Trouble with skill-building for ADHD? Here’s help
02/27/25 • 26 min
Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now.
For kids who struggle with ADHD, building skills like executive function and self-advocacy can be difficult.
In this episode of In It, hosts Gretchen Vierstra and Rachel Bozek welcome Dr. Andy Kahn. Andy is a licensed psychologist and the associate director of behavior change and expertise here at Understood. He’s also the host of the podcast Parenting Behavior with Dr. Andy Kahn.
Andy discusses why skill-building is important for kids with ADHD. He also shares many ways families can help.
Related resources
- Understanding impulsivity in kids
- The 3 areas of executive function
- ADHD medication shortages: 8 ways to cope
- Listen: Talking through social struggles
- Listen: The power of self-advocacy for kids at IEP and 504 meetings
Timestamps
(1:27) Reasons why some kids do not take meds
(3:42) Areas where skill-building can help kids with ADHD
(5:33) Skill-building for executive function
(10:38) Skill-building for social situations
(15:40) Skill-building for impulsivity
(19:25) Understanding and working on self-advocacy
(23:00) The connection between access to medication and skill-building
For a transcript of this episode and more resources, visit the In It page on Understood.
We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].
Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give
Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now.
For kids who struggle with ADHD, building skills like executive function and self-advocacy can be difficult.
In this episode of In It, hosts Gretchen Vierstra and Rachel Bozek welcome Dr. Andy Kahn. Andy is a licensed psychologist and the associate director of behavior change and expertise here at Understood. He’s also the host of the podcast Parenting Behavior with Dr. Andy Kahn.
Andy discusses why skill-building is important for kids with ADHD. He also shares many ways families can help.
Related resources
- Understanding impulsivity in kids
- The 3 areas of executive function
- ADHD medication shortages: 8 ways to cope
- Listen: Talking through social struggles
- Listen: The power of self-advocacy for kids at IEP and 504 meetings
Timestamps
(1:27) Reasons why some kids do not take meds
(3:42) Areas where skill-building can help kids with ADHD
(5:33) Skill-building for executive function
(10:38) Skill-building for social situations
(15:40) Skill-building for impulsivity
(19:25) Understanding and working on self-advocacy
(23:00) The connection between access to medication and skill-building
For a transcript of this episode and more resources, visit the In It page on Understood.
We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].
Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give
Previous Episode
Have a struggling reader? Try these tips
Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now.
What makes learning to read difficult? And how does having dyslexia make it even more challenging?
In this episode of In It, hosts Gretchen Vierstra and Rachel Bozek welcome literacy expert Louise Baigelman. A former teacher, Louise is the co-founder and CEO of the literacy organization Storyshares. She explains why reading can be so challenging for kids who struggle with dyslexia, and shares tips and strategies to help.
Tune in to get Louise’s expert advice on how to help struggling readers.
Related resources
- 9 terms to know if your child has trouble with reading
- The difference between dyslexia and dyscalculia
- 9 free public library resources for your child (and you)
- What is explicit instruction?
- Listen: Dyslexia is more than mixing up letters
Timestamps
(1:08) Why reading is such a challenge for kids with dyslexia
(2:06) The meaning of explicit instruction
(2:37) Common reading struggles for kids with dyslexia
(4:18) Reasons learning to read gets harder as kids get older
(5:19) Ways to engage struggling readers
(8:14) How audiobooks can help
(12:16) The science of reading
(17:11) Activities to help support reading
(22:53) Next steps and tips for parents of struggling readers
For a transcript and more resources, visit the In It episode page on Understood.
We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].
Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give
Next Episode
Parenting’s a lot. Especially when you’re a lot
Join health and science journalist Danielle Elliot as she investigates the rise of women recently diagnosed with ADHD. Listen to Climbing the Walls now.
In this episode of In It, hosts Gretchen Vierstra and Rachel Bozek welcome parenting coach Mary Van Geffen. Mary offers online classes including a special one for moms of what she calls “spicy ones.” She also shares fun, funny, and relatable posts every day on Instagram.
Mary talks with Gretchen and Rachel about parenting spicy kids and how to know if you, too, are spicy. What does it mean to be spicy? Are you spicy? And what should you do about it?
Related resources
- Parenting tips when you and your child have ADHD
- Body doubling for ADHD: What it is and how it works
- 5 oddly specific ADHD strategies that help me work
- Listen: ADHD and: Parenting fails
- Listen: Double trouble: ADHD moms share what it’s like to parent kids with ADHD
- Mary Van Geffen: Parent Coach for the Spicy OnesTM
Timestamps
(1:10) Defining “spicy ones”
(4:41) Parents’ worries about themselves as parent
(7:36) What impacts children most
(8:59) Dealing with sensory overload as a parent
(16:51) Organization challenges for parents with ADHD
(18:55) Body doubling
For a transcript and more resources, visit the In It page on Understood.
We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at [email protected].
Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give
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