ADHD, each focusing on a different area. They can practice mindfulness or social skills, stay on task, or get help learning how to manage money.
- Stop, Breathe, and Think Kids. This is a mindfulness app specifically for kids that offers activities based on how they’re feeling.
- Headspace. Although this app was originally designed for adults, Headspace now offers meditations and activities specifically for kids.
- Conversation Planner. For children who have difficulties with social skills, this app is full of different social skills scenarios for kids. It’s designed with different “levels,” and kids must master a level before they can move on to the next.
- Rooster Money. Managing money can be a challenge for kids and teens with ADHD. This app teaches children and teens about money, beginning with charts when they’re little and moving to a payment card when they’re older so they can learn about responsible spending.
- Offtime. If your child has a smartphone, odds are it’s a source of distraction. When they need to focus on schoolwork or other projects, Offtime allows them (or you) to lock their phone during those times so they can’t be distracted.
- Choiceworks Calendar. This app is a picture-based calendar to help kids plan and follow a schedule. They can map out their days, weeks, or months based on pictures.
Books and workbooks
Getting your child or teen with ADHD to sit down with a book or workbook may be a challenge. But when you can, here are some books that can help them build the skills they need while celebrating the good features of ADHD.
“Me and My Feelings: A Kids’ Guide to Understanding and Expressing Themselves”
- Written by: Vanessa Green Allen
This book is designed to teach kids how to manage their big feelings, including the “hard ones like sadness, anxiety, or even fear.”
Get “Me and My Feelings” here.
“Thriving with ADHD Workbook for Kids: 60 Fun Activities to Help Children Self-Regulate, Focus, and Succeed”
- Written by: Kelli Miller
This activity book is full of exercises to help kids with everything from self-control and organization to getting tasks done and making friends. Its goal is to help kids “learn to reframe the way they think about ADHD as they discover their own unique talents.”
Get “Thriving with ADHD Workbook for Kids” here.
“Thriving with ADHD Workbook for Teens: Improve Focus, Get Organized, and Succeed”
- Written by: Allison Tyler
Similar to Miller’s book for younger children, the exercises in Allison Tyler’s book are designed for teens to gain the skills they need. The book’s goal is to provide them with “a better understanding of themselves, their ADHD, and the simple things they can do to feel more confident and in control.”
Get “Thriving with ADHD Workbook for Teens” here.
“Smart but Scattered Teens: The ‘Executive Skills’ Program for Helping Teens Reach Their Potential “
- Written by: Richard Guare, Peg Dawson, and Colin Guare
- Available as an audiobook and audio CD
Using a science-based program, this book encourages teens to become more independent by building their executive skills. While the book is written for parents, the activities are designed to help teens learn how to get organized, stay focused, and control impulses and emotions.
Parenting a child with ADHD can be difficult at times. Still, plenty of resources are available to help you and your children thrive.
If you’re interested in a specific type of resource, you can click on the category to jump straight to that respective section:
Support groups and forums
Something to keep in mind
When it comes to most forums and online support groups on Facebook or other outlets, anyone can post. Advice given may not align with medical practices and could potentially be harmful. If you’re interested in trying something another user suggests, it’s advisable to speak with a healthcare or mental health professional first.
ADHD Parents Together
CHADD’S ADHD Parents Together community has over 13,000 members. This peer-based group gives parents a supportive place to discuss all the ups and downs, and seek advice from others in the same boat.
ADDA Parent Support Group
Members of ADDA have access to the virtual parent support group. The group currently meets on Monday evenings at 8:00 p.m. EST. They offer parents the opportunity to connect with other parents who are facing similar challenges. Additionally, during each session, they provide helpful information on a variety of topics from social skills to executive functioning.
ADDitude Magazine’s forum
Though ADDitude magazine’s forum has plenty of posts for people with ADHD, they also have a specific thread for parents.
If you’re looking for support, sympathy, or advice, Facebook hosts numerous groups that are specifically focused on parenting children with ADHD. While most of these groups are private — so users can share confidential information about their children — they do accept new members.
Some groups are run by organizations, such as Understood’s ADHD parent support group and ADDitude’s ADHD Support Group for Parents, while others are managed by people, like the ADHD Parent Support (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), which has over 150,000 members. There are also groups geared toward specific genders, like Moms with ADHD/ADD kids, or specific phases of your child’s life, like the Parents of ADHD TEENS group.
Podcasts
- Parenting Your Challenging Child. This podcast from Dr. Ross Greene focuses on his Collaborative and Proactive Solutions approach to parenting. The majority of episodes are answering parent questions on his radio talk show.
- Tilt Parenting. In this podcast, you can listen to interviews with parenting experts, authors, psychologists, and educators that cover a variety of topics on how to raise kids with certain mental health conditions. Not every episode is directly related to ADHD, but parents will find a lot of relatable advice.
- Parenting ADHD Podcast with Penny Williams. Penny’s journey began when her son was diagnosed with ADHD. Since then she’s written books and hosts a successful podcast that has helped numerous parents.
Some of the podcasts mentioned in the section with resources for adults with ADHD may also offer valuable information for parents of children with ADHD, so it may be helpful to check out that section as well.
Books
There’s a large variety of books available for parents with children who have ADHD that focus on different strategies to help your children and your family. You may go through a few books before you find the strategy that’s right for you.
The resource section for adults with ADHD may have additional books and magazines that may be beneficial for parents of children with ADHD as well.
“Taking Charge of ADHD, Fourth Edition: The Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents”
- Written by: Russell Barkley
Now in its fourth edition, Barkley’s book incorporates updates that include information about health risks associated with ADHD, sibling issues, and the latest information on causes and medications. This book is designed to help parents understand why their kids act the way they do, how to work with schools, and how to help their child.
Get “Taking Charge of ADHD” here.
“The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children”
- Written by: Ross Greene
Based on neuroscience research, Greene explains why a child can experience such explosive behavior. He then walks readers through a different approach to managing their child’s behaviors that focuses on solving problems before the behaviors occur.
Get “The Explosive Child” here.
“Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary ‘Executive Skills’ Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential”
- Written by: Peg Dawson and Richard Guare
Many children with ADHD experience difficulties with executive skills. This book provides parents with steps to identify their child’s strengths and weaknesses. The authors also provide techniques to help children learn a specific skill and problem-solve daily routines.
Learning about ADHD and how to improve symptoms and difficulties with certain skills through books, magazines, and podcasts may help many people — adults, children, and teens with the condition, as well as parents.
But learning alone sometimes isn’t enough or may feel too daunting. Knowing that there are others going through a similar experience can make a big difference. Receiving empathy and advice can help you realize that you’re not the only one facing these challenges.
Support groups and forums can help people connect with others who are in a similar situation. For children and teens, summer camps or day programs are a great way to connect with other children with the condition and gain some of the skills they may have difficulties with in a supportive environment.
If you need additional help or support, it can be beneficial to look for mental health professionals in your area who specialize in treating ADHD.
ADHD can be challenging, but with the right resources, you or your children can overcome many of the obstacles you may face and live a fulfilling life.