Resources for Parents

Literature

  • 8 Keys to Parenting Children with ADHD — Cindy Goldrich  —  Best for: Parents of children ages 6–18 with ADHD

    Dr. Cindy Goldrich's evidence-based guide for parents, drawing on 25 years of counseling experience. Eight practical frameworks for improving communication, reducing conflict, and building the skills your child needs — without the power struggles that so often derail ADHD parenting. Highly readable and immediately applicable.

  • A New Understanding of ADHD in Children and Adults — Thomas E. Brown, PhD  —  Best for: Parents who want a deep clinical understanding of ADHD and EF

    Dr. Thomas Brown reframes ADHD as a disorder of executive function and emotional regulation rather than simply an attention problem. One of the most important books for parents who want to understand why their child 'can focus when interested' but not when required — and what that means for support.

  • Cognitive Connections: Time Tracker Books  —  Best for: Parents of students who chronically underestimate time and miss deadlines

    A practical resource for building time awareness and management skills in students who struggle with time blindness — one of the most common and most disruptive ADHD challenges. The Time Tracker series provides concrete, visual tools for making time tangible for students who cannot reliably estimate or track it.

  • Effective Parenting for the Hard to Manage Child — Georgia DeGangi & Anne Kendall  —  Best for: Parents of emotionally intense or oppositional children

    A therapist-authored guide for parents of children who are emotionally intense, oppositional, or difficult to reach. Addresses the sensory and regulatory roots of challenging behavior and provides techniques for reducing conflict and building connection — essential reading for parents of kids with ADHD and co-occurring challenges.

  • The Executive Function Playbook: Building Independence in Kids with ADHD  —  Best for: Parents actively working on building their child's independence

    A recently published, highly practical guide to building executive function independence in children with ADHD — covering the specific strategies parents can use at home to reduce dependence on reminders and scaffolding, and gradually hand the management systems over to their child.

  • The Executive Function Playbook in Action  —  Best for: Parents who want a structured, activity-based approach

    The companion workbook to The Executive Function Playbook — filled with exercises, activities, and practical tools parents and children can work through together. Particularly useful for families who want hands-on, structured skill-building rather than reading alone.

  • From Chaos to Calm — Janet Heininger & Sharon Weiss  —  Best for: Parents who feel overwhelmed by the day-to-day demands of ADHD parenting

    A warm, practical guide for parents navigating the daily chaos of raising a child with ADHD. Covers routines, homework battles, sibling dynamics, school communication, and the emotional toll on parents themselves — all with a tone that is compassionate rather than prescriptive.

  • Late, Lost & Unprepared: A Parent's Guide to Helping Children with Executive Functioning  —  Best for: Parents who want a thorough, practical guide to EF challenges

    One of the most comprehensive and accessible guides to executive function for parents — explains the full range of EF skills, why they develop differently in some children, and how parents can support skill-building without creating dependence. A standard reference in the EF coaching field.

  • The Myth of Laziness — Mel Levine, MD  —  Best for: Parents whose child has been labeled lazy, unmotivated, or difficult

    Dr. Mel Levine argues compellingly that what looks like laziness in children is almost always an output failure — a breakdown in the systems required to produce work, not a lack of effort or character. A paradigm-shifting read for parents who have been told (or believe) that their child 'just isn't trying.

  • Parenting ADHD Now — Elaine Taylor-Klaus & Diane Dempster  —  Best for: Parents who want a coaching-based, strengths-focused approach

    From the founders of ImpactADHD, this book provides a coaching-based approach to parenting children with ADHD — focused on building the parent's skills and mindset as much as the child's. Covers communication, motivation, school support, and the parent's own emotional regulation.

  • Parenting Teens with Love and Logic — Foster Cline & Jim Fay  —  Best for: Parents preparing their teen for greater independence

    The foundational guide to natural consequences and empowering adolescents to take ownership of their choices. Particularly useful for parents of students with ADHD who have difficulty transitioning from management to independence — Love and Logic provides the framework for doing so without rescuing or coercing.

  • Ready or Not, Here Life Comes — Mel Levine, MD  —  Best for: Parents of high school students and young adults

    Dr. Levine's essential guide to the work-life readiness skills that schools rarely teach — and that many young adults with ADHD are missing when they enter college or the workforce. A powerful framework for parents thinking about the gap between academic performance and real-world independence.

  • Smart but Scattered — Peg Dawson & Richard Guare  —  Best for: Parents of children ages 4–13 with EF challenges

    The foundational book in the executive function field for parents of children ages 4–13. Includes quizzes to assess your child's EF strengths and weaknesses, and detailed, ready-made plans for strengthening each skill area. One of the most practical EF resources available.

  • Smart but Scattered Teens — Peg Dawson & Richard Guare  —  Best for: Parents of high school students with EF challenges

    The teen-focused companion to Smart but Scattered. Addresses the specific EF challenges of adolescence — managing increased academic demands, growing independence, and the social complexity of high school — with the same assessment and skill-building framework as the original.

  • Smart but Scattered — and Stalled — Peg Dawson & Richard Guare  —  Best for: Parents of college-age and post-college young adults

    Specifically addresses the 18–25 age group — young adults who are intelligent and capable but struggling to launch independently. Covers goal-setting, career planning, life management, and how parents can support without enabling. The most directly relevant book for families navigating the college and post-college transition.

  • Smart but Stuck: Emotions in Teens and Adults with ADHD — Thomas E. Brown  —  Best for: Parents (and students) who need help understanding the emotional dimension of ADHD

    Uses real patient stories to illustrate the emotional regulation challenges that are often the most disabling aspect of ADHD — yet the least discussed. Covers shame, frustration, rejection sensitivity, and the cycle of underperformance that intelligent students with ADHD so often experience.

  • Taking Charge of ADHD — Russell Barkley, PhD  —  Best for: Parents who want the most comprehensive, research-based ADHD guide available

    The most authoritative guide to ADHD for parents — Dr. Russell Barkley is the leading ADHD researcher in the world, and this book synthesizes decades of research into practical guidance for parents. Covers diagnosis, medication, school support, behavior management, and long-term outcomes.

  • Teenagers with ADD, ADHD & Executive Function Deficits — Chris Zeigler Dendy  —  Best for: Parents of teenagers with ADHD — especially those preparing for college

    A comprehensive, parent-friendly guide to ADHD in teens — covering academics, social skills, driving, sleep, medication, and the college transition. Includes extensive guidance on working with schools and advocating for appropriate accommodations. One of the most practically useful books for parents of teens.

  • Your Kid's Gonna Be Okay — Michael Delman  —  Best for: Parents who want both reassurance and practical strategies

    An optimistic, evidence-based guide to building executive function skills in children with ADHD — grounded in neuroscience and full of practical strategies. Addresses the anxiety parents feel about their child's future and replaces it with a concrete, skill-building framework.

Videos

  • What Are Executive Function Skills? — Sean McCormick  —  Best for: Parents new to the concept of executive function

    A clear, accessible explanation of executive function skills from an EF coach — what they are, why they matter, and how they affect students at school and home. A good introductory video for parents who are new to the concept of executive function and want a quick, concrete overview.

  • What Is Executive Function? — YouTube  —  Best for: Parents wanting a brief, research-grounded EF overview

    A research-based video introduction to executive function — covering the core skills, why they develop differently in some students, and what the research says about supporting EF development. Useful as background context before a parent-teacher conference or coaching consultation.

Websites & Social Media

  • ADDitude Magazine  —  Best for: All parents navigating ADHD in school-age children or teens

    The leading ADHD publication — expert-reviewed articles, research summaries, school accommodation guides, webinars with top ADHD clinicians, and the most comprehensive free library of ADHD content available anywhere. Every parent of a student with ADHD should bookmark this.

  • Dr. Brown's ADHD Clinic — Resources  —  Best for: Parents who want deep clinical and research-based ADHD resources

    Dr. Thomas Brown's clinic resource page — one of the most respected ADHD clinicians in the world. Includes research summaries, videos, and clinical tools that help parents understand the executive function model of ADHD at a level of depth and accuracy rarely found outside academic settings.

  • Dr. Ned Hallowell — ADD/ADHD Resources  —  Best for: Parents who want a strengths-based, compassionate ADHD perspective

    Dr. Edward Hallowell's resource hub — author of Driven to Distraction and one of the most compassionate voices in ADHD medicine. Includes articles, podcasts, videos, and blog posts that consistently reframe ADHD as a set of strengths alongside challenges.

  • The Huberman Lab — ADHD Content  —  Best for: Parents who want neuroscience-level depth on ADHD and focus

    Dr. Andrew Huberman's neuroscience podcast episodes on ADHD — rigorous, detailed, and unusually accessible. Covers the neurobiology of attention, focus, dopamine, and the evidence base for various ADHD interventions. For parents who want to understand the brain science.

  • Order Out of Chaos — Leslie Josel  —  Best for: Parents and students who need practical organization and EF tools

    Leslie Josel's organization and executive function resource hub — practical tools, books, videos, and coaching resources for students and parents navigating academic chaos. Particularly strong on organization systems, time management, and the specific challenges of the college transition.

  • GrowNOW ADHD — Instagram  —  Best for: Parents of children and teens with ADHD

    An Instagram account focused on ADHD parenting — practical strategies, relatable content, and community for parents navigating the challenges of raising students with ADHD. Warm, supportive tone with actionable advice.

  • How to ADHD — Jeffrey Rice on Instagram  —  Best for: Parents and young adults with ADHD seeking practical coaching content

    ADHD coach and advocate sharing practical content for parents and adults navigating ADHD in school and work. Focuses on building real-world systems and the self-compassion needed to sustain them.