ADHD Books

Seeking medical treatment is the best way to treat your ADHD, but it might be too expensive. If you need an alternative method to address your condition, books are an excellent choice.

Let’s discuss the most helpful ADHD books on the market. But first, we’ll define the condition and show you how to recognize it.

What ADHD is and how it impacts your brain

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a condition that negatively affects people’s behavior. Sufferers often seem restless, act impulsively, and struggle to focus on certain tasks.

Most sufferers notice the symptoms at a young age. However, they’re usually more prominent when individual circumstances change, like starting school. The cases are typically diagnosed when you’re between three and seven years old. That said, some individuals only get diagnosed much later in life.

ADHD symptoms normally improve as you get older. Still, problems may persist if you were diagnosed with the condition as a child.

This disorder affects your brain in many ways, with experts linking it to abnormal motivational, behavioral, and cognitive functioning. Therefore, the condition can impair mood regulation, brain cell connections, and emotions. It can also inhibit communication between different parts of your brain.

Another thing you should be aware of is the influence of ADHD on brain networks. These nerve cell groups (neurons) transmit information. If ADHD damages them, redeveloping them takes longer, and they’re not as good at relaying information, behavior, and messages as before.

Possible signs of ADHD in children and adults

Diagnosing ADHD isn’t too difficult. If you want to recognize this mental health condition in your child, you should look for the following signs:

• Trouble going to sleep
• Getting ready for school is a challenge
• Difficulty in listening to or carrying out your instructions
• Limited organization skills
• Reluctance to attend social occasions

If you want to know if you have ADHD as an adult, you should ask yourself if you struggle to perform these actions:

• Managing time and organizing yourself
• Following instructions
• Focusing on tasks
• Coping with stress
• Feeling impatient or restless
• Taking risks or acting impulsively
• Difficulty starting relationships or interacting with other people

Some of the symptoms may overlap with autism and other related disorders.

Top recommended books for people with ADHD and their families

Here are the top five books for individuals with ADHD:

Driven to Distraction
Driven to Distraction was written by John J. Ratey and Edward M. Hallowell. Being ADHD sufferers themselves, they offer a first-hand perspective of this condition. The book features stories by patients, management tools, and tips for helping loved ones with ADHD.

Valuable insight is offered into recognizing and alleviating ADHD by focusing on executive functions (organization, focus, stress management, etc.). Whether you have this disorder or clinicians have diagnosed your child, you can find numerous resources to learn effective coping strategies.

The content was modernized and revamped in 2011, but reviewers argue the advice offered to improve your life is timeless.

The ADHD Effect on Marriage
Life with attention deficit disorder (ADD/ADHD) is especially challenging if you’re an adult. The disorder can influence any relationship.

That’s precisely what Melissa Orlov explains in The ADHD Effect on Marriage. Like Ari Tuckman, Kathleen Nadeau, Peg Dawson, Patricia Quinn, and other authors, she explores ways couples coping with ADHD navigate struggles to build meaningful relationships.

The main theme of this self-help book is that there are various treatment options partners can use to strengthen communication and understand each other.

Many couples praise the work because it provides straightforward interventions for restoring health to your marriage. It can give you hope, even after years of anger and disappointment.

Thriving with ADHD Workbook for Kids
Kelli Miller is the author of ADHD Workbook for Kids. This psychiatry expert has extensive experience, so her insight is perfect for parents of children with ADHD.

The book is packed with child-friendly activities and information specifically designed for kids with ADHD. It helps your young ones to play, interact, and learn more effectively.

Most people appreciate the positive, engaging, and empowering tone of this piece. It’s a highly-rated book that’s helped numerous children bond with their peers and complete school assignments.

Taking Charge of Adult ADHD
Taking Charge of Adult ADHD wasn’t only written for ADHD sufferers. It’s also meant for anyone who struggles to concentrate, solve problems, control emotions, and make plans.

The author, Russell A. Barkley, specializes in treating this condition in adults, adolescents, and younger children. They outline a step-by-step guide for managing your ADHD symptoms.

Russell Barkley lays out several real-life advice other people have used to alleviate their disorders. These include practical tips to treat symptoms of ADHD without relying heavily on ADHD medications.

A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD
A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD is a profound piece by Sari Solden. The book highlights the experiences and challenges of women with attention deficit disorder. Sari also combines traditional ADHD treatment with contemporary methods in therapy-like guides.

The book teaches you how to accept ADHD and live with the disorder. The author shows you how to harness your strengths, increase your confidence, and utilize tools to break through different barriers of living with ADHD.

Another great thing about this piece is that it’s a workbook. It features practical advice supported by vast theoretical knowledge to polish your executive skills despite your adult ADD or ADHD.

Speechify – a text to speech tool 

There are many ways you can read and understand information despite your ADHD. Besides the best ADHD books, you can rely on text to speech software. One of the best options is Speechify.

Unlike audiobooks purchased on Amazon and other websites, the platform encourages you to read on your own. It promotes reading independence, so you’re no longer limited by your condition. Instead, you’ll feel more confident when doing tasks that otherwise feel restrictive without depending on a family member or teacher.

With Speechify, you can listen to text while the system highlights the most important points. Plus, you can maximize your productivity by instructing the app to read two or three times faster than normal. It also scans PDFs, Google Docs files, and other formats, allowing you to access any type of content.

Speechify is available on iOS, Android, and as a Google Chrome extension.