55: Supporting Teens with ADHD with Carrie Jackson

Soaring Child: Thriving with ADHD

05/04/23 • 30 min

Do you have a teen or preteen with ADHD? If so, you do not want to miss this episode of the Soaring Child.

We are joined by Carrie Jackson, a PhD and a licensed child psychologist. Carrie is a speaker and an author, working in San Diego, California. She has published over 20 articles and book chapters related to parenting, ADHD, and defiance.

In this episode, discover common signs of ADHD in girls, tips for managing screen time with teens, tools and strategies to help teens be successful at home and at school, some of Carrie’s favorite apps to support teens with ADHD, and so much more!

Key Takeaways:

[2:47] Why Carrie began working with teens with ADHD

[5:15] Common signs of ADHD in girls

[7:37] Tools for working with teens with ADHD

[8:23] Screens & helpful apps

[11:51] Setting appropriate boundaries with screens

[13:08] Other activities outside of screens that teens can do

[15:07] Other tools for parents

[16:04] Self-esteem for teens with ADHD

[18:49] The impact of COVID-19 on mental health for teens

[20:07] Connection between ADHD and eating issues

[22:13] How parents can support their teens with school

[24:14] What Carrie wishes parents knew about ADHD

[25:58] Carrie's program for parents of teens

[27:06] Final tips

Memorable Quotes:

"Screen time use is a huge challenge for teens with ADHD...It's more about learning to work with it rather than against it."

"Teenagers with ADHD may do things more impulsively, including on social media and screens."

"Teenagers with ADHD can engage in more risky driving behaviors, and so, as a parent, to be able to monitor their safety, that's very important."

"What I recommend for parents is that you actually take a look at how your child and teenager are using their screens and to come up with other activities that they can do that are beneficial as well, outside of screens."

"Screens are not inherently bad, based on the amount of time you are using them, but it's just how are you using them?"

"Don't throw the kitchen sink at your teenager. Just look at, what are my child and teenager's biggest challenges right now, and then, how can I address that?"

"When kids and teenagers have more positive self-esteems, it's going to protect them from things like anxiety and depression, so they're going to have a higher quality of life."

"For teenagers with ADHD, they are often receiving more negative messages than those without ADHD."

"One of the things I love to include for teenagers is either mastery or leadership activities into their life."

"A big piece of teenager challenges around school is there is so much to organize and plan for...Parents can really support their kids in planning and organizing by helping them in the early stages of seeing what they have coming up over the upcoming month."

"It will get better, even though it is difficult right now."

"Finding your own support network is huge."

"It's not about you. You're not the problem, but you can be part of the solution."

How to Connect with Carrie Jackson

Website: https://iparentadhd.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.carriejackson/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.carriejackson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@the.parent.therapist

Dana Kay Resources:

Website: https://adhdthriveinstitute.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ADHDThriveInstitute/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adhdthriveinstitute/