How to Master Parenting Techniques for ADHD in Daily Life

A mom in my parent coaching program sent me a message last night.

She wrote:

“Ivan, my child was acting out again — same old patterns. But for the first time, I stopped myself. I realized I had a choice. I could yell, or I could breathe and respond differently. I chose calm. I stayed grounded.
And everything shifted.”

She told me that even though her child’s behavior hadn’t magically changed overnight, she had.
She felt peaceful, not powerless.
And that peace started to change her home.

What Changed?

I’m Ivan — a parent coach and occupational therapist with over 20 years of experience helping families move from chaos to connection.

What made the difference for this mom — and for hundreds of others I’ve worked with — wasn’t a complicated strategy.

It was learning how to pause, breathe, and lead from calm.

Here are a few of the foundational parenting techniques for ADHD I teach parents who are ready to bring peace back into their homes.

Parenting techniques for ADHD begin with self-regulation

When your child pushes your buttons, your nervous system wants to react — fast.
It’s your body’s way of trying to regain control.
But the truth is: real control begins with calm.

Mindfulness creates space between the moment something happens and how you respond.
In that space, you reclaim your power to choose.

You don’t have to yell.
You don’t have to match your child’s energy.
You can choose presence over reaction — and that single shift changes everything that follows.

If you’re curious how mindfulness can help reduce stress and reactivity, check out this post on mindful parenting for ADHD .

And to learn how mindfulness affects the ADHD brain, read more on the science behind mindfulness and ADHD .

Maximize your impact with the right parenting techniques for ADHD

Parenting a teen with ADHD can be isolating.
You feel like you’ve tried everything, and yet the same battles keep repeating.

This is why coaching matters.
Having someone who can meet you in the moment — not with judgment, but with understanding — is life-changing.

One mom I worked with recently called me while she was shaking with stress.
Dinner was burning, the school had called about another meeting, and she felt like she couldn’t breathe.

We took three minutes together to reset her nervous system.
Through guided breathing and visualization, she came back to herself.
Her body calmed. Her mind cleared.
And that night, her home was calmer too.

That’s what parent coaching offers — someone in your corner to help you regulate when everything feels too big. You can read more about how parent coaching improves ADHD family routines  .

Research shows that ADHD parent coaching improves emotional regulation and family harmony  — especially when applied consistently.

Parenting starts with presence

When you’re in survival mode, it feels like you’re standing an inch from the wall — all you can see is the problem in front of you.
Coaching helps you step back.
You begin to see new options, new strategies, and new ways of relating to your child.

Videos and books can give you ideas, but they can’t personalize those ideas to your family’s rhythms and triggers.
Coaching helps you apply the tools in real time, in ways that actually work for you.

For ADHD support to work, you must understand behavior

When you understand ADHD on a neurological level, everything changes.

You begin to see your child’s behavior not as defiance — but as communication.
They’re not fighting you; they’re overwhelmed, overstimulated, or unsure how to ask for what they need.

One mom told me recently,

“Understanding gives me patience.
When I know what’s happening in my child’s brain, I don’t take it personally anymore.”

Understanding ADHD’s root causes — not just the behavior — is critical. Learn more about self-regulation in ADHD teens and how it improves connection.

To deepen your insight, explore this guide on why ADHD is not defiance but a neurological condition  

And that’s where peace begins — not by controlling your child, but by leading with understanding.

You Can Create Calm, Too

Your home doesn’t have to be filled with shouting, frustration, and guilt.
You can build a new pattern — one grounded in awareness, connection, and peace.

Schedule a 1:1 Call for Personalized Support

If you're ready to apply these parenting techniques for ADHD in a way that actually works for you, let’s connect.
Schedule a 1:1 call with me  for personalized guidance, support, and real-time strategies that create lasting change.

Because when you find calm, your child will follow.