Sleep, Why ADHD Brains Fight It and What Actually Helps

Sleep, Why ADHD Brains Fight It and What Actually Helps

You can't out-parent a child who can't sleep. This week: why sleep difficulty is biology, not bedtime discipline, why your ADHD kid genuinely isn't tired at bedtime, and the tools that actually move the needle. A note: this episode touches on sleep as a health need and mentions supplements and medical support in general terms. Nothing in this episode is medical advice. Please talk to your own medical team about what's right for your family. Research and Resources: ADHD as a circadian rhythm disorder [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41450833/](2025 research review): Sleep and ADHD, in plain language [https://drlewis.com/sleep-and-adhd/] (clinician overview): Never miss an episode: join the newsletter [https://masterclass.neilsonmahoneycoaching.com/behaviourcoachpodcast] When exhaustion is unraveling your days, the Meltdowns Mastery audio course [https://app.hiro.fm/channel/meltdown-mastery] can help you understand the whole cycle. Pay what you can (starting at just $5).

Sensory: The Invisible Driver Underneath It All

The sock was never the problem. This week we get into sensory processing in ADHD: the two senses nobody taught you about, why your kid crashes and chews and melts down over a tag, and what to do when you can't remove what's overwhelming them. Research and Resources: Sensory processing in ADHD (2025 systematic review & meta-analysis) [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890856725002096] The case for including sensory differences in ADHD diagnosis [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11095298/](open access) Never miss an episode: join the newsletter here [https://masterclass.neilsonmahoneycoaching.com/behaviourcoachpodcast] Follow me on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/behaviourcoach/] for more ADHD Parenting tips If sensory overwhelm tips your child into full meltdowns, the Meltdowns Mastery audio course [app.hiro.fm/channel/meltdown-mastery] walks through what's happening and what helps, before, during, and after. All of my ADHD courses are pay what you can starting at just $5.

Rhythms and Routines for ADHD: Make Life Predictable

If you have ever heard the word routine and felt a little bit of dread, this episode is for you. So many parents have tried to build a routine, hit resistance on day three, and decided routines just do not work for their family. In this episode, I offer a different way to think about predictability. The difference between a rhythm and a routine. Why structure paired with flexibility is the goal, not rigid schedules. The shift that changes everything when a piece of your routine has become a daily battle. And practical strategies for mornings, evenings, and after school that actually work for the ADHD brain. Plus the question every parent of an ADHD child needs to stop asking themselves, and the permission slip you might not realize you need. If you want to go deeper check out my audio course on hiro.fm Connect with me: Instagram: @behaviourcoach  Newsletter: neilsonmahoneycoaching.com/podcast

When Rejection Feels Like the End of the World

There is a symptom of ADHD that is not in the diagnostic manual, not on the official list, and yet adults consistently describe it as the most painful part of living with this brain. It is called rejection sensitivity, or RSD. In this episode, I explain what RSD actually is, why it is not the same thing as being overly sensitive, and what is happening in the ADHD nervous system that makes rejection land so much harder. You will hear about a child who tore up her homework after gentle feedback, a teen who blocked her closest friend on every platform over a single message, and the most powerful research backed strategy for moving through an RSD episode. Whether you are a parent watching your child fall apart over something small, or an adult who has spent a lifetime people pleasing and replaying conversations at 2 in the morning, this episode is for you. If you want to go deeper check out my audio course on Hiro.fm [https://app.hiro.fm/channel/meltdown-mastery] Connect with me: Instagram: @behaviourcoach  [https://www.instagram.com/behaviourcoach/] Subscribe to my newsletter [https://masterclass.neilsonmahoneycoaching.com/behaviourcoachpodcast]so you never miss an episode!

Why Friendships are Harder for ADHD Kids

Friendships might be the topic that carries the most emotional weight for ADHD parents. In this episode I talk about why friendships are genuinely harder for ADHD kids, why one-on-one friendships are often easier than groups, and why so many social struggles are not a deficit in your child but a translation challenge between different kinds of brains. I introduce the double empathy problem, talk about ADHD communication patterns that get misread like interrupting and connecting through shared stories, and explain what happens when the drive for connection intensifies in a dysregulated nervous system. On the practical side, I share my favourite strategy for kids who feel disconnected, how to bridge from acquaintance to friend with concrete steps, and how to have conversations about unhealthy friendships. If you are lying awake worrying about whether your child has friends, this one is for you. Mentioned in this episode: Dr. Damian Milton [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09687599.2012.710008] (the double empathy problem) Connect with me:  Instagram: @behaviourcoach  [https://www.instagram.com/behaviourcoach] Subscribe to my newsletter [⁠https://masterclass.neilsonmahoneycoaching.com/behaviourcoachpodcast⁠] so you never miss an episode!