For parents whose kids have ADHD, I would tell them to be supportive of their child and to explain everything to them in a way they can understand.
Amy, 23
The ADHD Experience Journal is a collection of stories and personal experiences from patients and families about their experiences coping with pediatric Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
While it is normal to feel some emotional discomfort associated with reading the stories of children and parents describing their experiences with ADHD, we hope that families may learn from the stories of others facing similar experiences.
Please visit the Glossary to read definitions for words in bold. Visit our Resources page to learn more about parent and clinician recommended websites on pediatric ADHD.
Video Interviews:
- Interview with Michaela about ADHD
- Interview with Brianna about ADHD
- Interview with Mary Ann, Michaela and Brianna’s mother
Child & Adolescent Stories:
I think my resistance to accepting I had ADHD was a maturity thing.
James, 18
- The first signs
- My treatments and medications
- How it affects my family
- How it affects my friends
- How it affects me at school
- How it affects my future
- Advice for others
Caregiver Stories:
This has nothing to do with crazy, but everything to do with helping you put your best foot forward.
An Uncle’s advice
- The first signs of my child’s ADHD
- Getting the diagnosis
- My child’s treatments and medications
- How it affects our family
- How it affects my child with friends
- How it affects my child at school
- Systems of support for families
- Coping with ADHD and other diagnoses
- How it affects our teen’s future
- Challenges and rewards
- Advice for other families
- Words of wisdom from parents
Clinician Insights:
The clinician treating ADHD in a child needs to have a good alliance with the parent or guardian, the school, and with the patient, especially as the patient gets older.
Joseph Gonzalez-Heydrich, MD, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
- Our ADHD Experts
- Defining and diagnosing ADHD
- Co-morbid conditions
- Medications
- How we work with kids
- How we work with parents
- How we work with schools
- The importance of social skills training
- Challenges and rewards
- Advice from clinicians
A group of parents and health care providers reviewed all contributions for safety and appropriateness.The ADHD Experience Journal was created by the Boston Children’s Hospital Departments of Psychiatry, Developmental Medicine, and Neurology.
Editor’s note: Please keep in mind that every patient is different, and discussions of alternative treatments, complications, and timelines may not apply to you. Additionally, some families identify medications and treatments that work well for them. The Experience Journals do not endorse specific methods. Each individual is different, and we invite you to discuss treatments with your doctors and nurses to see if they are right for you.