Calm Parenting Podcast — Episode #543: "Should You Medicate? 20 Natural Ways to Help ND & ADHD Kids"
Host: Kirk Martin | Date: December 10, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Kirk Martin, founder of Celebrate Calm, explores the complex decision of whether to use medication for neurodivergent and ADHD children. Drawing on his vast experience with over 1,500 challenging kids and a million families, Kirk offers a refreshingly practical, honest, and often humorous roadmap for parents seeking natural strategies before turning to medication. He also underscores the importance of playing to children’s strengths, understanding brain differences, and advocating within school systems.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Why This Conversation Matters

• Intro to Common Struggles ([01:41])
  • Kids with focus/attention issues, impulsivity, forgetfulness, sensory sensitivities, anxiety, and executive function challenges are common.
  • Kirk doesn’t focus on diagnosis labels, preferring to look at specific symptoms: “It doesn’t matter to me what label you use. I just want to develop very specific tools to help with very specific struggles.” (Kirk, [02:48])
  • Schools sometimes pressure parents to medicate, which Kirk calls out as unfair and sometimes unethical.

2. A Thoughtful Framework for Medication ([03:30])

• Medication is a last resort due to potential side effects.
• Kirk compares it to using allergy medication or cholesterol drugs only after exhausting natural interventions.
• “If the natural tools I’m using are helping, I’ll continue on that track. If my body needs extra help, maybe I’d consider a low dose, but never as the only solution.” (Kirk, [05:41])

3. The ‘Toolbox’ Approach — Laying Out Natural Strategies ([06:37])

• Practical worksheet:
  • Left column: List your child's specific struggles.
  • Top row: List interventions (e.g., diet, exercise, sensory strategies, modeling, proactive brain stimulation, teaching skills, and lastly, medication).
  • Work across each struggle with various interventions before considering medication.

4. Deep Dive: Natural Tools for Five Key Areas

A. Focus & Inattention / Executive Dysfunction
([07:11]—[15:30])

• Diet:
  • Reduce sugar, food dyes, processed foods; add more protein.
  • Address gut health—kids with stomach discomfort get irritable and distracted.
• Sensory + Exercise:
  • Lead kids outside, play, climb, swing, carry heavy things, “hide their breakfast outside,” etc.
  • After sensory input, kids focus better in class.
• Classroom/At-home hacks:
  • Simon Says (cross-body movement for brain stimulation).
  • “Chair push-ups” for quick sensory breaks.
• Brain stimulation:
  • Allow chewing gum/snacks/tassels, light candles, play music, work in novel settings (coffee shops, restaurants).
  • “Why do some of us concentrate better in a Panera Bread or coffee shop? That stimulation improves focus.” (Kirk, [11:35])

B. Fidgeting, Restlessness & Sensory Issues
([15:31]—[19:45])

• Exercise balls at desks, Simon Says, double-sided tape for tactile input under desk.
• Positive fidgeting (stand for homework, tapping, rocking, forts under tables).

C. Impulse Control, Excess Talking, Blurting Out ([19:46])

• Practice impulse control with real-life incentives (e.g., early screen turn-off gets you extra minutes tomorrow).
• “Talk tickets” at school for raising hands.
• Delay gratification: “Ask me again after you do X.”

D. Disorganization, Poor Time Management, Forgetfulness
([20:45])

• Energy Management over Time Management:
  • “You’re not going to get these kids to manage their time in a typical way. We work on energy and momentum, not the clock.” (Kirk, [22:30])
  • Allow kids to do homework after exercise or at odd times if that aligns with their energy.
• Visual reminders and hacks:
  • Whiteboards, painted word imagery (e.g., “put these three things in the back of a Lamborghini”), taking photos of homework to email teachers.

E. Anxiety & Meltdowns
([23:22])

• Eliminate unknowns:
  • Sunday evening preview of week’s schedule; whiteboard visible for all.
• Routine and predictability reduce anxiety.
• “Our kids aren’t great when you change plans last minute. Give them advance notice—visually, when possible.” (Kirk, [12:40])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Medication as Last Resort:

  • “Do I want kids to be on medication forever? No. But family circumstances differ—sometimes medication helps, sometimes it isn’t needed at all. Let’s not judge parents based on these decisions.” ([05:54])

• Redefining “Weaknesses”:

  • “You don’t have to be good at everything. Cultivate your unique strengths, don’t waste energy ‘fixing’ every supposed weakness.” ([10:52])
  • “School is an arbitrary environment. In the real world, our kids’ high energy becomes a huge advantage.” ([10:07])

• On Changing Perspective—Empowering Kids:

  • “I want your kids to know there’s nothing wrong with their brains. Their hyper-focus, ability to see patterns, and think strategically are huge assets.” ([32:11])

• On School Demands:

  • “I believe that for many of your kids, using this entire toolbox will help alleviate, in many cases, the need for medication.” ([29:56])
  • “It’s unethical for schools to recommend that your child be medicated. That’s not their job.” ([30:44])

• The Placebo Story: ([31:15])

  • Kirk shared a story of sending a note to the school claiming his son was on medication (he wasn’t), and teachers suddenly became more tolerant—“The only thing that had changed was their perception of him.”

Self-Advocacy and Building Confidence ([33:02])

• Kirk shares a parent email:
  • Child listened to Celebrate Calm programs, then self-advocated at school for alternative arrangements: “I know I struggle to focus on worksheets. Would you mind if I worked under my desk, where I can focus better?...Could we try that for a week?”
  • “I am so proud of him. He’s taken responsibility...and I’ve seen his confidence grow.” (Listener email, paraphrased by Kirk, [34:13])

Timestamps: Important Segments

• [01:41] — Framing the ADHD/ND challenges & the question of medication
• [03:30] — Kirk’s analogy for medication as last resort
• [06:37] — Natural strategies toolbox & worksheet framework
• [07:11] — Dietary changes & impacts of gut health
• [11:35] — Brain stimulation techniques in real life
• [15:31] — Sensory solutions (forts, movement breaks, tactile aids)
• [19:46] — Impulse/energy management strategies
• [20:45] — Organizational and memory tips for kids
• [23:22] — Reducing anxiety through routine
• [30:44] — Ethical issues around school medication pressure
• [31:15] — The placebo letter story
• [33:02] — Self-advocacy, student confidence, and parent testimonial

Tone & Takeaways

Kirk’s tone is direct, highly practical, and supportive—layered with humor and real-world stories. He encourages experimentation, understanding, and the celebration of neurodiversity, with a clear bottom line: equip children and parents with natural tools, advocate thoughtfully, and let medication be a carefully chosen last step if truly needed.

For further resources and downloadable tools, Kirk recommends contacting Celebrate Calm at Casey@CelebrateCalm.com