Chaos & Caffeine - ADHD Parenting Podcast

IEP meetings. 504 plans. School accommodations. Special education services. If you're raising a child with ADHD, figuring out what support they're actually entitled to at school can feel like learning an entirely new language—and then being expected to confidently advocate in a room full of professionals.
That's why we're kicking off our ADHD Kids & School series with one of our favorite conversations with special education advocate Karen Mayer Cunningham.
Karen is funny, bold, incredibly knowledgeable, and exactly the person you want in your corner before walking into an IEP or 504 meeting. In this episode, we're breaking down how parents can become stronger advocates for their neurodivergent kids, understand the special education process, ask better questions, and push for the accommodations and services their children need to succeed.
We talk about navigating IEP and 504 meetings, communicating with schools, understanding your role as a parent, advocating when your child is struggling, and getting past the fear that you're being "difficult" simply because you're asking for support.
Because here's the thing: advocating for your ADHD child isn't about demanding special treatment. It's about making sure they have meaningful access to an education that works for the way their brain learns.
Whether your child already has an IEP or 504 Plan, you're preparing for your first school accommodation meeting, or you're wondering whether your struggling ADHD child needs more support, this episode is your confidence boost before walking through those doors.
☕ Chaos & Caffeine: ADHD Parenting Podcast is your no-BS guide to raising neurodivergent kids, featuring ADHD experts, researchers, therapists, educators, advocates, and parents who actually get it.
Subscribe and follow our ADHD Kids & School series for practical strategies to help your child navigate school, executive functioning, accommodations, behavior, emotional regulation, learning challenges, homework, and more.
Connect with Karen 👉Special Education Academy
This Month's Sponsors:
 🦘 Ted Kangaroo
Sensory tools that help kids wiggle, focus, and regulate—without another battle. Use code: CHAOS20 to save 20%. 
📚 Reading.com
Helping struggling readers build confidence and parents keep their sanity one lesson at a time.
🎲 DSS Games
Helping families put down the screens, laugh together, and actually enjoy spending time with each other again.
🌙 Moonbuddy
Helping kids calm their nervous systems without another screen in sight. Use code: CHAOSANDCAFFEINE10 to save 10%.
🌱 MaryRuth Organics
If you’ve got a kid who treats vegetables like a personal enemy, MaryRuth Organics might become your new best friend. 
Join Our Patreon and Find All of Our Faves! 
📧 Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Email us at chaosandcaffeinepodcast@gmail.com.
Support the show
Danielle is the host of Chaos & Caffeine, a fast-growing ADHD parenting podcast where she interviews leading psychologists, clinicians, researchers, and neurodivergent advocates about what actually helps ADHD kids thrive in the real world. Through science-backed conversations and very real mom-in-the-trenches storytelling, the show helps parents navigate executive function challenges, emotional regulation struggles, learning differences, and the everyday chaos of raising neurodivergent kids.
Each week, Danielle translates complex ADHD research into practical tools parents can actually use — from building routines that support developing brains to helping kids strengthen focus, flexibility, and self-regulation skills.
Listen to the podcast and explore expert interviews at:
https://linktr.ee/chaosandcaffeinepodcast
Danielle frequently speaks and writes about ADHD parenting strategies, executive function development, emotional regulation, screen use and attention, learning challenges like dyslexia, and building resilient neurodivergent families.

Join Our Patreon and Find All of Our Faves! 
If your child with ADHD has ever come home from school believing they're the "bad kid," this episode is for you.
In this kickoff episode of our 12-week ADHD Kids & School Success Series, I'm sharing our family's school journey—from first grade through the transition to middle school. We talk honestly about the challenges of raising a child with ADHD in today's education system, including impulsivity, hyperactivity, reading struggles, standardized testing, 504 plans, ADHD accommodations, medication, and the lessons we've learned along the way.
You'll hear about the moment my son came home crying because he believed he was a bad kid... how we reframed impulsive behaviors as "fast brain decisions"... why creating a 504 plan became a turning point... the reading challenges that surfaced during EOG testing... our family's experience with ADHD medication and difficult side effects... and how we're preparing for the biggest transition yet—middle school.
We also discuss common ADHD school accommodations, why there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and why supporting neurodivergent children is often a process of observation, collaboration, and trial and error.
Whether your child is just starting kindergarten or preparing for middle school, this episode will remind you that your child isn't broken—and neither are you.
This episode kicks off a 12-week series featuring psychologists, educators, executive functioning experts, reading specialists, therapists, and ADHD professionals who will share practical strategies to help ADHD kids thrive both inside and outside the classroom.
In this episode:
• Our ADHD school journey from first grade through fifth grade
• Why ADHD behaviors are often mistaken for "bad behavior"
• The "Fast Brain Decisions" strategy that changed our parenting
• When and why we created a 504 Plan
• Common ADHD school accommodations that may help
• Why accommodations should be individualized
• ADHD and reading struggles
• EOG testing and executive functioning challenges
• Our experience with ADHD medication
• Preparing for the middle school transition
• What this 12-week series will cover
🎧 Subscribe so you don't miss upcoming conversations on executive functioning, reading, homework, anxiety, middle school success, IEPs, 504 Plans, classroom accommodations, organization, emotional regulation, and helping ADHD children build confidence in school.
If this episode encouraged you, please leave a review and share it with another ADHD parent who could use a little hope today.
This Month's Sponsors:
 🦘 Ted Kangaroo
Sensory tools that help kids wiggle, focus, and regulate—without another battle. Use code: CHAOS20 to save 20%. 
📚 Reading.com
Helping struggling readers build confidence and parents keep their sanity one lesson at a time.
🎲 DSS Games
Helping families put down the screens, laugh together, and actually enjoy spending time with each other again.
🌙 Moonbuddy
Helping kids calm their nervous systems without another screen in sight. Use code: CHAOSANDCAFFEINE10 to save 10%.
🌱 MaryRuth Organics
If you’ve got a kid who treats vegetables like a personal enemy, MaryRuth Organics might become your new best friend. 
Join Our Patreon and Find All of Our Faves! 
📧 Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Email us at chaosandcaffeinepodcast@gmail.com.
Support the show
Danielle is the host of Chaos & Caffeine, a fast-growing ADHD parenting podcast where she interviews leading psychologists, clinicians, researchers, and neurodivergent advocates about what actually helps ADHD kids thrive in the real world. Through science-backed conversations and very real mom-in-the-trenches storytelling, the show helps parents navigate executive function challenges, emotional regulation struggles, learning differences, and the everyday chaos of raising neurodivergent kids.
Each week, Danielle translates complex ADHD research into practical tools parents can actually use — from building routines that support developing brains to helping kids strengthen focus, flexibility, and self-regulation skills.
Listen to the podcast and explore expert interviews at:
https://linktr.ee/chaosandcaffeinepodcast
Danielle frequently speaks and writes about ADHD parenting strategies, executive function development, emotional regulation, screen use and attention, learning challenges like dyslexia, and building resilient neurodivergent families.

If you're an ADHD mom, chances are you've become an expert at taking care of everyone else... while putting yourself dead last.
Sound familiar?
In this episode of Chaos & Caffeine, I'm joined by Loretta Lee—coach, speaker, caregiver, and passionate advocate for helping parents move beyond survival mode. Together, we're having the honest conversation so many neurodivergent parents need to hear about caregiver burnout, mom guilt, boundaries, self-care, and protecting your mental health while raising ADHD and neurodivergent children.
We dive into why so many ADHD moms feel exhausted, how the invisible mental load affects our relationships and parenting, and practical ways to begin prioritizing yourself without feeling selfish.
Inside this episode we discuss:
☕ Why ADHD moms experience burnout differently
☕ The hidden mental load of raising neurodivergent children
☕ How to set healthy boundaries without guilt
☕ Why self-care isn't selfish—it's essential
☕ Practical strategies to protect your mental health
☕ Finding yourself again outside of motherhood
If you've ever wondered whether you're doing enough, carrying too much, or simply trying to survive another day of ADHD parenting, this conversation will remind you that you are not alone.
Because taking care of yourself isn't taking away from your family—it's one of the greatest gifts you can give them.
Connect with Loretta 👉 Loretta Lee
This Month's Sponsors:
 🦘 Ted Kangaroo
Sensory tools that help kids wiggle, focus, and regulate—without another battle. Use code: CHAOS20 to save 20%. 
📚 Reading.com
Helping struggling readers build confidence and parents keep their sanity one lesson at a time.
🌙 Moonbuddy
Helping kids calm their nervous systems without another screen in sight. Use code: CHAOSANDCAFFEINE10 to save 10%.
🌱 MaryRuth Organics
If you’ve got a kid who treats vegetables like a personal enemy, MaryRuth Organics might become your new best friend. 
Join Our Patreon and Find All of Our Faves! 
📧 Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Email us at chaosandcaffeinepodcast@gmail.com.
Support the show
Danielle is the host of Chaos & Caffeine, a fast-growing ADHD parenting podcast where she interviews leading psychologists, clinicians, researchers, and neurodivergent advocates about what actually helps ADHD kids thrive in the real world. Through science-backed conversations and very real mom-in-the-trenches storytelling, the show helps parents navigate executive function challenges, emotional regulation struggles, learning differences, and the everyday chaos of raising neurodivergent kids.
Each week, Danielle translates complex ADHD research into practical tools parents can actually use — from building routines that support developing brains to helping kids strengthen focus, flexibility, and self-regulation skills.
Listen to the podcast and explore expert interviews at:
https://linktr.ee/chaosandcaffeinepodcast
Danielle frequently speaks and writes about ADHD parenting strategies, executive function development, emotional regulation, screen use and attention, learning challenges like dyslexia, and building resilient neurodivergent families.

For decades, millions of women have been told they're "too emotional," "too anxious," or simply not trying hard enough. But what if the real answer was ADHD all along?
In this powerful episode of Chaos & Caffeine: ADHD Parenting Podcast, Danielle sits down with Dr. Jennifer Dall, an ADHD specialist dedicated to helping women understand how ADHD actually presents throughout their lives.
Together, they unpack why ADHD in women is so frequently overlooked, how hormones can dramatically affect ADHD symptoms, and why so many women are first diagnosed with anxiety or depression instead of ADHD. From puberty and pregnancy to postpartum, perimenopause, and menopause, this conversation explores how hormonal changes can magnify executive dysfunction, emotional regulation struggles, brain fog, forgetfulness, sensory overwhelm, and burnout.
Whether you're an ADHD mom, suspect you may have ADHD yourself, or you're raising a daughter who may be neurodivergent, this episode offers validation, practical insight, and hope.
In this episode you'll learn:
✔️ The uncommon ADHD symptoms women often miss
✔️ Why ADHD is frequently mistaken for anxiety or depression
✔️ The connection between estrogen, hormones, and ADHD
✔️ Why ADHD symptoms often worsen during perimenopause and menopause
✔️ How masking causes burnout in women
✔️ Emotional dysregulation and rejection sensitivity explained
✔️ Why so many moms discover they have ADHD after their child is diagnosed
✔️ The science behind executive dysfunction in women
✔️ How to advocate for yourself and seek an accurate diagnosis
✔️ Strategies for thriving with ADHD through every stage of life
If you've ever wondered why life feels harder than it seems for everyone else, this episode may finally provide the answers you've been searching for.
Connect with Dr. Dall 👉 ADHD Holistically 
This Month's Sponsors:
 🦘 Ted Kangaroo
Sensory tools that help kids wiggle, focus, and regulate—without another battle. Use code: CHAOS20 to save 20%. 
📚 Reading.com
Helping struggling readers build confidence and parents keep their sanity one lesson at a time.
🌙 Moonbuddy
Helping kids calm their nervous systems without another screen in sight. Use code: CHAOSANDCAFFEINE10 to save 10%.
🌱 MaryRuth Organics
If you’ve got a kid who treats vegetables like a personal enemy, MaryRuth Organics might become your new best friend. 
Join Our Patreon and Find All of Our Faves! 
📧 Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Email us at chaosandcaffeinepodcast@gmail.com.
Support the show
Danielle is the host of Chaos & Caffeine, a fast-growing ADHD parenting podcast where she interviews leading psychologists, clinicians, researchers, and neurodivergent advocates about what actually helps ADHD kids thrive in the real world. Through science-backed conversations and very real mom-in-the-trenches storytelling, the show helps parents navigate executive function challenges, emotional regulation struggles, learning differences, and the everyday chaos of raising neurodivergent kids.
Each week, Danielle translates complex ADHD research into practical tools parents can actually use — from building routines that support developing brains to helping kids strengthen focus, flexibility, and self-regulation skills.
Listen to the podcast and explore expert interviews at:
https://linktr.ee/chaosandcaffeinepodcast
Danielle frequently speaks and writes about ADHD parenting strategies, executive function development, emotional regulation, screen use and attention, learning challenges like dyslexia, and building resilient neurodivergent families.

Join Our Patreon and Find All of Our Faves! 
Do you ever feel like your child's ADHD symptoms become harder to manage when you're stressed, overwhelmed, exhausted, or completely touched out?
You're not imagining it.
Research shows that a parent's stress level can have a powerful impact on a child's ability to regulate emotions, manage impulsivity, and navigate daily challenges. But what happens when you're parenting ADHD while also managing ADHD yourself?
In this episode of Chaos & Caffeine: An ADHD Parenting Podcast, Danielle Kelly sits down with ADHD expert, coach, and ADD Crusher creator Alan P. Brown to discuss practical mindfulness strategies for real-life ADHD families.
Forget perfect parenting. Forget spending hours meditating on a mountain.
This conversation focuses on realistic tools that help ADHD parents regulate their emotions, reduce stress, respond instead of react, and create calmer homes—even during homework battles, morning chaos, bedtime meltdowns, emotional outbursts, and executive function struggles.
In this episode, you'll learn:
✔ Why your stress level directly impacts your child's behavior
✔ The connection between ADHD, emotional regulation, and parenting
✔ Practical Zen Parenting strategies that actually work
✔ How mindfulness can help ADHD parents stay calm under pressure
✔ Why emotional regulation matters more than perfect parenting
✔ Simple mindset shifts that reduce conflict and power struggles
✔ ADHD-friendly approaches to meditation and mindfulness
✔ How modeling self-regulation teaches children emotional resilience
✔ Real-world tools for managing overwhelm, frustration, and burnout
✔ Why repairing after parenting mistakes matters more than getting it right every time
Whether you're raising a child with ADHD, parenting a neurodivergent family, navigating executive dysfunction, managing emotional dysregulation, or simply trying to survive another chaotic week, this episode will leave you with practical tools you can start using today.
Connect with Alan 👉 ADD Crusher
This Month's Sponsors:
 🦘 Ted Kangaroo
Sensory tools that help kids wiggle, focus, and regulate—without another battle. Use code: CHAOS20 to save 20%. 
📚 Reading.com
Helping struggling readers build confidence and parents keep their sanity one lesson at a time.
🌙 Moonbuddy
Helping kids calm their nervous systems without another screen in sight. Use code: CHAOSANDCAFFEINE10 to save 10%.
🌱 MaryRuth Organics
If you’ve got a kid who treats vegetables like a personal enemy, MaryRuth Organics might become your new best friend. 
Join Our Patreon and Find All of Our Faves! 
📧 Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Email us at chaosandcaffeinepodcast@gmail.com.
Support the show
Danielle is the host of Chaos & Caffeine, a fast-growing ADHD parenting podcast where she interviews leading psychologists, clinicians, researchers, and neurodivergent advocates about what actually helps ADHD kids thrive in the real world. Through science-backed conversations and very real mom-in-the-trenches storytelling, the show helps parents navigate executive function challenges, emotional regulation struggles, learning differences, and the everyday chaos of raising neurodivergent kids.
Each week, Danielle translates complex ADHD research into practical tools parents can actually use — from building routines that support developing brains to helping kids strengthen focus, flexibility, and self-regulation skills.
Listen to the podcast and explore expert interviews at:
https://linktr.ee/chaosandcaffeinepodcast
Danielle frequently speaks and writes about ADHD parenting strategies, executive function development, emotional regulation, screen use and attention, learning challenges like dyslexia, and building resilient neurodivergent families.