Chaos & Caffeine - ADHD Parenting Podcast

Is your child bright but still struggling to read?
Do they guess at words, avoid reading altogether, melt down during homework, or insist they're "bad at reading"? If you're raising a child with ADHD, it can be incredibly difficult to know whether these challenges are caused by attention, dyslexia, or something else entirely.
This week on Chaos & Caffeine: An ADHD Parenting Podcast, Danielle Kelly sits down with reading specialist, Certified Academic Language Therapist, and Home Reading Coach founder Faye Bankler Casell to break down what every ADHD parent needs to know about reading difficulties.
Together, they discuss:
• The difference between ADHD and dyslexia
• Why so many bright kids struggle with reading
• Early warning signs parents shouldn't ignore
• What the Science of Reading actually means (without the educational jargon)
• Why traditional reading practice often isn't enough
• Practical, research-backed strategies parents can use at home
• How to protect your child's confidence while building stronger reading skills
Whether your child has ADHD, dyslexia, learning differences, or simply isn't making the reading progress you'd expect, this episode will help you understand what's really happening—and what you can do next.
Because struggling to read doesn't mean a child isn't smart. It means they deserve instruction that works for the way their brain learns.
🎧 Subscribe to Chaos & Caffeine for weekly conversations with leading ADHD experts, psychologists, educators, researchers, physicians, and parents who are changing the way we support neurodivergent kids.
Connect with Faye 👉 Home Reading Coach
This Month's Sponsors:
🌎 bina school
A small, global online school built for kids who need learning to be more flexible, personalized, and human.
 🦘 Ted Kangaroo
Sensory tools that help kids wiggle, focus, and regulate—without another battle. Use code: CHAOS20 to save 20%. 
 🩵 Parker & Talia
 Sensory-friendly clothing and socks made for kids who can’t just “ignore” the tag, seam, texture, or waistband. 
📚 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.
🎓 Inclusive Expectations
 Special education advocacy and personalized support helping parents navigate IEPs, school meetings, and accommodations with more confidence.
🌱 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 your child has ever completely lost it because their socks feel wrong, a tag is driving them CRAZY, the waistband is uncomfortable, or the shirt they wore perfectly happily yesterday is suddenly absolutely unacceptable… this episode is for you. 😂
For ADHD, autistic, and sensory-sensitive kids, getting dressed isn't always a simple part of the morning routine. Seams, tags, fabrics, waistbands, textures, fit, and even tiny changes in how clothing feels can become genuinely overwhelming—and what looks like stubbornness or defiance from the outside may actually be a child trying to communicate that something feels WRONG.
This week on Chaos & Caffeine: ADHD Parenting Podcast, Danielle Kelly sits down with Valerie Bernal, founder of Parker & Talia, to talk about sensory sensitivities, clothing struggles, and why getting dressed can become such a huge source of stress for neurodivergent kids and their parents.
We talk about:
• Why some ADHD and autistic kids are extremely sensitive to clothing
• Tags, seams, waistbands, fabrics, textures, and other common sensory triggers
• Why a child may tolerate an outfit one day and refuse it the next
• Sensory discomfort vs. behavior or defiance
• How clothing battles can affect regulation and the entire morning routine
• Supporting bodily autonomy and listening when kids tell us something doesn't feel right
• Helping sensory-sensitive children build confidence and independence
• Valerie's journey to creating Parker & Talia
• How sensory-friendly clothing can remove one unnecessary struggle from a neurodivergent child's day
Because when our kids are already navigating a world that asks their nervous systems to adapt ALL DAY LONG, maybe getting dressed doesn't need to be another freaking battle.
Connect with Valerie 👉 Parker & Talia 
This Month's Sponsors:
🌎 Bina School
A small, global online school built for kids who need learning to be more flexible, personalized, and human.
 🦘 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.
🎓 Inclusive Expectations
 Special education advocacy and personalized support helping parents navigate IEPs, school meetings, and accommodations with more confidence.
🌱 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.

Does your ADHD child actually have the school support they need—or have you been told they’re “doing fine” because their grades look okay?
For parents of neurodivergent kids, navigating IEPs, 504 Plans, school accommodations, evaluations, and special education services can feel like learning an entirely new language while simultaneously trying to advocate for the person you love most.
This week on Chaos & Caffeine: ADHD Parenting Podcast, Danielle Kelly sits down with Kelly from Inclusive Expectations to help parents understand how to advocate for their ADHD and neurodivergent children at school.
We’re talking about:
Signs your child may need additional school support—even with good grades
IEP vs. 504 Plans and navigating the accommodation process
What to do when the school says your child is “doing fine”
What school data parents should actually be asking for
Turning ADHD and executive-function challenges into meaningful accommodations
How to prepare for an IEP or 504 meeting
Advocating confidently without creating a parent-versus-school battle
Making sure accommodations actually work in your child’s real school day
If you've ever walked into a school meeting surrounded by acronyms and wondered, “How the hell am I supposed to know what my kid needs?”—start here.
You don't have to become a special education expert overnight. But you CAN learn how to ask better questions, understand the information in front of you, and become a powerful member of your child's educational team.
Connect with Kelly 👉 Inclusive Expectations
This Month's Sponsors:
🌎 Bina School
A small, global online school built for kids who need learning to be more flexible, personalized, and human.
 🦘 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.

Is your ADHD child constantly forgetting homework, struggling to focus, melting down after school, or being labeled as "smart but not applying themselves?"
You're not alone—and your child isn't lazy.
In this episode of Chaos & Caffeine: An ADHD Parenting Podcast, Danielle Kelly sits down with renowned child mental health expert, therapist, and school psychologist Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge to unpack what is really happening inside the ADHD brain during the school day.
Together, they explore why emotional regulation is the foundation for learning, how executive functioning impacts everything from homework to organization, and practical, science-backed strategies parents can use to help their children succeed in school without constant power struggles.
Whether your child has an ADHD diagnosis, struggles with executive functioning, has a 504 Plan or IEP, or you're simply trying to make this school year smoother, this episode is packed with actionable advice you can start using today.
In this episode, you'll learn:
• Why ADHD kids often struggle despite being incredibly intelligent
• The connection between emotional regulation and academic success
• Executive functioning skills every parent should understand
• How to reduce homework battles and after-school meltdowns
• Classroom accommodations that actually help ADHD learners
• How to prepare your child for elementary school, middle school, or high school
• What teachers often misunderstand about ADHD
• Practical strategies to build confidence, independence, and resilience
If you've ever wondered why your child can ace a conversation but forget every assignment... why they can focus for hours on Minecraft but not twenty minutes of homework... or why school feels harder than it should, this conversation will leave you feeling informed, empowered, and far less alone.
🎧 Subscribe to Chaos & Caffeine so you never miss an episode featuring leading ADHD researchers, psychologists, educators, and experts helping families navigate ADHD with more confidence and less chaos.
Connect with Dr. Roseann 👉Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge
This Month's Sponsors:
🌎 Bina School
A small, global online school built for kids who need learning to be more flexible, personalized, and human.
 🦘 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.

Why do ADHD kids struggle to sit still, follow directions, tune out distractions, and focus in the classroom—and what does neuroscience say we can actually do about it?
Today on Chaos & Caffeine, ADHD Parenting Podcast, Danielle Kelly sits down with leading neuroscientist and ADHD researcher Dr. John Foxe, Director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester, to go all the way back to the brain.
Because here's the question: Were our kids ever meant to sit quietly at a desk for hours, ignore everything happening around them, hold multiple instructions in working memory, resist the urge to move, switch tasks on command, and somehow stay focused through an entire school day?
And if the ADHD brain struggles inside that environment, does that mean something is wrong with the child—or do we need to better understand what their brain needs to learn?
We're digging into the neuroscience behind ADHD, attention, sensory processing, movement, distraction, learning, and the classroom—and, most importantly, turning that science into practical strategies parents can actually use this school year.
We talk about why ADHD kids may miss directions even when they appear to be listening, why noisy classrooms and busy school environments can make learning harder, why movement matters, what happens when the brain has to constantly filter competing information, and how understanding your child's brain can change the way you approach school struggles.
And because most of us cannot redesign the education system before Monday morning, we also talk about reality: How do we help ADHD kids succeed in the classrooms they have right now?
If you're raising a child with ADHD who struggles with focus, school behavior, executive functioning, sensory overload, classroom expectations, following directions, or learning, this conversation may completely change the way you see their school day.
Especially if you're a new ADHD parent wondering, "Why is this so much harder for my kid?"
This isn't about teaching ADHD kids to become better at pretending they don't have ADHD.
It's about understanding how their brains work—and using that knowledge to help them learn, advocate for what they need, and walk into school knowing their brain belongs there too.
Connect with Dr. Foxe 👉NeURoscience Perspectives
This Month's Sponsors:
🌎 Bina School
A small, global online school built for kids who need learning to be more flexible, personalized, and human.
 🦘 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.