If you have a youngster or teen who was recently diagnosed with ADHD, you may be looking for a way to talk about it. One good strategy is to normalize it. Reading about other kids, fictional or real, might help. Even if your child does not love to read, you might find that reading together or selecting parts of the book to look at can be worthwhile.
Listed below are books written for children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Getting through school, making friends, and maintaining strong family relationships are difficult for any growing adolescent, and ADHD presents additional obstacles that make these aspects of life more challenging. These books aim to help children understand what ADHD is and what it means to have ADHD and discuss techniques they could use to cope confidently with ADHD while taking care of themselves.
Teenagers and young adults looking to learn more about ADHD often find a very limited number of books and resources available to them. This is unfortunate, given the needs of teens and college students for independence, decision-making, and study skills. The following books provide an understanding of how to manage one’s ADHD as a teenager or young adult.
The Survival Guide for Kids with ADHD
By John F. Taylor
Amazon Review: What is ADHD? What does it mean to have ADHD? How can kids diagnosed with ADHD help themselves succeed in school, get along better at home, and form healthy, enjoyable relationships with peers? In kid-friendly language and a format that welcomes reluctant and easily distracted readers, this book helps kids know they’re not alone and offers practical strategies for taking care of oneself, modifying behavior, enjoying school, having fun, and dealing with doctors, counselors, and medication. Includes real-life scenarios, quizzes, and a special message for parents.
Dr. Kulman’s take: Fun, readable, and good to read with young kids diagnosed with ADHD.
Journal of an ADHD Kid: The Good, the Bad, and the Useful
By Tobias Stumpf
Amazon Review: For kids with ADHD, reading Journal of an ADHD Kid is a chance to get to know themselves (and their diagnosis) much better! Toby, the narrator, relates his experiences coping with life as an ADHD kid in an authentic kid’s voice that is sometimes funny, sometimes exasperated, sometimes proud, illustrating the range of emotions that kids with ADHD/ADD feel.
The book provides information in a frank, upbeat, conversational manner and offers thought-provoking questions designed to help readers recognize how ADHD/ADD affects them and then come up with better ideas for handling difficult situations in their own lives.
From facts about an ADHD diagnosis to whether to tell friends and teachers, and from understanding both the good and bad aspects of ADHD to what can help with the disorder, there’s plenty of solid information, emotional support, and tips for kids and teens.
Dr. Kulman’s take: Straightforward book for kids that is very helpful for reading about ADHD with young kids diagnosed with the disorder.
Marvin’s Monster Diary: ADHD Attacks! (But I Rock It, Big Time): An ST4 Mindfulness Book for Kids
By Raun Melmed
Amazon Review: Meet Marvin, a lovable monster with a twelve-stringed baby fang guitar, a rambunctious case of ADHD, and a diary to record it all. His teachers scold him, his parents don’t know what to do with him, and his sister is convinced he was raised by triple-tailed monkeys. In short, Marvin’s life is feeling out of controluntil a secret formula changes everything.
In the same humorous spirit of Diary of a Wimpy Kid comes Marvin’s Monster Diary: ADHD Attacks! (And I Rock It, Big Time). Using the “monstercam” and “ST4” techniques developed by Dr. Raun Melmed of the Melmed Center in Arizona, Marvin’s Monster Diary teaches kids how to be mindful, observe their surroundings, and take time to think about their actions. Marvin’s hilarious doodles and diary entries chronicle his delightful adventures, misadventures, and eventual triumph in a funny, relatable way. It’s the one book on ADHD that kids will actually want to read!
Marvin’s Monster Diary also includes a resource section to help parents and teachers implement Dr. Melmed’s methods, plus ST4 reminders that kids can remove, color, and place around the house.
Dr. Kulman’s take: This is one of many in the fun Monster Diary series. If your kid likes this one, there are other fun books that might also be engaging.
The ADHD Workbook for Kids: Helping Children Gain Self-Confidence, Social Skills, and Self-Control (Instant Help)
By Lawrence E. Shapiro
Amazon Review: All kids with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) want to manage their symptoms in order to get along better with others, build confidence, and succeed in school, but most don’t have the skills they need to get their impulsive behavior under control. The ADHD Workbook for Kids offers a simple way to help children with ADHD learn these critical skills in just ten minutes a day.
This workbook includes more than forty activities for kids developed by child psychologist Lawrence Shapiro that can help your child with ADHD handle everyday tasks, make friends, and build self-esteem while he or she learns to overcome the most challenging aspects of the disorder. Alone or with your help, your child can complete one ten-minute activity each day to learn how to make good decisions and discover easy techniques for staying focused when it’s time to pay attention.
Includes activities to help your child:
- Become a good listener and a good friend
- Make school easier and more fun
- Recognize his or her special gifts and build self-esteem
- Practice planning ahead and learn responsibility
Dr. Kulman’s take: I have used this book in my work and as a guide for communicating with kids about ADHD and other psychiatric issues.
Mindfulness for Kids with ADHD: Skills to Help Children Focus, Succeed in School, and Make Friends (Instant Help Books)
By Debra E. Burdick
Amazon Review: As a parent, you know that attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can make the normal developmental tasks of childhood more difficult to accomplish in numerous ways. These tasks include: making friends, doing well in school, organizing belongings and schoolwork, identifying and managing feelings, developing a positive self image, getting along with family members, following rules, doing chores, establishing a healthy sleep pattern, eating a healthy diet, and making good choices about exercise and use of screen time.
The activities in this easy-to-use workbook will help your child develop self-awareness and self-reflection—two skills that kids with ADHD typically need extra help with. The book also illustrates and teaches the process of setting intention and using specific mindfulness skills to identify and improve feelings, self-image, behavior, stress level, concentration, hyperactivity, and relationships.
If you’re a parent of a child with ADHD, you may feel conflicted about the best treatment options available. Whether used alone or in conjunction with therapy, this powerful workbook provides real skills your child can use every day to improve their quality of life and help them enjoy being a kid!
Dr. Kulman’s take: One of the series of Instant Help books, this book is well-formatted to talk to kids and give them real-world advice and strategies.
Mrs. Gorski I Think I Have the Wiggle Fidgets (The Adventures of Everyday Geniuses)
By Barbara Esham and Mike Gordon
Amazon Review: The Adventures of Everyday Geniuses is meant to demonstrate various forms of learning, creativity, and intelligence. Each book introduces a realistic example of triumph over difficulty in a positive, humorous way that readers of all ages will enjoy!
David gets scolded a lot by his teacher, Mrs. Gorski, for not paying attention in class. He wants to pay attention but it is just so hard when an exciting idea pops into his head. And he usually can’t tell that he’s making a mistake until after he makes them. But after a particularly big mistake, David comes up with his own plan to tone down his wiggle fidgets.
This award-winning story is a simple introduction to ADHD and the creative ways of finding solutions to the challenges that ADHD can create.
Dr. Kulman’s take: This is part of a series of books that kids like; other books address concerns with learning, attention, and slow processing
References
Burdick, D. E. (2018). Mindfulness for Kids with ADHD: Skills to Help Children Focus, Succeed in School & Make Friends. Oakland, CA: Instant Help Books, an imprint of New Harbinger Publications.
Esham, B., Gordon, M., & Gordon, C. (2018). Mrs. Gorski, I Think I Have the Wiggle Fidgets. Naperville, IL: Little Pickle Press.
Melmed, R., Sexton, A., & Harvey, J. (2016). Marvins monster diary: ADHD attacks! (but I rock it, big time). Sanger, CA: Familius.
Milliken, K. (2016). PlayDHD: Permission to Play … a Prescription for Adults with ADHD. Chicago, IL: Independent Publishing Group.
Shapiro, L. E. (2010). The ADHD workbook for kids: Helping children gain self-confidence, social skills, and self-control. Oakland: New Harbinger.
Stumpf, T., & Stumpf, D. S. (2014). Journal of an ADHD kid: The good, the bad, and the useful. Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House.
Taylor, J. F. (2014). The Survival Guide for Kids with ADHD. United States: Free Spirit Publishing.
Receive online class information and helpful tips from Dr. Randy Kulman's LearningWorks for Kids |
