AVERY Family and School Psychology Services

01/06/2026

Managing Secondary Characteristics of ADHD
Addressing anxiety, perfectionism, and emotional regulation can make a big difference for people with ADHD.
What helps:
• Therapy: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can reduce anxiety and improve coping skills. Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) helps with emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and managing intense reactions, especially when ADHD-related stress feels overwhelming.
• Mindfulness: Builds awareness and emotional control.
• Medication: Can reduce impulsivity and improve focus.
• Parent Training: Helps caregivers manage behaviour and reduce stress.
Supporting the whole person, beyond symptoms, can lead to better well-being and stronger relationships.

12/16/2025

Sleep Disturbances
Sleep issues often go hand in hand with ADHD. Recognizing this link can improve both focus and mood.
Why does this happen?
Difficulties winding down, racing thoughts, or inconsistent routines can disrupt sleep patterns. Medication timing can also play a role. Recent research has also indicated that the ADHD brain ineffectively produces melatonin, the hormone essential for sleep onset. Therefore, good daily sleep habits and sleep hygiene, which promote melatonin production in children may improve ADHD symptoms. Additionally, long-term administration of melatonin at night reduced the hyperactivity score in the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist of children with neurodevelopmental disorders, including ADHD.
The impact:
Poor sleep can exacerbate inattention, irritability, and emotional dysregulation, creating a frustrating cycle.
What helps:
• Establishing consistent bedtime routines
• Limiting screens before bed
• Practicing mindfulness or relaxation techniques
• Consulting healthcare providers about medication timing

12/09/2025

Low Self-Esteem and Shame/Rejection Sensitivity
Feelings of failure and fear of rejection are common but misunderstood parts of ADHD. Addressing these can improve emotional resilience and confidence.
Why does this happen?
Years of academic, social, or organizational challenges can lead to internalized shame and a low sense of self-worth. Emotional regulation difficulties can also heighten sensitivity to criticism.
The impact:
This can result in withdrawal, a fear of trying new things, or an overreaction to minor feedback. Over time, it can damage self-esteem and relationships.
What helps:
• Fostering self-compassion and strengths recognition
• Teaching emotion regulation and coping strategies
• Encouraging supportive peer and family relationships
• CBT and DBT - Here’s how DBT helps with rejection sensitivity through emotion regulation:
• Builds emotional awareness: Helps individuals notice early signs of emotional escalation triggered by perceived rejection.
• Teaches distress-tolerance skills: Supports staying grounded during intense emotional waves instead of reacting impulsively.
• Improves regulation of rapid mood shifts: Skills like opposite action and checking the facts reduce emotional reactivity to criticism.
• Strengthens interpersonal effectiveness: Provides tools for assertiveness, clarifying needs, and reducing fear-based assumptions in relationships.
• Promotes self-validation: Encourages acknowledging one’s own feelings, decreasing shame and self-blame tied to RS.
• Enhances mindfulness: Helps create space between trigger and response, lowering sensitivity to perceived rejection.
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12/02/2025

Developing Secondary Mental Health Conditions: Depression

Depression can develop alongside ADHD when long-term struggles begin to feel unchangeable. Understanding this link helps reduce stigma and increase support.
Why does this happen?
When people with ADHD experience repeated frustration in school, work, or relationships, it can erode their sense of competence. This ongoing cycle of “trying but failing” can create hopelessness.
The impact:
Individuals may experience feelings of sadness, fatigue, or disconnection. What appears to be “laziness” is often the emotional exhaustion that results from years of struggle.
What helps:
• CBT and behavioural activation to rebuild motivation
• Strength-based approaches to highlight successes
• Supportive environments that celebrate effort, not perfection
• Working with a doctor to discuss medication options

11/25/2025

Developing Secondary Mental Health Conditions: Anxiety
Living with ADHD can sometimes lead to chronic stress that turns into anxiety. Recognizing this connection can help us respond with empathy instead of frustration.
Why does this happen?
The challenges of ADHD, including having trouble focusing, staying organized, and managing relationships can create ongoing stress. Over time, this can lead to a constant feeling of being “on edge” or worrying about making mistakes or being criticized.
The impact:
Individuals may develop generalized anxiety, social anxiety, or performance-related anxiety. They might overthink, avoid tasks, or worry excessively about disappointing others.
What helps:
• Teaching relaxation and mindfulness skills
• Using cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) strategies to reframe anxious thoughts
• Setting realistic goals and expectations
• Providing reassurance and structured support
• Working with a doctor to discuss medication options

11/18/2025

ADHD can make communication feel like navigating a maze. Thoughts come quickly (or not at all), conversations go off track, and important details get lost. This can affect both expressive and receptive communication, making it harder to connect, express needs, or solve problems effectively.
Why does this happen?
ADHD affects working memory, processing speed, and attention, which are all crucial for staying present in conversations and managing social cues.
The impact:
Individuals may interrupt, miss key information, or struggle to organize their thoughts. In group settings, they might feel left out or misjudged, especially if others assume they're not listening or engaged.
What helps:
• Providing wait time during discussions

• Using visual aids or written instructions

• Encouraging collaborative problem-solving approaches

• Teaching and modeling active listening

Clear communication is a skill that comes with practice. With support, students with ADHD can thrive socially and academically.

11/10/2025

Many people associate ADHD with distractibility or hyperactivity but less talked about is the difficulty many have with managing big emotions. Frustration, disappointment, or excitement can feel overwhelming and hard to control.
Why does this happen?
Emotion regulation is part of the brain's executive functioning system, which is something that ADHD directly impacts. That means it’s not just about being “overly emotional”; it’s about having a harder time hitting the brakes.
The impact:
This can lead to emotional outbursts, difficulty calming down, or mood swings. It may also cause conflict in classrooms, peer groups, or families.
What helps:
• Teaching emotional vocabulary and self-monitoring

• Using visual tools like feeling thermometers

• Providing calm-down spaces or sensory breaks

• Practicing mindfulness or grounding strategies

Emotion regulation isn’t about “trying harder”. It’s about learning strategies that actually work for ADHD brains.

Assessment and coaching for students struggling with neurobiological, learning and psychological disorders. Find school success strategies for children and teens struggling with ASD, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, anxiety, depression and other psychoeducational disorders.

11/04/2025

Ever notice a child come home from school and immediately melt down, cry, or lash out? This may be After-School Restraint Collapse (ASRC), a phenomenon often seen in kids with ADHD.
Why does this happen?
School demands a huge amount of self-control: sitting still, listening, following instructions, and managing distractions. For a child with ADHD, that’s a full-time job. By the time they get home, their emotional tank is empty, and the built-up pressure spills out.
The impact:
Parents may be confused or frustrated, wondering why their child seems "fine at school" but explodes at home. This isn’t defiance, it’s exhaustion.
What helps:
• Creating a calm, low-demand after-school environment

• Offering snacks, movement, or quiet time

• Avoiding immediate homework or chores

• Validating their experience with empathy

Understanding ASRC is key to reducing stress at home and building stronger family connections.

Assessment and coaching for students struggling with neurobiological, learning and psychological disorders. Find school success strategies for children and teens struggling with ASD, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, anxiety, depression and other psychoeducational disorders.

10/28/2025

ADHD can affect more than academics or work, but it also impacts how someone relates to others. Difficulties with emotional regulation, forgetfulness, and impulsivity can make maintaining friendships, romantic relationships, or family bonds a challenge.
Why does this happen?
When someone struggles to focus during conversations, forgets important dates, or interrupts unintentionally, others may feel unheard or unimportant, even if that’s not the intent.
The impact:
This can lead to conflict, feelings of isolation, or strained communication. Over time, the person with ADHD may feel discouraged or misunderstood, while loved ones may interpret the behaviour as disinterest.
What helps:
• Learning and teaching emotional regulation skills

• Using reminders and routines for social commitments

• Practicing active listening and self-awareness

• Building supportive, understanding relationships

We must remember that relationship struggles aren’t about a lack of care. They’re about underlying executive function challenges.

Learn more about ADHD at our Avery Essentials blog: averyfsps.com/avery-adhd-essentials-blog

10/21/2025

It may sound surprising, but many individuals with ADHD struggle with perfectionism!

Learn why perfectionism happens with ADHD, and how to help manage it at our blog: averyfsps.com/avery-adhd-essentials-blog/secondary-characteristics-of-adhd

10/14/2025

Welcome to our new feature: Spotlight on ADHD’s Secondary Characteristics!
When we think of ADHD, we often focus on core symptoms like inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. But there’s so much more to the picture. Over time, individuals with ADHD may develop secondary characteristics, which are patterns and behaviors that arise as responses to the challenges posed by their primary symptoms.
These secondary traits can significantly impact emotional wellbeing, relationships, academic performance, and everyday life but they’re often misunderstood or overlooked. By increasing awareness of these characteristics, we can better support students, families, and educators in navigating the ADHD journey.
Stay tuned to our blog as we unpack each one in detail and explore practical ways to understand and manage them: averyfsps.com/avery-adhd-essentials-blog/secondary-characteristics-of-adhd

08/05/2025

Welcome back! This week’s Tool Kit Tuesday looks at sensory tools to help kids regulate emotions

Read more: averyfsps.com/avery-adhd-essentials/sensory-tools-for-support