Hygiene battles: Tips from an ADHD expert

Brushing their teeth. Taking a shower. Cleaning up after themselves. What’s going on when kids seem to ignore these must-do tasks? And what can parents and caregivers do to change that?

In this episode of In It, hosts Gretchen Vierstra and Rachel Bozek talk with Brendan Mahan. Brendan is an executive function coach and the host of the podcast ADHD Essentials. 

He offers tips and strategies to help parents and caregivers understand why some kids avoid working on their personal hygiene.

To get a transcript of this show and check out more episodes, visit the In It podcast page at Understood.

We love hearing from our listeners. Email us at init@understood.org.

Related resources

• Washing hands: How to get kids in the habit 
• ADHD and messiness
• A day in the life of a child with slow processing speed
• Brendan’s podcast, ADHD Essentials

Timestamps

(01:51) Cleanliness and self-care

(06:43) Executive function, room cleaning, and more

(18:07) Social concerns

(21:07) Reward systems

(23:07) Hygiene late bloomers

Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give