A few years ago, our lives were turned upside-down when our second daughter (the first one in our family to get an assessment) received a ADHD diagnosis.
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Although it wasn’t a huge surprise to us, her diagnosis was like being handed a pair of 3-D glasses. Suddenly things looked completely different for our family, and we had to learn how to view things through those new glasses.
I immediately began reading and researching information to help me understand how best to help our daughter.
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That research led to three more ADHD diagnoses in our family- my husband, oldest daughter, and oldest son all qualified. Since that time I have read/ found so many excellent ADHD resources. Here are the ones I keep returning to when I have questions or need ideas.
@dinkumtribe 3 of my favorite ADHD resources. #adhdfamilylife #adhdfamilyissues #adhdfamilies #dinkumtribe_adhd #adhdparentquestions #adhdsupports #adhdresources #adhdteenager #adhdfamilytravel ♬ original sound – dinkumtribe
1. Driven To Distraction (book) by Hallowell and Ratey.
Driven to Distraction is a classic, and for good reason. It gives an excellent overview of the major impacts ADHD can have in various ages and stages of life.
I read this first in college for my thesis paper, and it gave me enough information to understand that ADHD is not simply a behavior choice—it is a brain difference.
“ADHD is not simply a behavior choice—it is a brain difference.”
-Jenn Warren
Dr. Hallowell gives descriptions of various patients he worked with and what their ADHD symptoms were, as well as describing the challenges they had over the course of their lives.
His examples gave me the illustrations I needed to conclude that my husband likely also had ADHD— which we then confirmed through my husband’s doctor.
Driven to Distraction is a worthwhile read for anyone who wants to get a clear understanding of what ADHD looks like, and the basic methods for coping with the challenges of ADHD. There is a follow-up book, Delivered from Distraction, which I have not yet read but is on my “to-read” list.
2. Attention, Girls! A Guide to Learn All About Your AD/HD (book) by Dr. Quinn
I bought Attention, Girls! for my 2 girls after their ADHD diagnoses. Dr. Quinn does a great job at describing how ADHD shows up in different ways for different children.
She also talks about medication, and how it can be a help. In Part 3 she goes into some of the common challenges that girls with ADHD tend to experience.
From my perspective as a non-ADHD adult, it seems thorough and understandable.
The difficulty, of course, is getting your child with ADHD to actually read it! This book works well if your child tends to read things on her own with no assistance from you or if you read it together with your child.
My daughter said that what she found most helpful were the descriptions of behavior for different girls with ADHD. These gave her the understanding that some of her behaviors were not moral defects, but rather results of her neurodivergent (different) brain.
Since self-esteem can be greatly impacted by ADHD challenges, I was glad that this book helped her to see herself in a more positive light.
3. How to ADHD (YouTube channel) by Jessica McCabe
This is my personal favorite resource! Jessica has created many short videos where she talks about the challenges and solutions she has faced as a young adult with ADHD.
My girls both appreciated hearing about ADHD from Jessica, and have picked up so many useful tips.
I enjoy watching the videos as well, and I appreciate her sometimes silly, sometimes serious, perspective on life with ADHD.
Not all the videos are appropriate for young teens—she has a few about dating and sex that are further ahead than my kids are ready for. Seeing her as a successful YouTuber has been inspirational for my girls as well.
4. The Holderness Family (YouTube channels)
Okay, they are not technically an ADHD resource, since their channel is 99% about making people laugh through hilarious parodies and general funnies of family life. However, the husband, Penn, has ADHD and has done a few videos talking about ADHD life hacks.
He also has videos where he and his wife poke fun at the challenges of married couples when one has ADHD and the other does not.
There are two channels- The Holderness Family, and the Holderness Family Vlog. I include them here because my husband and I have found their videos incredibly validating of our daily struggles. My kids have loved seeing another adult with ADHD who is rocking it!
5. ADDitudemag.com (magazine/ blog subscription)
I signed up for this free magazine/ newsletter, and it is probably the only subscription I have never regretted. There are so many blog posts and articles on every possible ADHD topic!
It’s my go-to site when I have a specific question I am trying to get answered, such as
- homeschooling with ADHD;
- navigating marital issues between ADHD and non-ADHD spouses;
- co-morbidities that often show up with ADHD (a co-morbidity is another diagnosis that occurs with, but is not necessarily connected to, the first diagnosis, eg. anxiety or depression occurring with ADHD).
I love that the e-zine comes straight to my inbox, and I can quickly scan the topics to see if there’s something relevant to me today. They also offer free webinars and lots of free resources to help with ADHD.
Did I mention FREE? Worth it.
6. Hacking Your ADHD with William Curb (podcast)
This is my oldest daughter’s favorite resource, so I let her write the review:
“Heyo, Rook here, with my first ever review of anything. I’m reviewing “Hacking Your ADHD, with William Curb”. This podcast is a part of the ADHD reWired company/group/thing, and it is my favorite podcast to listen to.
You see, I have ADHD, and I went undiagnosed for 12 years, so not only am I still learning about my ADHD, I’m also learning how to handle it in healthy ways.
This podcast is truly helpful for me because not only can I learn about my ADHD and how to better manage it, I also can learn to understand it. This is good for me and the three other ADHDers in our family, because then I can understand them better, and avoid getting mad at them as often.
William Curb’s podcast is high-quality, informative, and realistic. It’s also very fun to listen to, as it is both humorous and helpful.
The host, William Curb, has ADHD. In this podcast he focuses on trying to find tactics and solutions for working with his ADHD and shares them.
He studies and talks on subjects such as: why we have such a hard time doing seemingly simple tasks; what causes us to procrastinate; planning and goal setting (which, let me tell you, might not sound good, but it is, at least on this podcast).
He also talks about how we can use our ADHD brains to thrive in the relatively neurotypical society we live in.
Honest, relatable
He’s very honest about ADHD—he points out the difficulties of doing things and some of the problems we have, as well as when he makes a mistake due to his ADHD. But he goes through why we do those things, and he doesn’t sit there dwelling on it unless it’s necessary.
I like to listen to this podcast when I’m doing chores because I can learn about my ADHD while I’m working and engage my brain.
I also have a sense of accountability, so I’m less likely to stare around at the ceiling for an hour thinking about the lifespans of animals in the Amazon rainforest, and how many packages Amazon ships out a day…
Additionally, to add to all this amazingness, he has a dad joke at the end of every episode! And not just your father’s dad jokes—no, these are quality dad jokes. They make me laugh (and admittedly I laugh at a lot of things, but usually not dad jokes), so they’re really good.
I like to listen to this podcast when I’m doing chores because I can learn about my ADHD while I’m working and engage my brain, but I also have a sense of accountability, so I’m less likely to stare around at the ceiling for an hour thinking about the lifespans of animals in the Amazon rainforest and how many packages Amazon ships out a day…
-Rook, a teen with ADHD
Some caveats
The podcast does have a bad word in it every so often, but there is typically no swearing so I still like it. It’s definitely geared toward adults, although teens can get good information out of it too.
I wouldn’t play it for younger children (mainly because they probably wouldn’t understand it and they would also get bored). It comes out every Monday, and is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
For all other information, feel free to refer to the podcast website, https://www.hackingyouradhd.com .”
–Rook, a teen with ADHD
7. ADHD 2.0 by Hallowell and Ratey (book or audiobook)
Dr.s Hallowell and Ratey have done it again! ADHD 2.0 is short, to the point, and sums up their 20+ years of research and working with people who have ADHD.
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Designed to be read by those who have ADHD, as well as those who want to help them, this book is a MUST for anyone working with or impacted by ADHD.
8.+ ADHD TikTok creators (video)
TikTok is an excellent resource for tips, hacks, and life experiences for those who have ADHD. I follow several accounts that specifically talk about neurodivergence (ADHD, autism, and more).
I’ve learned so much from other adults who are living with ADHD! Dr. Hallowell has a TikTok account, and it’s one of my favorite ADHD resources.
Two other ADHD accounts I have found helpful are Coby Watts and ADHDoers. Coby Watts does a lot of funny skits and relatable content for ADHD adults. ADHDoers is great because they create animated skits that inform and entertain. ADHD resources like these help me understand what’s going on in the brains of my husband, kids and other friends with ADHD.
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We have created many ADHD resources for parents learning how to help their ADHD kids. Come follow us on TikTok, Pinterest, or YouTube to see what we’re learning and sharing!
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Helpful and Encouraging ADHD Resources
Learning about my ADHD kids and husband has been a rich and rewarding experience overall. We have found these ADHD resources to be great for keeping a positive attitude, while still acknowledging the challenges it presents to our family relationships.
We’d love to hear form you about which resources you found most helpful in understanding ADHD- drop them in the comments!
© Copyright 2021 Jennifer D. Warren and Dinkum Tribe. First published: November 2, 2021. Updated and expanded: October 1, 2022.
These are some wonderful resources for parents, thank you for sharing! I have an autistic toddler so I always appreciate these types of informational articles 🙂
Glad you found it helpful!
This is an amazing comprehensive set of great resources! I’m going to bookmark this to return to. It seems like some of these tips would be helpful even if you don’t have ADHD!
Definitely. We often apply what we learn across the board with all our kids, simply because it doesn’t hurt to add MORE support to any child.
Thank you for sharing helpful resources with us through the journey you and your family have gone through and are on.
Thank you for sharing in our journey!
Nice post 🙂
Quite informative post with helpful resources. I was totally unaware of these facts. Thanks for sharing. I am sure many will get help from this post of ADHD.
I sure hope so! Thanks for your feedback!
This is an amazing collection of resources. Thanks for compiling it!
these are all helpful , thanks for the compilatiobln
Thanks for reading!
What an extensive list of ADHD resources! These are perfect for anyone who’s looking to learn more. I love that there’s a mix of things for parents and kids! Everything from books to videos! You’ve got it covered. Great job mama!
Thank you!
WOW…what a great list of resources for ADHD! I am glad to see that your daughter was able to get some help from the Attention Girls book. Self-esteem is so very important for children to learn at an early age…I’m glad this was able to help her out!
Indeed, self-esteem issues tend to occur with ADHD, and get worse the longer it is left undiagnosed and unsupported.
Great resources! My boyfriend has ADHD and I will definitely send him this.
Thanks for sharing!
Great Resources! Loved the videos and your explanation was spot on. The “hidden disabilities” are many times harder to deal with than the physical ones. We have both in our family and the mental or “hidden” ones are more difficult for others to understand. Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely agree – hidden disabilities and mental health type issues come with an unseen burden.
This is an amazing collection of ADHD resources for parents who don’t know where to start. I’m sure many people will find this super helpful!
Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you so much for this article! As a teacher this is so valuable as well.
Oh good, I’m so glad it’s helpful!
Thank you for sharing your experiences in your home. I appreciate your vulnerability and your perseverance to impart knowledge. Fantastic resource right here!
Thanks for stopping by!