Question 1

I can't cope with parenting my ADHD child anymore—am I failing?

Accepted Answer

No—you're experiencing ADHD parenting burnout, and it's more common than you think. Research from Ohio State University shows 66% of parents report burnout, with ADHD parents at significantly higher risk due to 24/7 demands, inadequate support, and social stigma around ADHD behaviours. The stress and exhaustion of parenting a child with ADHD can cause emotional, financial, and family dynamic issues, taking a significant toll on your physical and mental health. Feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, resentful, or disconnected from your child doesn't make you a bad parent—it makes you human facing an incredibly challenging situation without adequate resources. Charlotte's family ADHD coaching provides practical strategies for managing challenging behaviours without constant battles, building routines that actually work for ADHD brains, reducing parental stress through evidence-based approaches, and crucially, supporting your own wellbeing first so you can parent effectively. Whether you're a single parent managing alone, co-parenting across two households, or managing ADHD yourself while raising an ADHD child, coaching helps you move from survival mode to thriving. Funding options available including Access to Work for employed parents. Book your free discovery call to discuss your specific challenges and create a personalised support plan that makes family life sustainable.

Question 2

I have ADHD and so does my child—how can I parent effectively when I'm struggling myself?

Accepted Answer

You're not alone—ADHD is highly familial (genetic), and it's incredibly common for parents to recognise their own ADHD when their child is diagnosed. Many adults with undiagnosed ADHD find themselves overwhelmed by parenting demands and struggling to meet their children's needs, lacking the organisational skills to keep up with schedules and manage behaviour effectively. Parenting an ADHD child when you have ADHD yourself creates unique challenges: your own executive function struggles (organisation, time management, emotional regulation, working memory) make implementing consistent routines, behaviour management, and medication compliance incredibly difficult. Research from Seattle Children's Hospital shows that intervention for children with ADHD tends to be less effective when the caregiving parent has ADHD too, because treatment requires significant parental organisation. However, the research also shows that getting treatment for a parent with ADHD can improve that person's parenting skills and reduce stress on the whole family significantly. Charlotte's family coaching addresses this specific dynamic—helping you develop systems that work for ADHD brains (yours and your child's), manage your own symptoms while supporting your child, understand you have a genetic disorder rather than moral failing, and stop the cycle of guilt, shame, and overwhelm. The unique advantage? You understand your child's struggles from lived experience, which creates deep empathy. Charlotte integrates gut-brain health approaches for both parent and child, recognising that nutrition and gut health significantly impact ADHD symptoms for all ages. Book your free discovery call to discuss dual-ADHD family dynamics.

Question 3

My teenager with ADHD is refusing school—what do I do?

Accepted Answer

School refusal (or school avoidance) in ADHD teenagers is increasingly common and emotionally overwhelming for parents facing pressures from schools, Local Authorities about attendance, and genuine worry about their child's wellbeing and future. It's not defiance or laziness—it's often sensory overload from noise/lights/crowded corridors, social difficulties due to impulsivity and struggles reading social cues, academic overwhelm from increasing homework demands and long-term projects, unmet special educational needs, or anxiety making school feel emotionally impossible for your teenager. With approximately 770,000 children in England persistently absent from school (government figures), and ADHD being a significant factor, you're not alone in this struggle. Charlotte's family coaching helps you understand what's specifically driving your teenager's school refusal through structured assessment, work collaboratively with school SENCOs and pastoral teams to create supportive plans, navigate Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) if your teenager's needs aren't being met through standard support, address whether medication timing or dosage needs adjustment for school hours, and create sustainable solutions that address root causes rather than forcing attendance which often backfires with ADHD teenagers. Whether your teenager has a formal diagnosis, is waiting for NHS assessment (which can take years), or is struggling with undiagnosed needs, coaching provides practical strategies for both you and your teenager. Funding available. Book your free discovery call to discuss your teenager's specific situation and explore pathways forward.

Question 4

How do I stop the constant homework battles with my ADHD child?

Accepted Answer

Homework battles are exhausting and demoralising for ADHD families because traditional homework approaches (sit down, focus, complete assignments independently) fundamentally don't work for ADHD brains. Your child isn't being difficult, oppositional, or lazy—their brain genuinely struggles with task initiation (getting started feels impossible), sustained attention on non-preferred tasks like homework assignments, working memory needed to remember multi-step instructions, and emotional regulation when frustrated. The dysregulated brain in ADHD children makes it extremely difficult if not impossible for them to concentrate for extended periods on non-preferred tasks, and they may not be able to complete homework independently regardless of intelligence or effort. Charlotte's family coaching teaches you ADHD-specific homework strategies that actually work: breaking assignments into genuinely achievable micro-tasks, using body doubling (doing work alongside your child rather than leaving them alone), timing homework to medication effectiveness windows, creating distraction-free environments (no screens/siblings/noise), and recognising when to advocate for homework modifications through school. For teenagers and young adults, coaching addresses increasing homework demands while building independence and self-advocacy rather than parental micromanagement forever. Charlotte also incorporates gut-brain health approaches—research shows nutrition significantly impacts focus, cognitive function, and frustration tolerance in children and teenagers with ADHD. Whether one or both parents are involved in homework supervision, coaching provides systems that reduce conflict, increase success rates, and make homework time less traumatic for everyone. Book your free discovery call to discuss homework-specific strategies.

Question 5

I'm a single parent with ADHD raising an ADHD child—I'm drowning. Can coaching help?

Accepted Answer

Yes—absolutely, and you deserve support. Single parents with ADHD raising ADHD children face compounded challenges that research shows create highest risk for parental burnout: no partner to share the mental and physical load of parenting, your own executive function struggles affecting household management and organisation, the constant demands of ADHD parenting (behaviour management, medication compliance, school communication) without breaks or backup, financial pressure from single income plus ADHD-related costs, and often isolation from lack of understanding support networks. Single parents are specifically identified in research as at-risk for burnout, lacking economic security and community support. Charlotte's family coaching acknowledges this reality without judgment and provides intensive practical support: systems for managing mornings/bedtimes/homework when you're doing everything alone, strategies for your own ADHD management so you can parent effectively rather than just surviving, access to UK government funding (Access to Work if employed, other schemes) to make coaching affordable or free, connection to single-parent ADHD support networks and resources, and recognition that you're not failing—you're managing an incredibly difficult situation that would challenge any parent. You're working harder than neurotypical parents with partners and still feeling like you're not enough. Coaching provides the external accountability, structure, strategies, and compassion that make single parenting with ADHD sustainable rather than a constant crisis. Book your free discovery call to discuss funding options and your specific challenges without judgment.

Question 6

My ex-partner and I are co-parenting an ADHD teenager—how do we get on the same page?

Accepted Answer

Co-parenting an ADHD teenager when you're separated or divorced adds significant complexity to already challenging ADHD behaviours, and creates additional stress for everyone involved including your teenager. Common struggles include fundamental disagreements on ADHD medication (one parent wants it, the other opposes), wildly inconsistent routines and expectations between two households confusing your teenager, teenagers exploiting inconsistencies and playing parents against each other, one parent not believing ADHD is real or that behaviours are genuine struggles, and communication breakdown making it impossible to present united front. Your teenager needs consistency, but your relationship history makes collaboration difficult. Charlotte's family coaching works with separated and divorced co-parents to create consistent approaches across both households despite different parenting styles, develop shared behaviour management strategies and consequences that both parents implement, communicate effectively about your teenager's needs without dragging relationship conflict into parenting discussions, understand how ADHD presents differently in teen years (hormonal changes, increased academic demands, social complexities, independence struggles), and create systems for sharing information about school, medication, therapy without constant conflict. Whether both parents attend coaching sessions together (preferred when possible) or separately (when joint sessions aren't feasible due to conflict), coaching provides neutral professional ground to focus on what your teenager actually needs rather than relationship grievances. For young adults (18+), coaching supports the transition to independence across two family systems. Book your free discovery call to discuss co-parenting dynamics and find approaches that work for your specific situation.

Question 7

Can gut health really improve my child's ADHD symptoms?

Accepted Answer

Yes—emerging research shows significant and measurable connections between gut health and ADHD symptoms in children, teenagers, and adults. The gut-brain axis is a bi-directional communication system: what happens in the gut affects the brain (and therefore behaviour, focus, mood), and what happens in the brain affects the gut. Multiple studies show children with ADHD often have gut dysbiosis (imbalanced gut bacteria and fungi in their microbiome), nutritional deficiencies in key nutrients required for neurotransmitter function and brain development (omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, magnesium, vitamin D, iron, B vitamins), food sensitivities and intolerances that increase inflammation and worsen ADHD symptoms, and altered gut permeability allowing toxins into bloodstream that affect brain function. Research published in Scientific Reports found that children with ADHD following a few-foods diet (eliminating individually identified problem foods) showed substantially improved behaviour, cognitive functioning, and actual changes in brain activity measured by fMRI scans. Charlotte's unique approach integrates evidence-based gut-brain health with ADHD coaching rather than treating them separately: identifying specific foods that support or worsen your child's symptoms through observation not restrictive elimination, addressing nutritional deficiencies through whole-foods diet and targeted supplementation when appropriate, supporting gut microbiome health with probiotics and fermented foods suitable for children, and recognising how diet affects ADHD medication effectiveness and side effects. This isn't about impossible restrictive elimination diets—it's about strategic nutrition that works for ADHD brains and busy family life. For teenagers and young adults, coaching addresses their increasing role in food choices and self-management. Book your free discovery call to discuss gut-brain health approaches for your family.

Question 8

What's an EHCP and does my ADHD child need one?

Accepted Answer

An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is a legal UK document outlining your child's special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and the specific support schools and local authorities must provide by law. Children and young people aged 0-25 with ADHD may qualify if their needs cannot be met through standard school support (SEN Support), and the plan becomes especially important for teenagers with ADHD facing increasing academic and social demands. EHCPs specify exactly what support must be provided: classroom accommodations (extra time for assignments and exams, quiet spaces for exams and breaks, modified assignment expectations, preferential seating away from distractions), support staff allocation (teaching assistant hours, mentoring, check-ins), therapeutic services (occupational therapy, counselling, ADHD coaching funded by education), transition planning (primary to secondary school, secondary to college/university, school to employment for young adults), and annual reviews to ensure support remains appropriate. Critically, you as parent/carer can request an EHCP assessment yourself—you don't need school permission or referral, though school support helps. Charlotte's family coaching helps you navigate the EHCP process which can feel overwhelming and adversarial: understanding if your teenager would genuinely benefit from EHCP vs other support routes, gathering evidence for assessment (reports, examples, professional letters), attending EHCP meetings and advocating effectively for your child's needs, ensuring the final plan addresses your child's actual needs not just what's cheap/easy, and using EHCP as leverage for appropriate support rather than just paperwork. Whether your teenager already has an EHCP needing review, is in process of assessment, or you're considering requesting one, coaching provides advocacy skills and practical guidance. Book your free discovery call to discuss EHCP support and assessment.

Question 9

One parent has ADHD, one doesn't—how do we parent together without constant conflict?

Accepted Answer

This dynamic—one ADHD parent, one neurotypical partner—creates specific relationship and parenting tensions that can erode partnerships if not addressed: the ADHD parent may struggle with consistency in implementing agreed-upon parenting strategies, forget what was discussed or agreed, lose patience more easily due to emotional dysregulation, or feel constantly criticised, nagged, and inadequate by their neurotypical partner. The neurotypical parent may feel they're carrying entire mental load of parenting, become resentful of having to compensate for their partner's struggles, not understand why their partner can't just remember things or be more organised, or worry their partner is being careless or lazy rather than genuinely struggling. Research shows relationships where one partner has ADHD experience significantly more conflict and lower satisfaction, but appropriate support and treatment dramatically improve outcomes for both the relationship and children. Charlotte's family coaching addresses this specific dynamic with evidence-based approaches: helping the neurotypical partner truly understand ADHD isn't wilful carelessness, moral failing, or lack of caring but genuine brain-based differences in executive function, supporting the ADHD parent with external systems and strategies that work for their brain rather than trying to force neurotypical approaches, creating shared parenting strategies both parents can implement consistently despite different brain wiring, reducing blame, criticism, and resentment that damage the partnership and model unhealthy dynamics for children, and recognising each parent's strengths (ADHD parents often bring creativity, empathy, playfulness). Charlotte works with both parents together in sessions (strongly preferred approach) or separately if joint sessions aren't feasible. Funding available including Access to Work for the employed parent. Book your free discovery call to discuss your partnership dynamics.

Question 10

How does family ADHD coaching work if everyone has different needs?

Accepted Answer

Charlotte's whole-family systems approach recognises that ADHD doesn't exist in isolation—it affects the entire family system including relationships, dynamics, stress levels, and daily functioning, not just the identified ADHD individual. Coaching is completely tailored to your specific family structure and needs rather than one-size-fits-all: both parents together sessions address co-parenting dynamics, communication, shared strategies, and presenting united front; single parent sessions provide intensive support, resource connection, funding guidance, and sustainable systems for managing alone; ADHD parent plus ADHD child sessions address dual executive function challenges and build systems that work for ADHD brains; sessions involving teenagers/young adults (11-18+) increase their ownership of strategies and independence rather than parental micromanagement forever; and separated/divorced co-parent sessions create consistent approaches across two households despite relationship history. Sessions are delivered online via secure video call (UK-wide delivery from Birmingham-based coach Charlotte), parent-focused in most cases (teenagers may join sessions occasionally if appropriate and beneficial), practical and action-oriented rather than theoretical or therapy-like, and integrating ICF-certified coaching methodology with evidence-based gut-brain health approaches for comprehensive support addressing both behavioural and physiological factors. Bespoke pricing structured to your family's needs and financial situation, with funding options available including Access to Work scheme for employed parents (potentially £0 cost), payment plans for affordability, and sliding scale consideration for families in financial hardship. Book your free discovery call to discuss your family's unique situation, structure, and challenges, and create a completely personalised coaching approach that addresses what your family actually needs rather than generic advice that doesn't work for ADHD families.

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