Resources for Teens/Young Adults

A Bird's-Eye View of Life with ADD and ADHD  —  Best for: Teens with ADHD who want to feel understood

Written by a teen with ADHD and his mother, this firsthand account gives young readers an honest, relatable look at what it is actually like to live with ADHD. One of the few books written from a student's perspective rather than a parent's or clinician's.

ADHD Workbook for Teens  —  Best for: Teens with ADHD who learn by doing

An interactive, activity-based workbook designed to help teens build practical ADHD management skills — covering motivation, organization, emotional regulation, and social skills. Teens work through exercises at their own pace, making it ideal for use alongside coaching.

Executive Functioning Workbook for Teens  —  Best for: Teens who struggle with organization and follow-through

A hands-on workbook that helps teens who feel perpetually unprepared, overwhelmed, or disorganized build the specific executive function skills that school and life demand. Covers planning, time management, task initiation, and emotional regulation through structured exercises.

Focus & Thrive: Executive Functioning Strategies for Teens  —  Best for: High school students who feel scattered or overwhelmed

A practical, accessible guide to the executive function skills that determine whether a teen can manage the demands of school and daily life. Covers focus, organization, time management, and emotional regulation with concrete strategies teens can start using immediately.

How to Do It Now Because It's Not Going Away: An Expert Guide to Getting Stuff Done  —  Best for: Students and young adults who struggle with procrastination

A no-nonsense guide to overcoming task avoidance and chronic procrastination. Written by Leslie Josel of Order Out of Chaos, this book addresses the executive function roots of 'I'll do it later' thinking and offers practical systems for students who consistently fall behind despite genuine effort.

Learning Outside the Lines  —  Best for: College students with ADHD or learning differences

Written by two Ivy League graduates with learning disabilities and ADHD, this book offers a student-to-student guide to surviving and thriving in college with a non-traditional brain. It covers academic strategies, self-advocacy, disability services, and building confidence as a neurodiverse learner.

Overcoming Procrastination for Teens: A CBT Guide for College-Bound Students  —  Best for: Teens preparing for college who struggle with getting started

Uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques to help college-bound teens identify and break the thought patterns that drive procrastination. Addresses the emotional roots of avoidance — perfectionism, fear of failure, and overwhelm — with exercises teens can use on their own.

Six Super Skills for Executive Functioning  —  Best for: Teens who want to understand their executive function challenges

Teaches six core executive function skills — planning, organization, time management, task initiation, flexibility, and self-monitoring — through concrete, accessible tools and exercises. Written specifically for teens who want to understand and improve how their brain manages daily demands.

Smart but Scattered Teens  —  Best for: HS students and parents who want a structured EF skill-building approach

The teen-focused companion to the foundational Smart but Scattered series. Helps teens and their parents identify which specific executive function skills are weak and provides ready-made plans to strengthen them. Includes assessments and practical strategies for each EF skill area.

What Color Is Your Parachute? for Teens  —  Best for: Teens exploring college majors, careers, or life direction

Guides teens through self-discovery exercises to identify their strengths, values, and interests — and connects those findings to real-world career and college paths. A foundational career exploration tool that helps students approach the college search with self-knowledge rather than anxiety.

Postlight Reader  —  Best for: Students who get overwhelmed or distracted reading articles online

A free browser extension that strips away ads, sidebars, and visual noise from any webpage, leaving only the clean text. Dramatically reduces visual overwhelm for students with ADHD or reading challenges who struggle to stay focused on dense online content.

Beeline Reader  —  Best for: Students who lose their place or re-read lines frequently

Uses a color gradient that flows through text to help eyes track from line to line without losing place. Research-backed tool that meaningfully improves reading speed and reduces the visual fatigue that makes long reading assignments so difficult for students with ADHD or dyslexia.

Wisdolia  —  Best for: Students who want retrieval practice without the setup time

An AI-powered flashcard generator that instantly turns any document, PDF, or article into study flashcards. Eliminates the time and effort of creating cards manually — a significant barrier for students who know they should use spaced repetition but never get around to setting it up.

Glean  —  Best for: Students who struggle to listen and take notes simultaneously

Audio note-taking tool designed for students with ADHD, dyslexia, and learning differences. Records lectures while students take notes, then syncs the audio to specific notes so students can replay any moment they missed or didn't fully process. Widely used with disability accommodations.

Grammarly  —  Best for: Students who struggle with the mechanics of written expression

AI writing assistant that catches grammar, spelling, clarity, and tone issues in real time across any platform — email, Google Docs, essay submissions. For students with ADHD or dyslexia, Grammarly provides the external editing layer their working memory cannot reliably supply on its own.

Kurzweil Education  —  Best for: Students with dyslexia, reading challenges, or auditory learning preferences

Comprehensive text-to-speech and reading support tool used widely in K-12 and college disability services. Reads text aloud, highlights words as they are spoken, supports vocabulary building, and allows students to take notes while listening. One of the most powerful accessibility tools available.

Navigating College Strategies — Videos  —  Best for: Students preparing for or navigating the high school to college transition

A video series from Leslie Josel of Order Out of Chaos specifically addressing the executive function demands of the college transition — systems for managing deadlines, dorm organization, time management without parental reminders, and navigating the college academic environment.

Study Skills Videos  —  Best for: Students who study hard but aren't seeing results

A video-based study skills program that teaches students the specific techniques behind effective studying — retrieval practice, spaced repetition, note reorganization, and test preparation strategies. Accessible and practical for students who have never been explicitly taught how to study.

ADHD Daily Helper Cards  —  Best for: Students who need tangible, daily reminders to stay on track

Physical or digital prompt cards that provide structured daily reminders for students with ADHD — covering morning routines, homework habits, time management cues, and emotional regulation strategies. Useful as an external scaffold while students internalize these routines.

The CBT Deck: 101 Practices to Improve Thoughts, Be in the Moment and Take Action  —  Best for: Students dealing with anxiety, negative self-talk, or avoidance

A deck of 101 evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) practices presented as cards students can draw from when struggling with anxious thoughts, procrastination, or emotional overwhelm. The card format is particularly accessible for students who find books hard to follow through on.

Executive Functioning Mindset Cards  —  Best for: Students working on building EF skills and self-awareness

Prompt cards designed to build executive function awareness and habits — each card focuses on a specific EF skill and provides a brief strategy or reflection. Useful as conversation starters in coaching sessions and as daily reminders for students building new cognitive habits.

How to ADHD — YouTube  —  Best for: All students and young adults with ADHD

Jessica McCabe's award-winning YouTube channel — 1.9 million subscribers and counting. Short, animated, research-backed videos on every aspect of ADHD life: focus, emotional regulation, procrastination, relationships, and college. The most recommended ADHD resource by clinicians and coaches. Start here.

Teen Health: ADHD — KidsHealth.org  —  Best for: Teens who are newly diagnosed or exploring what ADHD means for them

KidsHealth.org's teen-facing ADHD resource — medically reviewed, plainly written, and specifically designed for teens rather than parents or clinicians. Covers what ADHD is, how it affects school and social life, and how to get support. A good first stop for teens newly navigating a diagnosis.

Why Procrastinators Procrastinate — Tim Urban (Wait But Why)  —  Best for: Any student who has ever said 'I know I should start, but I just can't'

One of the most widely shared articles ever written about procrastination — uses humor and illustration to explain the brain science behind avoidance in a way that makes students feel understood rather than judged. The 'Instant Gratification Monkey' framework is something clients reference long after reading it.

Dopamine Dispatch — Blog (Divergent Coach Kelly)  —  Best for: Teens and young adults who want to understand the neuroscience of ADHD

A Substack newsletter and blog by an ADHD coach focused on dopamine, motivation, and the neuroscience behind why ADHD brains work the way they do. Written in plain, relatable language for adults and older teens who want to understand their brain rather than just manage symptoms.

How to ADHD — Instagram  —  Best for: Students and young adults with ADHD

The Instagram companion to Jessica McCabe's YouTube channel. Research-backed infographics, short videos, and relatable content on ADHD life — all clinically accurate. One of the few social media ADHD accounts where the science matches the storytelling.

Kelly Baums — Instagram  —  Best for: Young adults with ADHD seeking practical strategies and community

ADHD coach and advocate sharing relatable content on executive function, self-compassion, and building systems that actually work for neurodivergent brains. Warm, practical, and specifically aimed at young adults navigating school and early career with ADHD.