ADHD Screen Time Battles: Turn Conflict Into Cooperation //Adela Baker, PCC, PCAC

Summary

---

Podcast Episode Summary

Healthy Screen Habits Podcast

Host: Hillary Wilkinson
Guest: Adela Baker, PCC, PCAC – ADHD Coach
Episode: ADHD Screen Time Battles: Turn Conflict Into Cooperation
Date: May 6, 2026

---

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the complexities of managing screen time in families where a child (or parent) has ADHD. Hillary Wilkinson and guest Adela Baker—a credentialed ADHD coach—explore why screens are uniquely enticing to the ADHD brain and how parents can shift from power struggles to cooperation. They focus on understanding neurological needs, fostering agency, and implementing creative, collaborative solutions rather than relying solely on rigid limits.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Understanding ADHD and Screen Time (03:23–08:58)

• ADHD is Often Misunderstood:
  Adela challenges the name “attention deficit hyperactive disorder,” emphasizing that it’s not a deficit of attention, but more about a struggle with self-regulation. People with ADHD can “hyper-focus” on subjects that interest them—like video games or other screen activities.
  • Quote: “We can pay attention like nobody's business if we are interested in the topic… That’s his ADHD at work, right? It’s hyper-focused…” — Adela (03:35)
• Analogy:
  Managing ADHD is like dealing with nearsightedness: just as people need different glasses prescriptions, every ADHD brain needs tailored accommodations.
• Dopamine and the Digital World:
  Screens provide a “steady stream of dopamine”—the neurochemical the ADHD brain craves—making them incredibly soothing and hard to resist.
  • Quote: “The brain is hungry for dopamine, and in front of a digital device, it's getting a nice, steady stream of dopamine. Like Pac Man, chomp, chomp, chomp... Not only does it feel great, it's like a relief for the ADHD brain.” — Adela (00:00; 03:58)
• Executive Function Lag:
  Executive functions (like planning, motivation, and impulse control) are already developing slowly in youth and typically lag 3–5 years further in ADHD brains.

---

2. The Myth of “Building a Focus Muscle” With Screens (08:00–09:13)

• Screens do not train resilience or improve focus in real-world situations. Instead, they offer built-in stimulation perfectly suited for the ADHD brain—but don’t help the brain self-regulate off-screen.
  • Quote: “When they are on their screens, they're getting this slow, steady stream of dopamine... but it's not training it… it's not building resilience.” — Adela (08:56)

---

3. Introducing the “Dopa Menu” (09:14–12:47)

• To ease transitions off screens and reduce tantrums, Adela recommends collaboratively building a “Dopa menu”—a list of alternative activities that offer similar rewards (novelty, connection, challenge, fun).
  • Quote: “ADHD brains thrive on novelty and challenge… We also thrive on connection. So what is it that is missing and what might replace the screen?” — Adela (09:14, 09:54)
• Agency is Critical:
  ADHD brains resist imposed plans. Solutions must be co-created with the child. Parents are encouraged to let their children direct the process, choosing their own off-screen activities and strategies.
• Story: Adela’s son devised his own creative way to swallow a pill—a metaphor for letting kids find their own solutions.

---

4. Planning, Agency, and Transitioning (12:59–21:18)

• Empowering Questions:
  Parents should prompt reflection and self-planning, not dictate answers (e.g., “What do you want to do after your screen time?” vs. “You must do X”).
• Metacognition:
  Helping kids think about their future actions (metacognition) is key. This is the last executive function skill to develop, so kids will need consistent support.
• Letting Kids Make Mistakes:
  Experimentation and learning from what works (and what doesn’t) are vital. Creative solutions—including using songs to measure time instead of timers—are valid if they work for the individual.
  • Quote: “It’s constant experimentation… helping them live on their own terms so that they can have their system.” — Adela (20:17; 20:50)

---

5. Communicating With Support Teams & Encouraging Positive Reinforcement (21:22–27:33)

• Transparency With Teams:
  When dealing with extended caregivers or teachers, involve the child in deciding what others need to know about their ADHD and needs.
• Combatting Negativity:
  Adela shares a striking fact: a child with ADHD hears over 20,000 more negative or corrective messages by age 12 than their peers.
  • Quote: “20,000 more. Correction after correction after correction… chipping away at their self esteem. We do not want that for our kids.” — Adela (23:09)
• 5 Penny Game:
  For every corrective comment, aim for four specific, positive affirmations.
  • Example: Instead of “good job,” say “I noticed you turned off the TV by yourself and started your homework—how did you make that transition?”

---

6. Adaptation and the Evolving Nature of Accommodations (27:33–28:46)

• Visual Analogy:
  Accommodations (like glasses) need to be checked and adjusted over time. What works now may not work later; ADHD brains love novelty and may need fresh supports regularly.
  • Quote: “An accommodation that might have worked for a while may no longer work after three months... And that’s okay.” — Adela (28:09)

---

7. Healthy Screen Habit – The Power of Reflective Questions (30:17–31:10)

• Adela’s Takeaway:
  Instead of a one-size-fits-all tip, she offers a powerful question for reflection—ideal for both parents and kids:
  • “How will this help me live in alignment with my core values?... What choice am I making here that gets me one step closer to living out my purpose?”
  • For children: “What is really important to you right now?” (31:10)
• Rooted in Agency:
  Encourages both parents and kids to ask “Why am I choosing this?” to foster intentional, value-driven decisions around screen use.

---

Memorable Quotes & Moments (With Timestamps)

• On the Dopamine-Driven Brain:
  “The brain is, is hungry for dopamine, and in front of a digital device, it's getting a nice, steady stream of dopamine. Like, I think of the, you know, Pac man, chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp...” — Adela (00:00)
• On Agency:
  “ADHD brain does not do well with that secondhand interest… It's almost like James Dean with a black leather jacket… I'm going to do it my way.” — Adela (06:53)
• On Boredom:
  “ADHD brains hate boredom. Boredom is slow death. Some people call it borcher.” — Adela (17:05)
• On Experimentation:
  “Letting them make mistakes… This is a learning process, it’s constant experimentation, helping them live on their own terms...” — Adela (20:17)
• On Reframing Corrections:
  “A kid with ADHD hears over 20,000 more negative or corrective messages by the age of 10 or 12 than a neurotypical kid... chipping away at their self esteem.” — Adela (23:09)
• On Accommodation-as-Glasses Analogy:
  “My prescription changes every year. I go in, I get it checked. So it's not a set fix... An accommodation that might have worked for a while may no longer work after three months or six months. And that's okay.” — (Adela & Hillary, 28:09)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 — Why screens are irresistible to the ADHD brain
• 03:23 — Reframing the ADHD diagnosis and introducing executive function deficits
• 06:48 — The challenge of “secondhand interest” and need for agency
• 08:00 — Prefrontal cortex development lag & screen “focus” myth
• 09:14 — The Dopa menu: Creating alternatives to screens
• 12:47 — Collaborative planning: letting kids take the lead
• 17:05 — Why boredom is unbearable for ADHD and role of planning
• 21:22 — Communicating ADHD needs to caregivers and the power of positive reinforcement
• 23:09 — The “5 penny game” and anchoring positive behaviors
• 27:33 — The glasses analogy: accommodations must adapt
• 30:17 — Healthy Screen Habit: Reflective questioning for agency

---

Final Takeaways

• Guide, don't dictate: Collaborative and curiosity-driven approaches outclass top-down rules.
• Encourage agency: ADHD brains thrive when they co-create systems to manage screen time and receive positive, specific feedback.
• Review and adapt: What works now may need to change as novelty wears off.
• Empower reflection: Help kids (and parents) return to “why”—core values and intentions behind screen choices.

Resources:

• ADHD Coaches Organization Directory (link in show notes)
• More info and transcript: healthyscreenhabits.org

---

Transcript

[A]

The brain is, is hungry for dopamine, and in front of a digital device, it's getting a nice, steady stream of dopamine. Like, I think of the, you know, Pac man, chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp. This is so delicious. It feels great. Not only does it feel great, it's like a relief for the ADHD brain.

[B]

Welcome to the Healthy Screen Habits podcast. I'm Hillary Wilkinson. Whether you're starting your parenting journey with a newborn or looking to connect with your teen on technology, let's learn some new healthy screen habits together. With 10 years of coaching experience and fluency in five languages, my guest today brings global perspective to her practice serving clients around the world. From her base in in New Orleans as vice president of the ADHD Coaches association and a mentor for the professional association of ADHD Coaches, her expertise is grounded in rigorous training in neuroscience, psychology, and advanced coaching techniques. She's the total package. Welcome to Healthy Screen Habits. Adella Baker.

[A]

Thank you. It is great to be here. This is a topic I love.

[B]

Excellent. Adela. I understand that the world sort of of ADHD is one that's kind of particularly close to your heart. And how did you find your passion?

[A]

My son was diagnosed with ADHD when He was around 6 years old, and I came to understand what this meant. He has a race car brain with tricycle brakes. And I came to understand, wow, this is genetic. This is how so many of my family's brain works and my brain, too, and in different ways. And there's so many flavors of adhd and I, I just became committed to, if I'm going to help my son, I might as well help other people. At the time there, there was no other coach in the entire Gulf South ADHD coach. So I saw an opportunity there and pivoted in my career for the training required and became a credentialed ADHD coach.

[B]

There is nothing like a mom to totally go, well, thought we were going this way. Actually. No, we're going completely commit your life to something different for the sake of your child. So I, I understand that completely and I, I respect and admire that. So let's into screen Habits since we're here. You know, we have many families who come to us who are struggling with children who maybe have an ADHD brain and are having a difficult time setting up parameters around screen time. The refrain that we hear is they're incapable of controlling themselves. And so why does screen time feel so different for the ADHD brain?

[A]

Yeah. So first of all, let's understand I'm going to backtrack, explain a little bit about ADHD and how it works. So first of all, attention deficit hyperactive disorder is in my opinion a horrible name because it's not that there is a deficit of attention. We can pay attention like nobody's business if we are interested in the topic, right? There's, this is something called hyper focus, which could be a superpower, right? So when you see your kid is hyper focused on that video game, that's his ADHD at work, right? It's hyper focused on something that they are really, really interested in. Hyperactive. It could be hyperactive mind, it could be hyperactive body, it could be hyperactive emotions, right? Some people describe ADHD as the inability to self regulate, right? We struggle with regulating our thoughts, our actions, our emotions. Is it a disorder? Is it more of a, maybe a condition or, or an impairment? You know, I think it's like being nearsighted, like, oh, okay, I can't see. I'm struggling with seeing. Well, if I tell you know, my best friend, well, just squint harder, you'll be able to see well, that's, that's not realistic. That's not a very kind way of addressing it. You'd find out, well, oh, you have wonky shaped eyeballs. How are they shaped? What is, what is your unique eyeball shape and what is the accommodation there? Right? So what is your unique ADHD look like? And then, you know, like with glasses, do I need contacts? Lasik glasses? What suits your lifestyle? What accommodation is going to suit, suit your lifestyle for your flavor of adhd? And that's in coaching, that's what we help our clients figure out. What's happening is that there's, you know, this is, it's related to neurotransmitters. The brain is, is hungry for dopamine and in front of a digital device, it's getting a nice steady stream of dopamine. Like I think of the, you know, Pac man, chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp. This is so delicious. It feels great. Not only does it feel great, it's like a relief for the ADHD brain, right? And so of course we're not saying, well, give your kid all the screen time they want for that relief. But that's in their brain. That is what is happening, right? So that brain does not have executive function skills on demand. It does have executive function skills. And when I'm talking executive function skills that sustained attention, time management, working memory, planning, prioritizing, it's intrinsic motivation, right? Not secondhand Motivation, that's a big one. And it's that self regulation, that emotional regulation piece. So not every ADHD brain is going to struggle with all of these executive function skills. They are there just not always on demand. Right. If mom says, come on, let's go, that's, that's hard for an ADHD brain. Now if the ADHD brain says, oh, I want to get up and go now, it's easy. ADHD brain does not do well with that secondhand interest. Right.

[B]

So secondhand interest meaning like an extrinsic motivator?

[A]

Yes. Like if mom tells me to do it or if the government tells me to do it, or if something else tells me to do it if it's not my idea. ADHD brain is almost like, like, you know, I like to think of James Dean with a black leather jacket, smoking a cigarette, saying, I don't want to do that. I'm going to do it my way. And you know what that brain is? Right, right. What is your way of doing it? And as parents, how can we help our child articulate well, how do you want to take control of your screen time so that it's on their terms?

[B]

You've done a great job of like explaining how this hyper focus kind of comes into play. And I think a lot of people or parents say, like, my child struggles with focusing on anything until they're in front of a screen and they feel as though they're kind of almost building a focus muscle, if you will. Can you talk about that a little bit? I see you shaking your head.

[A]

Yes, yes, yes. So, okay, first of all, all these executive function skills are housed in the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is not fully developed until sometimes like 25 to 28 years old in males. And these are the neurotypicals. An ADHD brain has a three to five year lag. So already, ADHD or no adhd, those executive function skills, they're being developed and they're developing at different rates. It is very hard for someone who, their brain is literally not yet developed for them to have that regulation. When they are on their screens, they're getting this slow, steady stream of dopamine and that's, that is stimulating the brain to help it focus. But it's not, it's not training it,

[B]

it's not building resilience or building.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, no, it's, it's not at all. What we can help our kids do is, and I, I even do this with adults is help them identify what I call a Dopa menu.

[B]

I want to hear about that.

[A]

Yes. It's like, okay, if your kid is like, eating candy, you take candy away from a baby or a child, it's going to complain. Right. Suddenly you're asking for a temper tantrum. Same thing with screens. If you replace that candy with a toy. Okay, now there's an immediate distraction and the child is appeased with the attention. We want together collaboratively with the child to identify, well, what are these other activities that might give you these, like, it's not just dopamine. It's also, it's, it's serotonin, it's oxytocin. Like, what is it that you need at that moment? Do you need novelty? ADHD brains thrive on novelty and challenge something new and just the right amount of challenge. If it's too hard, they give up. And if it's too easy, it's too boring. And we also thrive on connection. So what is it that is missing and what might replace the screen? Time to offer what they need now again, ADHD brain doesn't want to be told what to do. It's. Mom can't come up with a plan. It's collaborative. What are some things that you can do? What do you want to do when you come off the screen?

[B]

So.

[A]

Right. And develop your hand agency. Absolutely.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Absolutely.

[B]

Such a hot word right now. It's just, it keeps coming up again and again, particularly in response to like, AI and, and the AI technologies. And everybody's saying, like, this is how we retain our humanity is to exercise agency and know the importance of having it. So I, I love that you're talking about that. With people with ADHD brains needing like, like, you know, they're, they're masters at exercising agency. We have a lot to learn. Right.

[A]

And, you know, the beauty about ADHD is that they're, you know, extremely creative brain. So mom's idea might not be as good as their own idea. And that's okay. Right. And that's. I find that's the hardest piece or one of the hardest pieces in working with parents is that we think we know the best way. Or the book says this is the best way, so this is the best way for you. That's not necessarily true. Right. Every, you know, your child might know the best way. Actually, I just thought of a funny example. So this was also. When my kid was very young, he had to take a certain pill. I don't know if it was a supplement. I don't remember what it was even. And it was a big round Purple pill. And I said, you know, it doesn't matter how you do it as long as you take it. Right. So we have a shared objective. The shared objective is that you feel good and you have to take the pill, but I'm going to let you do it any way you want. Well, he set that pill on its side and rolled it down the table and then got down to his knees, opened his mouth, and the pill dropped in.

[B]

It was a Rube Goldberg.

[A]

And that was his method. And that was fun. And it was on his terms. So as parents, how can we collaborate with our children so that they can come up with their own system that is pleasing to them so that they can manage their screen time?

[B]

When you talk about this dopamine, you like, would you have a list of choices or would you storyboard it ideally before they got on their device? Or like, how. What does that look like?

[A]

Again, I'm using my son as an example. He's. He's 17 now, so fishing. He goes out fishing to the bayou. Right. That is an example of something that he loves to do that he does not need his screen for. Right. Or going out on a skateboard. That is something that he enjoys that does not require screen time or meeting up with friends. Right. So what are the things that are going to light him up? And that's, that's an easy question. It's like, you know, when was the last time that you were laughing? When was the last time that you were having a great time and what were you doing then? So we're identifying the times that they do experience this joy. They are experiencing this dopamine, serotonin, all these wonderful neurochemicals, these juicy things that are just lighting up their brain so that they can identify. Oh, these are other sources of it. It's not only the screen that is. Has the capability of providing that to

[B]

me, kind of exploring that. Yeah. So when we come back, I am going to ask Adela a few more things specific to ADHD and managing screen time. From brand new parents to parents of teens who already have their own smartphones, Healthy screen habits presentations can help you navigate parenting in this digital age. We cover topics like creating your own family tech plan with a template that helps you guide your conversations and how to improve our kids mental health through healthy screen habits. If you have a book club, bunco group, or even a group of neighborhood moms that you'd like to gather together for creating a plan on how your kids are going to play together, grow together, and what apps to look out for let's have a mom's night in person or virtual presentations are available, reach out to us@healthy screenhabits.org Click the book a speaker button, and let's get the fun started. I'm speaking with Adela Baker, an ADHD coach whose vision is a world where everyone can focus on, on their dreams. Focus. It's something that is so hard to do without deep intention. Right. In today's distraction filled world. And we know our attention is being manipulated, you know, with this whole attention economy that we're in. Tech experts say that one of the biggest ways you and I were talking about this, one of the biggest ways to remain human in the time of AI and chatbots, is to retain agency, our ability to act and make free choices. Which seems as though ADHD brain is attuned to that. You know, it kind of reminds me of like Percy Jackson, you know, where it's like all this stuff starts making sense. Where it's like, why? Why these demigods are as amazing as they are, but don't think fit the, you know, prescribed mold, if you will, in, in everyday society. So we want to give a child with ADHD genuine agency over their screen time and build that dopam menu. Like you talked. Can you talk about what, like, I'm just gonna, you know, take a peek behind the curtain the other way. What would happen if we, if we don't do those things, do you think? Like, what would be, Is there, is there ever a saturation point? I guess I'm asking where they would just organically want to come off the screen or. No.

[A]

If they get bored. ADHD brains hate boredom. Boredom is, is slow death.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Some people call it borcher.

[B]

That's a great word.

[A]

Yeah. So it's, it's, it's, you know, as parents, we're not, it's not permissiveness. We are actually helping our children develop those executive function skills. Right. Planning is an executive function skill. You know, asking our child, you know, what, what is your plan? You know they're going to say, I don't have a plan. Right. Because that's, that's hard. It's, that's uncomfortable to think of a plan. ADHD brain lives in the now or not now. Planning is future. That's hard. So helping them think about their thinking, which is metacognition, the very last of the executive function skills to develop mentally,

[B]

that's going to be way down the lane. So.

[A]

Correct. So they need some assistance with that. And it's not us telling ADHD brain again, like resists people giving them orders. But it's questioning. It's like, I trust that you know yourself best. What is your intention in playing this game again? Going back to intentionality. How will you know when you've played enough? What does that look like? Or how much time do you want to be on the iPad this weekend? I remember the first time I asked my kids that and my son looked at me, he's like, really? I can choose? I was like, yeah, you choose, you tell me. And he goes, two hours. I was like, two hours. Two hours in the iPad for the weekend. Really? Like, yeah, okay, you got it, buster. Two hours. You get two hours this weekend and then two hours is up like that, you know, I was like, this is your plan. We're doing your plan, buddy. That was a great plan. Right. But he felt agency. Of course, he caught on real quick. But then, you know, so you know, what is it that you want to accomplish? Let's do it on your terms. And then how are you going to transition? That's the hard part. How are you going to transition to the next activity? How will you know? What are your cues? What are you going to do after?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So that they're looking forward to something.

[B]

Yeah. What I'm hearing is you're just. Rather than a very didactic, top down management, you know, my way of the highway type stuff, which I, I honestly, I don't think helps very many people. But that's, but that's my own personal bias. But I think this continuous curiosity from the point of the caregiver is needed. And that's hard. Right. Because that requires such a. Oh, like such a, A trove of patience from ourself. But I think, I think, yeah, like curiosity and humor are very good.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. And letting them make mistakes. Right. How, how are you going to remember? Oh, okay, well, I'm going to set, set a timer or something. But then maybe they keep hitting snooze on the timer or you know, but then going back to what went right. What didn't go right? Well, what do you need to do next time? Like this is a learning process. It's a, it's constant experimentation helping them live on their own terms so that they can have their system.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And maybe they want to use, I don't know, songs instead of timers. Like every song is three and a half minutes, more or less. So I can measure time in songs. Like we're working with highly creative, imaginative brains. Like they will come up with hilarious solutions. Hilarious. Let them uh huh. As long as they could explain it to you. Right. And then, and then what do you want me to do to support you?

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

And if you don't do it, what do you want me to do?

[B]

And I think having someone like you in your back pocket like, like a coach is very helpful for parents because I can, I can see a lot of ego getting in the way. Embarrassment and ego over a child that it, you know, was quote unquote, not following the rules or doing something their own way. And you have a lot of frustration with that. I can see that. You know, so many times we're, we're not alone in the upbringing of our children. Right. We're lucky if we have kind of a team of people around us. Do you have any recommendations for communicating with others? Like I said, I can see how individuals who maybe are a little old school, like I'm thinking grandparents or even after school providers, teachers, anything, you know, do you have recommendations for communicating with this team about the differing needs of A, a child with ADHD and B, monitoring the screen time, like how do you communicate the specific needs for really kind of drilling down on some of the screen specific needs?

[A]

Again, I mean this again depends on the age of the child. But with, with older kids, I'm a big advocate for transparency. Like what do you want your teacher to know about you? What do you think is important? What do you, what do, what do you want to do for your brain? So we're, we're involving the kid in the process as well. Also, I think this might be a good place to interject this fact because this, this fact makes me bring tears to my eyes every time a kid with ADHD hears over 20,000 more negative or corrective messages by the age of 10 or 12 than a neurotypical kid. I'm going to say that again. 20,000 more. Correction after correction after correction. Sit up, sit down, shut up. You know, give me that, whatever that is. Chipping away at their self esteem. Right? We do not want that for our kids. I learned very early on the the five penny game. Imagine that you have five pennies and you have two pockets. For every one penny of correction that you have for your child, you want to make sure you have four pennies of positive reinforcement. And sometimes there are some days, I know it's hard to find four and we want to be specific about them. ADHD brains are extremely sensitive to that negative comment. And we don't want the positive comment to just be some, you know, good job, right. Like they're A dog or something, but really specific again to help them develop that metacognition. An example would be like, wow, I noticed that you turned off the TV by yourself and started your homework. How did you do that? How did you make that transition? Right? Or oh, I, I noticed that, you know, you gave me the remote control and you seemed okay. That's really nice. What was going on in your head at that moment? Why? What made it easier today? So you're anchoring not just the win, but the key to success, right? So now they know. Oh, well, when I do this, not only is mom happy, but I experience success.

[B]

But what I hear with your acknowledgement of like, whatever. Whatever the desired result was is you are also giving time and allowance for self reflection when you're. It's like you're the mirror because you're like. I noticed you gave me the remote. That was so nice. That felt really nice. What was different for you? You know, I mean, you. I think clearly you've been at this gig for a while, you're really good at what you do. But I just think it's a. It's an important lesson for all of us to recognize this element of reflect. It may take a little bit of time, but it'll put you ahead in the long run to allow.

[A]

Absolutely, yes. Because you're empowering your child. You're helping them learn about how does my brain function. Right? You're helping them develop their awareness. You're helping them also develop acceptance of their limitations. You're helping them develop also. They are. No, they now know what accommodations they need, right? Like, what prescription of glasses do I need? Oh, well, I need timers. They help me. I need my planner. It helps me. I need mom to knock on the door in the morning and remind me to get up. You know, whatever it is like they're understanding it's okay to have accommodations. It's fine. It doesn't make me weird. It's just what I need. And then you're helping them develop that self advocacy piece later, which is how do I ask for help? And when we are working with, with our kids for, for that empowerment, it's just so reward everyone. I'll give another example. When you know, my, my kid, I took him and his friends camping and I overheard him say, let's leave our phones in the tent. We don't need them. And later I was like, that was so great. How did you all come to that decision that all of you agreed to do it and you never did touch your phones? You know, and that was nice that they got, we had this conversation about it and they were the ones saying why it was great to be off their screen. It wasn't me lecturing them. All I did was ask a question. Now that is anchored in their brains and that is empowering because it was their decision and their action.

[B]

And I love that you kind of bring it back again and again to the glasses and vision analogy. I've worn glasses since I was 13, so I relate to it very well. And also it's, you know, my prescription changes every year. I go in, I get it checked. So it's not, it's not a set fix. You know, what I needed at 15 is not what I need now in my 50s, you know.

[A]

Yes, yes, yes.

[B]

It's. I, I like, I really, really like that, that glasses analogy.

[A]

Yeah. And Hillary, I'm so glad you brought that up because remember I said ADHD brains get bored really easily. An accommodation that might have worked for a while may no longer work after three months or six months. And that's okay, right? If I am all about, I'm going to do pilates after a while, I might be sick of Pilates and I might be like, oh, okay, well, now it's going to be yoga or now it's going to be pickleball or. And that's fine. Right? That's, that's what ADHD does. It loves novelty, it loves new things. It keeps it fun. Right? We're fun brains.

[B]

Yes. Okay, so we have to take another short break, but when we come back, I'm going to ask Adela for her healthy screen habit. Did you know anyone in a U. S. State, territory or tribe who needs suicide or mental health related crisis support? Or who has a loved one in crisis, can connect with a trained counselor by calling or texting? 988-988 is the easy to remember number that reaches what is commonly referred to as the lifeline. A network of more than 200 state and local call centers funded by the U.S. department of Health and Human Services. Formerly known as known as the national Suicide prevention lifeline. The full name has changed to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 988. It's the 911 for mental health. I'm speaking with Adela Baker, an expert on ADHD and Adela, on every episode of the Healthy Screen habits podcast, I ask for a healthy screen habit. So this is going to be a tip or takeaway that listeners can put into practice in their own homes, usually right away. Novelty you know, that's what we were just talking about. Okay, what's yours?

[A]

So my tip is actually not a tip in the true coaching spirit, it is a question. And that. It is a question to ask yourself or that you can ask your child. And if you're asking yourself, it's how will this help me live in alignment with my core values? What choice am I making here that gets me one step closer to living out my purpose? Right. How authentic am I? Is this authentic me making this choice, living in true authenticity, or is this me doing it for some other reason? Yeah, and those are. Those are big words for kids. So maybe an easier one would be what is. So what is really important to you right now? Right. So questioning. Questioning that why. What's. What's your why here?

[B]

Basic Simon Sinek, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Okay. As always, you can find a complete transcript of this show by visiting the show notes for this episode. You do this by going to healthyscreenhabits.org, click the podcast button and find this episode. Adella, thank you so much for being here, for sharing your curiosity and your zest for life.

[A]

It has been. It has been a pleasure. It has been a pleasure. I. I have the best job in the world. And if you would like to find me or many others, go to the ADHD Coaches Organization Directory. We are here. Some are specialized in working with parents. Some specialize working with teens or with kids. We're there and we're here to help you.

[B]

And I will include a link to that in the show notes as well.

[A]

Okay, thank you.

[B]

For more information, you can find us on Instagram and Facebook at Healthy Screen Habits. Make sure to Visit our website, healthyscreenhabits.org where you can subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts or via RSS so you'll never miss an episode. It's free, it's fun, and you get a healthy new screen habit each week. While you're at it, if you found value in this show, we'd appreciate you giving us a quick rating. It really does help other people find us and spread the word of healthy screen habits. Or if you'd simply like to tell a friend, we'd love that, too. I still so appreciate you spending your time with me this week, and I look forward to learning more healthy habits together.