My Child Was Diagnosed with ADHD: 5 Things to Do Before Considering Medication

This is written by an unmedicated ADHD adult who was never medicated as a child. This is not intended to shame parents who choose medicine, and this is not medical advice.  This is written to encourage parents to help support their child’s brain and nervous system naturally instead of masking the differences. Decisions about medication should always be made with your child's healthcare provider.

Receiving an ADHD diagnosis can bring relief, uncertainty, and a lot of questions.

Should we start medication?
Should we wait?
Is there anything else we can do first?

At Rooted & Rising Therapies, we believe every family deserves information about the many ways to support an ADHD brain. Medication is one tool that may be helpful for some children and families, but it isn't the only option.

Instead, we hope to encourage parents to better understand their child's brain, support their nervous system, and build skills that help them thrive—whether medication becomes part of their journey or not.

First, Understand ADHD

ADHD is much more than being "hyper" or easily distracted.

It is a different way of processing the world.

Many children with ADHD have brains that notice and respond to more of the information around them. Instead of effortlessly filtering background sights, sounds, thoughts, and sensations, their brains often work hard to determine what deserves attention. This can leave them feeling mentally exhausted, overwhelmed, or constantly pulled in multiple directions.

This is why a child with ADHD may notice:

• The air conditioner turning on.

• The fluorescent lights flickering.

• A conversation happening across the room.

• Someone sharpening a pencil.

• The tag inside their shirt.

• Their own exciting idea.

...all while trying to listen to their teacher.

Their brain isn't broken.

It's processing the world differently and all at once.

Every ADHD Brain Looks Different

There are different subtypes of ADHD. Hyperactive type, impulsive type, inattentive type, and mixed.

No two children with ADHD are exactly alike.

Hyperactive ADHD

These children often regulate through movement.

They may:

• Constantly move their bodies.

• Fidget while sitting.

• Talk frequently.

• Learn best while moving.

• Thrive during active play.

Movement is often how their nervous system organizes itself.

Impulsive ADHD

These children often act before they've had time to think.

They may:

• Interrupt conversations.

• Blurt out answers.

• Struggle with waiting.

• Seek excitement and novelty.

• Take risks.

This isn't a lack of character.

Their brain is often seeking stimulation and immediate feedback.

Inattentive ADHD

These children are often misunderstood because they may appear quiet.

They may:

• Lose belongings frequently.

• Forget instructions.

• Miss details.

• Daydream.

• Become overwhelmed by multi-step directions.

Many benefit from visual supports, color coding, routines, and breaking tasks into manageable pieces.

Teach Your Child About Their Amazing Brain

The words children hear become the way they think about themselves.

Instead of teaching them what is "wrong," teach them how their brain works.

Try saying:

"Your brain works differently, and that's okay. Your brain loves excitement, creativity, curiosity, and solving interesting problems. Sometimes boring things feel harder, and we can figure out ways to make them easier together."

Replace shame with curiosity.

Instead of...

• “Your brain really likes excitement.” instead of “you’re wild.” or “you need to calm down.” 

• “Your brain likes to do two things at the same time.” instead of “you can’t focus.” 

• Your brain works really hard, it notices so many things. 

  • I can tell when you hear the AC turn on.  

• Your brain has lots of ideas and you brain thinks it’s fun to go from idea to idea. 

• Your brain likes to think for other people but other people may have a different idea than you 

• Your brain feels relaxed after we go swimming 

• “Your body is telling me that your brain doesn’t feel comfortable right now” instead of “you can’t stop moving” or “your bouncing off the walls”

"You need to calm down."

Try...

"Your body is telling me it needs something right now."

Instead of...

"You can't focus."

Try...

"Your brain notices lots of things. Let's figure out what will help it focus on this one."

Instead of...

"You're too wild."

Try...

"Your body feels really good when it gets to move."

Children deserve language that helps them understand themselves—not judge themselves.

Understand Their Sensory System

One of the most valuable members of an ADHD child's support team is an occupational therapist who specializes in sensory processing and nervous system regulation.

Your child's brain is always asking one important question:

"Am I safe?"

When the nervous system becomes overwhelmed, thinking becomes harder.

Planning becomes harder.

Listening becomes harder.

Emotional regulation becomes harder.

Occupational therapy helps children understand:

• What sensory experiences overwhelm them.

• What sensory experiences help them feel calm.

• How to recognize when they're becoming dysregulated.

• What strategies help their body return to regulation.

A regulated brain has greater capacity for learning, problem-solving, emotional regulation, and connection.

At Rooted & Rising Therapies, sensory supports are never rewards.

Children don't have to "earn" movement breaks.

Movement, deep pressure, swinging, climbing, jumping, chewing, or quiet spaces may be exactly what their nervous system needs to learn.

Support Sensory Needs at Home

Many behaviors parents find frustrating are actually attempts to meet sensory needs.

Instead of stopping the behavior, ask:

"What need is my child trying to meet?"

For example:

If your child constantly sings, whistles, or makes noises...
they may be seeking oral or auditory input.

Try:

• Gum (if developmentally appropriate)

• Crunchy snacks

• Smoothies through a straw

• Cold or sour foods

• Music

• Noise-reducing headphones

• White noise

If your child constantly crashes into furniture or wrestles...

they may be seeking deep pressure or proprioceptive input.

Try:

• Jumping into pillows

• Carrying heavy laundry

• Animal walks

• Pulling weighted objects

• Climbing

• Pushing or pulling games

An occupational therapist can help identify your child's individual sensory profile and create strategies that work for your family.

Build Executive Functioning Skills

Executive functioning is the brain's management system.

These skills include:

• Getting started on tasks.

• Organizing.

• Planning.

• Emotional regulation.

• Flexible thinking.

• Working memory.

• Self-monitoring.

• Impulse control.

Children with ADHD often need these skills explicitly taught.

At Rooted & Rising Therapies, executive functioning support goes far beyond simply telling children to "use a planner."

Instead, we teach strategies that work with an ADHD brain.

This may include:

• Breaking overwhelming tasks into manageable steps.

• Habit stacking.

• Reducing barriers to getting started.

• Flexible problem solving.

• Perspective taking.

• Learning to recognize emotions before they become overwhelming.

• Developing healthy waiting strategies.

• Building self-awareness.

The goal isn't to make children appear more organized.

The goal is to help them become more confident, independent, and successful.

Don't Forget Social Communication

Many children with ADHD also benefit from support understanding the social world.

This isn't because something is wrong with them.

It's because fast-moving thoughts, impulsivity, and executive functioning differences can make social situations more challenging to navigate.

When people think about social communication, they often think about taking turns in conversation or making eye contact. In reality, successful communication depends on many executive functioning skills that children with ADHD may find more challenging—not because they lack the desire to connect, but because their brains are processing and organizing information differently.

Executive functioning plays a role in nearly every conversation. It helps us:

• Know how to start a conversation (topic initiation).

• Stay on the same topic long enough for our conversation partner to follow along (topic maintenance).

• Organize our thoughts into a clear story.

• Tell events in a logical sequence.

• Match our facial expressions, tone of voice, and emotions to the message we want to communicate.

• Remember what we've already shared so we don't unintentionally repeat ourselves.

• Shift attention when a conversation changes unexpectedly.

• Remember where we were in a conversation after being interrupted.

• Decide whether a thought is best shared immediately, saved for later, or kept private.

These skills may not develop naturally for children with ADHD, but they can absolutely be taught through meaningful, relationship-based intervention.

Just as importantly, we teach self-advocacy.

Our goal is not to teach children to hide their ADHD or "mask" the way their brains work. Instead, we want them to understand themselves well enough to communicate their needs with confidence.

For example, a child might learn to say:

"I'm not trying to interrupt you. If I don't say my thought now, my brain might forget it before it's my turn."

Or:

"Can you write that down for me? My brain remembers things better when I can see them."

Or:

"I need to move while I listen. It helps my brain pay attention."

Or:

"Can we take a quick movement break? My body needs to move before I can think clearly again."

Self-advocacy is one of the most important life skills we can teach. When children understand how their brains work, they can ask for the accommodations, supports, and environments they need to succeed—not just in childhood, but throughout their lives.

Rather than teaching children to fit into the world by ignoring their needs, we teach them how to communicate those needs in ways that foster understanding, connection, and mutual respect.

Speech-language pathologists can help children develop skills such as:

• Reading social situations.

• Understanding different perspectives.

• Repairing communication breakdowns.

• Flexible conversations.

• Problem solving with peers.

• Self-advocacy.

These skills help children build meaningful friendships while staying true to who they are.

Supporting the Whole Child

At Rooted & Rising Therapies, we don't believe children need to become someone different to be successful.

We believe they deserve environments that understand how they learn.

Our goal isn't to eliminate movement.

It's to understand why movement helps.

Our goal isn't to stop stimming.

It's to understand what it communicates.

Our goal isn't to make children "look ready" for school.

It's to remove barriers so they can fully participate in school, at home, and in their communities while feeling safe, understood, and confident.

When children understand their brains, parents understand their children, and therapists support the nervous system first, incredible growth happens.

Because every child deserves a life filled with connection, confidence, shared joy, and the freedom to be authentically themselves.