Category: Early Childhood Development

School is one of the most significantcontexts for confidence developmentin childhood — and one of the placeswhere confidence is most frequentlydamaged. The daily experiences ofacademic challenge, social evaluation,performance pressure, and comparisonwith peers make school a powerfulinfluence on how children see themselves —for better or worse. Understanding what the research showsabout building confidence in childrenat school…

Sensitive children — those who feelthings deeply, who are easily overwhelmed,who notice everything and respondintensely — are among the childrenmost at risk of developing low confidence.Not because sensitivity is a weakness,but because a world that values toughness,quick adaptation, and emotional restraintfrequently communicates to sensitivechildren that the way they are is wrong. Building confidence in a…

Friendships are one of the mostsignificant challenges for childrenwith ADHD — and one of the mostimportant areas for parental support.Research consistently finds thatchildren with ADHD experience significantlymore peer relationship difficultiesthan typical peers — and that thesedifficulties have real consequencesfor wellbeing, self-concept, andlong-term outcomes. This article covers what the researchshows about ADHD and friendships —why peer…

ADHD in adolescence presents specificchallenges that differ significantlyfrom ADHD in younger children —and that are frequently underestimatedby both parents and professionals.The hyperactive toddler who receivedan ADHD diagnosis may seem to haveimproved as adolescence reduces visiblehyperactivity — while the underlyingattention regulation, executive function,and emotional dysregulation difficultiespersist and in some ways intensifyas the demands of adolescence increase.…

Night wakings are a significant andfrequently overlooked sleep difficultyfor children with ADHD. While delayedsleep onset and bedtime resistancereceive more attention, research findsthat restless, disrupted sleep withfrequent night wakings is commonin children with ADHD — and thatthe sleep deprivation produced bynight wakings significantly worsensdaytime ADHD symptoms. This article covers what the researchshows about night wakings in…

Many parents of children with ADHDfind that their child has significantdifficulty sleeping alone — and thatbedtime involves extended parentalpresence, co-sleeping arrangements,or nightly battles that exhaustthe whole family. Understanding whychildren with ADHD struggle to sleepindependently — and what the researchshows about helping effectively —is essential for families navigating this challenge. This article covers what the researchshows…

Parents of children with ADHD whoare looking for natural approachesto sleep difficulties are askingan important and well-researchedquestion. The sleep difficultiesassociated with ADHD are real andsignificant — and several natural,non-medication approaches have genuineresearch support. This article covers what the researchshows about natural sleep aids forchildren with ADHD — what works,what the evidence says, and whatparents can…

Bedtime is one of the most reliablydifficult times of day for familiesof children with ADHD — and thenightly struggle to get a child withADHD to bed is one of the most exhaustingand most demoralizing experiencesparents describe. Understanding whybedtime is so difficult for childrenwith ADHD — and what the researchshows about managing it effectively —makes a…

Sleep problems are one of the mostcommon and most significantly impairingchallenges for children with ADHD —and one of the most commonly overlooked.Research finds that between fiftyand seventy percent of children withADHD experience significant sleepdifficulties — a rate dramaticallyhigher than in the general childhoodpopulation. And the relationshipbetween ADHD and sleep is bidirectional —ADHD disrupts sleep, and…

Teaching a child with ADHD to focusis one of the most misunderstoodchallenges in parenting — becausethe most common approaches are basedon a fundamental misunderstandingof what ADHD actually is. ADHD isnot a focus problem in the simplesense — children with ADHD can focusintensely on things that are highlyengaging, novel, or immediately rewarding.The problem is regulating attention…