Everyone Gets a Juice Box: For Parents of Neurodivergent Kids

We didn’t know we had ADHD. Then motherhood hit.

Two experts in ADHD went decades without realizing they had it themselves. Katie Severson, a speech pathologist, and Lori Long, a child psychologist, co-run The Childhood Collective and host the Shining With ADHD podcast. But both received their own ADHD diagnoses only after becoming mothers. They talk about late diagnosis, the shame that came before it, and how it shapes their parenting.   For more on this topic * Listen: Shining With ADHD [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shining-with-adhd-by-the-childhood-collective/id1669863601] * Watch: I’m an ADHD expert. My kid still can’t get help. [https://youtu.be/6v6_xDUazDE?si=tf0WeXM70GbKoVcy] For a transcript and more resources, visit Everyone Gets a Juice Box on Understood.org [https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/everyone-gets-a-juice-box/adhd-late-diagnosis-parenting]. You can also email us at podcast@understood.org [podcast@understood.org]. Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give [https://www.understood.org/en/donate?sc=EGAJB0126AUD&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=fundraising-agn-aud-egajb&utm_content=episode] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I’m an ADHD expert. My kid still can’t get help.

Rae Jacobson has spent her career covering ADHD and neurodivergence. She hosts the Hyperfocus podcast and helps lead Understood’s editorial team. But even with all that knowledge, she still can’t get the school to evaluate her daughter for an IEP. Here’s how she’s supporting her daughter while they wait for school services. For more on this topic  * Listen: The Hyperfocus podcast with Rae Jacobson [https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/hyperfocus] * Watch: When “fine” isn’t fine: Kids fall apart at home for a reason [https://youtu.be/sd7F0DktTkk?si=yQ9vvK96F7HyIB6l] For a transcript and more resources, visit Everyone Gets a Juice Box [https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/everyone-gets-a-juice-box] on Understood.org. You can also email us at podcast@understood.org. Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give [https://www.understood.org/en/donate?sc=EGAJB0126AUD&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=fundraising-agn-aud-egajb&utm_content=episode] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The hidden grief of parenting a neurodivergent kid

Brittney Crabtree, mom of four and co-host of the Moms Talk Autism podcast, gets refreshingly honest about what she calls “grieving the gap.” That’s the particular sadness of watching your neurodivergent kid fall behind their peers. She talks about building a “friendship portfolio,” vetting safe people to open up to, and why actually feeling your feelings is the best strategy. For more on this topic * Listen: Moms Talk Autism [https://www.momstalkautism.com/] * Watch: Parenting regrets and giving yourself grace after ADHD and autism diagnoses [https://youtu.be/Nhob4Q7wDvc?si=8G3Y5kLWQOECoe9T] For a transcript and more resources, visit Everyone Gets a Juice Box on Understood.org [https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/everyone-gets-a-juice-box/adhd-grief-parenting]. You can also email us at podcast@understood.org [podcast@understood.org]. Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give [https://www.understood.org/en/donate?sc=EGAJB0126AUD&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=fundraising-agn-aud-egajb&utm_content=episode] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Debbie Reber on homeschooling a neurodivergent kid

Debbie Reber tried everything to make traditional schools work for her neurodivergent kid. Three schools. An IEP. Therapists. OTs. Educational consultants. But homeschooling? That was a hard pass.  Then her husband got a job offer on another continent and her options got very small, very fast. What followed was six years she never planned for — and wouldn’t trade for anything. For more on this topic  * Listen: Full-Tilt Parenting [https://tiltparenting.com/podcast-about-children-with-learning-disabilities/] (Debbie’s podcast) * Read: Homeschooling kids who learn and think differently [https://www.understood.org/en/articles/the-pros-and-cons-of-homeschooling] * Watch: The myth of work-life balance with a neurodivergent child [https://youtu.be/f4CfwvSeCKE?si=FS_6sCSEeMvjudM_] For a transcript and more resources, visit Everyone Gets a Juice Box on Understood.org [https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/everyone-gets-a-juice-box/debbie-reber-homeschool]. You can also email us at podcast@understood.org [podcast@understood.org]. Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give [https://www.understood.org/en/donate?sc=EGAJB0126AUD&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=fundraising-agn-aud-egajb&utm_content=episode] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Parenting with ADHD: Balancing chaos and consistency

Parenting is hard. But parenting with ADHD adds a whole new layer of complexity.  In this episode, journalist and documentarian Danielle Elliot shares her experience as a single mom navigating routines, decision-making, and the small daily choices that shape a child’s world.  From sleep training to following her love of travel, Danielle is learning to embrace her own neurodivergence — and discovering how it can fuel both challenges and strengths in her parenting.  For more on this topic * Listen: Climbing the Walls [https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/climbing-the-walls] (Danielle’s podcast) * Listen: ADHD and parenting fails [https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/missunderstood/adhd-women-parenting-fails] * Watch: My experience with ADHD and parenting [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqGcNez5TzE] * Listen: ADHD runs in the family [https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/adhd-aha/adhd-runs-in-family-mother-son] For a transcript and more resources, visit Everyone Gets a Juice Box on Understood.org [https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/everyone-gets-a-juice-box/parenting-with-adhd]. You can also email us at podcast@understood.org [podcast@understood.org]. Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give [https://www.understood.org/en/donate?sc=EGAJB0126AUD&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=fundraising-agn-aud-egajb&utm_content=episode] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.