When a child with ADHD shouts, refuses, argues, throws something or appears to ignore a parent completely, it is easy to assume that they are being defiant. Sometimes they are pushing against a limit. Sometimes they are overwhelmed and temporarily unable to manage what is being asked of them. Very often, the reality is more complicated: a child may be genuinely dysregulated and still need a clear boundary. For parents, the challenge is not to decide whether their child is “good” or “bad,”...

Most children lie. By the age of four, most have worked out that words can describe things that didn't happen, and that this is occasionally useful. By seven or eight, most have also worked out that lying carries costs. For children with ADHD, lying tends to persist longer, happen faster, and show up in situations where the lie barely makes sense - denying something you have just watched them do, for instance. This article looks at why that pattern is so common, and what to do when you run...

A significant number of parents come to me with children who regularly swear at them, hit them when frustrated, or see nothing wrong with skipping school whenever they feel like it. These aren't rare or extreme situations. They're everyday problems that show up in households across the country, and they all share the same root cause: the absence of clear, non-negotiable household rules. When you ask these parents what the consequences are for hitting or swearing, the answer is often vague or...