This post is sponsored by Johnson County Library.
When my son was diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in third grade, I turned to books as I often do to understand my new reality. I had to learn new ways of parenting because everything I had learned about being a good parent didn’t really work.
Parent training and understanding is powerful in shaping a kid’s perspective on harnessing their ADHD into a super power. Below is a list of books for both parents of ADHD kids as well as books just for kids.
Books for Parents with ADHD Kids
Taking Charge of ADHD
Richard Barkley is the authority when it comes to understanding diagnosis, treatment and parenting kids with ADHD. As he explains, ADHD is actually a disorder of self-regulation and the executive functioning. His book, Taking Charge of ADHD, is a great starting point along with is companion book with parenting tips, 12 Principles for Raising a Child with ADHD.
The Whole Brained Child
While this book isn’t specifically for ADHD parenting, The Whole Brained Child by Daniel Siegel offers helpful strategies for helping your kids emotionally and intellectually. The author talks about engaging your kids left and right brain as well as upstairs (executive functioning) and downstairs (emotions) when considering your approach to discipline and guidance.
ADHD is Awesome
The Holderness Family is famous for their honest and hilarious videos on parenting but Penn Holderness wrote this book on what it’s actually like to live with an ADHD brain. He gives a light hearted approach to tackling the big challenges of ADHD. Bonus: it comes with ADHD bingo cards!
The Explosive Child
Kids with ADHD often have BIG emotions and don’t respond to traditional parenting techniques. Our therapist explained to us early on that the biggest shift to help our ADHD kids was a change in parenting style. The Explosive Child by Ross Greene gives techniques to build your kid’s skills in flexibility, frustration tolerance, problems solving and more, ultimately leading to less meltdowns.
Smart but Scattered Teens
Parenting ADHD teens is its own beast that feels like endless micromanaging and ineffective consequences! Smart but Scattered Teens by Richard Guare and Peg Dawson helps give ideas for building your teen’s executive functioning necessary for this age but also building towards adulthood and independence. It includes printable worksheets.
Books for Kids with ADHD
Dog Man Series
Author Dav Pilkey, author of the Dog Man graphic novel series, often shares about his ADHD experience and how he channeled it to be his super power. His main character is a reflect his own experiences with ADHD and the series even includes a character named 80-HD.
Percy Jackson Series
This series by Rick Riordan is a favorite of my teen, who also loves Greek mythology. Percy Jackson’s ADHD gives him poweful abilities that aid his quests like heightened reflexes and a deep understanding of mythology. Percy’s ADHD is seen as a positive and strength rather than something to hide. There are several series within Percy Jackson’s realm so lots of reading time!
