Mom, Where Is My Water Bottle? And Other Executive Functioning Mysteries

For people with ADHD, managing daily life at work and at home may feel like a constant struggle. In Thriving With Adult ADHD, therapist Phil Boissiere explains why ADHD makes it harder to navigate tasks such as organizing a schedule, maintaining focus, switching between tasks, and controlling emotional responses—and he offers strategies that can help.

In this guide, we’ll examine what ADHD looks like in the brain and how it contributes to difficulties with executive functioning (a set of skills that helps with the sorts of complex cognitive tasks listed above). We’ll also debunk some common misconceptions about ADHD. Finally, we’ll explore the main five challenges of ADHD—such as emotion regulation and impulse control—and discuss strategies for managing each one. In our commentary, we’ll further explore tools for managing ADHD and look at different perspectives on treating the condition.

We’re so self-confident in our rationality that we think all our decisions are well-considered. When we choose a job, decide how to spend our time, or buy something, we think we’ve considered all the relevant factors and are making the optimal choice. In reality, our minds are riddled with biases leading to poor decision making. We ignore data that we don't see, and we weigh evidence inappropriately.

Thinking, Fast and Slow is a masterful book on psychology and behavioral economics by Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman. Learn your two systems of thinking, how you make decisions, and your greatest vulnerabilities to bad decisions.

From sibling arguments to temper tantrums, parents constantly have to manage conflict. These challenging moments are pivotal opportunities to promote your child’s psychological development. The Whole-Brain Child explains the neurological and developmental reasons for many of your child’s meltdowns and misbehaviors. When the different parts of your child’s brain—such as the logical left brain and the emotional right brain—are not integrated, it makes your child mentally and emotionally off-balance, which causes her to act out.

The book teaches you how to diagnose signs of dis-integration, as well as strategies to help your child to re-integrate her mind. With these tools, your child will develop a stronger relationship with you, increase her self-awareness and emotional self-control, and build the foundation for a lifetime of healthy relationships and mental and emotional stability.

For people with ADHD, managing daily life at work and at home may feel like a constant struggle. In Thriving With Adult ADHD, therapist Phil Boissiere explains why ADHD makes it harder to navigate tasks such as organizing a schedule, maintaining focus, switching between tasks, and controlling emotional responses—and he offers strategies that can help.

In this guide, we’ll examine what ADHD looks like in the brain and how it contributes to difficulties with executive functioning (a set of skills that helps with the sorts of complex cognitive tasks listed above). We’ll also debunk some common misconceptions about ADHD. Finally, we’ll explore the main five challenges of ADHD—such as emotion regulation and impulse control—and discuss strategies for managing each one. In our commentary, we’ll further explore tools for managing ADHD and look at different perspectives on treating the condition.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) isn’t a diagnosis that’s restricted to childhood. Many adults with ADHD struggle with schedules, fulfilling commitments, and maintaining enough focus to achieve their goals. If you’re an adult with ADHD, you may fear that you’ll continually disappoint yourself and others by not living up to society’s expectations.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. In Taking Charge of Adult ADHD, neuropsychologist Russell A. Barkley draws on nearly 50 years of experience researching and treating ADHD to explain what it is, how it affects adults, and how to effectively manage it through medication and lifestyle strategies. This guide explores how ADHD might affect you personally and describes the various treatment options that can help you curb its symptoms. In addition, we’ll expand on each of Barkley’s key ideas with research, advice, and actionable ideas from other health care practitioners and psychologists.

If you or someone you love has ADD, you know what a severe impact it can have on your quality of life—and you probably also know that it can be a huge strength. In Driven to Distraction, Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey explore what we know about attention deficit disorder through the lens of real people who have it. Hallowell, a psychiatrist, and Ratey, a professor of psychology, both specialize in and have ADD.

In our guide, we’ll discuss what ADD is and its symptoms, theories on the possible causes of ADD, and potential treatments. We’ll also examine how our knowledge of ADD has changed since the book’s republication in 2011, as well as tips for how to minimize your negative symptoms and make the most of your strengths.

For people with ADHD, managing daily life at work and at home may feel like a constant struggle. In Thriving With Adult ADHD, therapist Phil Boissiere explains why ADHD makes it harder to navigate tasks such as organizing a schedule, maintaining focus, switching between tasks, and controlling emotional responses—and he offers strategies that can help.

In this guide, we’ll examine what ADHD looks like in the brain and how it contributes to difficulties with executive functioning (a set of skills that helps with the sorts of complex cognitive tasks listed above). We’ll also debunk some common misconceptions about ADHD. Finally, we’ll explore the main five challenges of ADHD—such as emotion regulation and impulse control—and discuss strategies for managing each one. In our commentary, we’ll further explore tools for managing ADHD and look at different perspectives on treating the condition.

No, you’re not a bad parent. And your kids are actually good kids—parenting is just hard. Do you wish it came with a manual? Clinical psychologist Becky Kennedy’s Good Inside might be just what you need.

Good Inside is a parenting manual to help you make changes in your child’s behavior while building a positive relationship with them. Most parenting advice sees children’s behavior as a problem to be fixed through time-outs, rewards, and serious conversations. But Becky Kennedy argues that these strategies jeopardize your connection with your children. That’s a high price to pay for band-aid strategies that don't deal with the root causes of problematic behaviors.

Our guide lays out the core principles of Kennedy’s approach to parenting, her essential toolkit for dealing with challenging behavior, and strategies to deal with 10 common parenting challenges. We complement Kennedy’s advice with that of other experts, including the authors of parenting classics The Whole-Brain Child, 1-2-3 Magic, and How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk.

Is your child stubborn and quick to lash out? Have they gone through many different counselors, psychiatrists, and medications without improving? Do you feel like you live according to their moods? If so, The Explosive Child offers you a way to get their behavior under control—and a way to get your life back. In it, clinical child psychologist Ross W. Greene outlines a method of addressing the behavioral problems of “explosive children” through collaboration and communication.

Our guide to The Explosive Child will help you discover the cause of your child’s behavioral problems and explain how you can work together to address them. We’ll also go over common challenges parents may face during this process, all while comparing Greene’s strategies to those of other child psychologists and parenting experts.