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ADHD 101

I’m honored to share digestible and supportive mental health tips to the Evergreen Pediatric community and wanted to share a recent installation that I know my clients and their families may appreciate. The folioing is distilled from many years of study, clinical work and lived experience. I will continue to share the most up to…

Making Sense of the Information Jungle

I’m honored to share digestible and supportive mental health tips to the Evergreen Pediatric community and wanted to share a recent installation that I know my clients and their families may appreciate. The following is distilled from many years of study, clinical work and lived experience. I will continue to share the most up to date, research and evidence-based treatments and understanding of this whole-body and lifelong condition.

The Name “ADHD”

The name “ADHD” is somewhat of a misnomer. Some experts might prefer terms such as:

  • Motivation Disorder
  • Misdirection of Attention Disorder
  • Variable Attention Stimulus Trait
    “ADD” is the outdated term. The current diagnostic categories are:
  • ADHD, Combined Type
  • ADHD, Inattentive Type
  • ADHD, Hyperactive Type

What ADHD Is

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that interfere with daily functioning and development.

Signals from the autonomic nervous system can misfire, turning parasympathetic and sympathetic responses on and off irregularly, resulting in poor executive functioning.

Executive functioning involves all aspects of self-control, such as emotion regulation, body movement, and working memory.

ADHD makes it difficult to channel energy in response to environmental cues.
Hyperactivity may be externalized (e.g., inability to sit still) or internalized (e.g., rumination, difficulty concentrating).

ADHD Increases Susceptibility To

  • Anxiety and Depression (mood disorders)
  • Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
  • Substance Use Disorders
  • Learning Disorders

ADHD Is Not a Superpower — However:

  • People with ADHD often have high energy and motivation when channeled effectively.
  • Their lateral thinking allows them to manage multiple variables and see the big picture more clearly.
  • They can be strong problem-solvers once they self-soothe.
  • They often experience hyperfocus on topics of interest.
  • Many remain playful and childlike throughout life.
  • ADHD children are often highly sensitive, empathic, and attuned to injustice.

ADHD and Overall Health

Sleep: Sleep is often challenging; ADHD doesn’t stop when we sleep.
Eating habits: ADHD can affect eating patterns—forgetting to eat due to medication, indecision, or poor impulse control that leads to binge eating.

Hormonal changes: Puberty, PMS/PMDD, perimenopause, and menopause can dramatically influence the severity of ADHD symptoms, especially for girls and women.

Sample Behavioral Challenges Specific to ADHD

  • Emotional dysregulation: Irritability and low frustration tolerance often disproportionate to the situation.
  • Social challenges: Difficulty reading cues or engaging in impulsive, disruptive behavior.
  • Impulsivity: Acting without thinking, interrupting others.
  • Inattention: Losing things, being easily distracted.
  • Negative attention-seeking: Arguing or creating conflict as a maladaptive self-soothing strategy to mirror internal chaos.

Screening for ADHD

We live in an ADHD-ogenic society—lack of sleep, excessive screen time, and high caffeine intake can mimic ADHD symptoms. True ADHD, however, involves executive functioning challenges even with adequate sleep and reasonable screen use.
ADHD has a chronic impact on daily life.
Not everyone has access to a full battery of tests or costly evaluations. These are not always necessary if you can work closely with your pediatrician, an ADHD specialist, and your child’s school to rule out cognitive or learning disorders.
A thorough developmental and family history, along with interviews, assessments, and observations from a qualified provider, is often sufficient.

Parent/Caregiver Training — The First Line of Treatment

  • Understand how ADHD affects your child and learn how to create accommodations at home, school or work.
  • Structure and specificity is essential for ADHD brains—build it wherever possible.
  • Give specific directions and praise (e.g., “Good job putting your clothes away” vs. “Good job”).
  • Talk 85% less—concise and direct communication works best.
  • Emphasize strengths and catch them being good. ADHD kids hear “no” about 40% more than peers and need more positive reinforcement to build self-worth and compassion.
  • Collaborate with your child to ensure expectations match their executive functioning level and skillset. ADHD is not an excuse for poor behavior, but it requires appropriate scaffolding and skill-building.

Medication as a Tool

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