Her intense, restless son harnessed ADHD by climbing mountains (Michelle’s story)

Marc-André Leclerc was a skilled rock climber and alpinist who died at age 25 in the mountains of Alaska. He’s the subject of a Netflix documentary, The Alpinist. Marc-André was diagnosed with ADHD and written expression disorder as a child. Through climbing, he found an outlet for his intensity and hyperfocus — and his achievements were nothing short of extraordinary.

Marc-André's mother, Michelle Kuipers, homeschooled him and helped him learn to channel his ADHD. Michelle joins the show to talk about her son and her approach to parenting a child with ADHD. She shares how Marc-André would be more panicked about renewing a passport than about climbing mountains alone and without ropes.

Listen as Michelle describes Marc-André’s loving and generous spirit and how she wants her son to be remembered.
To find a transcript for this episode and more resources, visit the episode page at Understood. You can also download Wunder by Understood. This free app includes exercises that can help you track your child's behavior, look for patterns, and get personalized tips along the way.
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