Three Families, Three Journeys: Stories from Parents Raising Kids with ADHD

October marks ADHD Awareness Month – a time to honor children whose minds work a little differently. One in five Keiki parents is raising a child with ADHD, reflecting a broader trend as diagnoses continue to rise across the U.S. and globally, which makes this month especially meaningful to us.

At Keiki World, we design tools that help kids learn, adapt, and thrive – regardless of pace or ability. Recently, we've introduced several features made with neurodiverse children in mind:

• "Could Your Kid Have ADHD?" assessment – an educational, parent-guided assessment offering strategies and guidance for parents and their kids.
• ADHD Smart Play activities – curated activities to reduce overwhelm and help children with diverse attention styles learn.
• ADHD-friendly reading font within Smart Play activities – a neuroscience-informed mode that uses a special font to ease the reading process for children with ADHD.

To celebrate this month, grow awareness within our community, and share some personal tips, we spoke with three Keiki parents raising children with ADHD. Their stories show that progress often begins with understanding your child's unique brain, following their interests, and celebrating small wins.

Yates's Story: Building a Support System for Your Child

"I spent so much time thinking it was my fault. That's time I'll never get back. My advice? Be easier on yourself."

When Yates was 18 months old, his mom noticed his attention span for any task was so short. He would move from one thing to the next at preschool, bouncing between centers and never settling. By age four, after everybody denied that he had it, she hired a private therapist who diagnosed him with level two autism and ADHD with hyperactivity.

The Struggle & Turning Point

"You are constantly repeating yourself," she says, because Yates wasn't listening or retaining what she asked him to do. The impulsivity led to poor decisions and trouble at school, and Yates was always getting upset because he's very sensitive to people being mad at him.

After consulting with specialists and trying different approaches, medication became part of Yates's treatment plan. Many parents hesitate about medication for young children. "It's controversial to medicate before school," she acknowledges. In our case, it reduced the impulsivity, which was like a chain reaction. He got in trouble less, so he was happier. He was making more connections, and he learns more because of making those connections.

They still use ABA therapy at his neurodivergent-friendly preschool, but reducing the impulsivity gave Yates space to learn and feel good about himself.

💡 Expert Insight: Understanding Their Unique Brain

Children with ADHD aren't being defiant. Their brain processes information differently, and they experience emotions more intensely. Impulsivity isn't voluntary; it's neurological.

What's Helping Now

Yates thrives with ABA therapy, clear routines, and apps like Keiki World that offer multiple ways to learn the same concept. "You see the number, then you interact with it, then you hear it. Multiple sensory things tend to help him," his mom explains.

She also discovered the iPad isn't the enemy. "I was so afraid of passive screen time, but I wish I had gotten him doing the iPad stuff even sooner. Active learning with the right tools made a really big difference."

The Biggest Advice

"I spent a lot of time being like, it's my fault he has autism and ADHD. It's not. But it's hard not to feel that way when you carry that child and you made them. I wasted a lot of time, energy, and emotional stamina on those feelings. My advice? Be easier on yourself!"

⚠️ Important Note: Medication decisions should always be made in consultation with qualified healthcare professionals. What works for one child may not be appropriate for another. This story shares one family's experience, not medical advice.

Michael's Story: Celebrating Superpowers, Not Deficits

"Our brains work in such a beautiful way. It's not a defect. It's diversity, and diversity is so important in all things."

Michael's mom has ADHD herself, and getting her own diagnosis helped her understand Michael, who just turned five.

The Challenge & Turning Point

Michael has an extraordinary mind for sea creatures. "Anywhere we go to an aquarium, he can tell you every creature and facts you would never believe," she says. But last year in preschool, he didn't learn ABCs or numbers.

His mom realized that a traditional classroom wouldn't serve his brain. "His brain is gonna work differently. It's beautiful. It's a beautiful brain. But it's gonna work differently, and so how do I help him?" After consulting with specialists, she decided to homeschool Michael this year, building a learning approach around his strengths.

⚠️ Note: Educational decisions like homeschooling should be made in consultation with educators and specialists who can assess your child's specific needs.

💡 Expert Insight: Interest-Based Learning

ADHD brains need more dopamine, which comes from engaging activities. Use their special interests as bridges to practice other skills.

What's Helping Now

She follows his interests. She lets him watch fishing shows instead of typical kids' programming. "When I allow him to do things like fishing, watching fishing shows, not putting him in the category of 'he's a preschooler so he should watch all these cartoons,' he's much happier. I feel like he's learning so much faster the things that he wants to learn."

Michael spends 5 to 10 minutes on each Keiki World activity, moving between them. "That to me is good. He likes all of it, and that works."

When her family called her "the normal one," it frustrated her. "It's really the older generation of like, 'oh, there's something wrong with you.' No. It's actually I think it's fabulous." She's determined to help Michael see his ADHD the same way.

The Biggest Advice

Follow your child's interests, adjust your expectations about attention span, and reframe ADHD as diversity, not a deficit.

Griffin's Story: Patience, Progress, and Never Giving Up

"Don't give up. Things change, and they change quickly. What seems impossible today might click tomorrow."

Griffin is six with level 3 autism (now closer to level 2) and ADHD. He's non-verbal, curious, and determined. For years, his dad struggled to find any tool that would hold Griffin's attention because most were too complicated or required too many steps.

The Struggle & Turning Point

When Griffin was about two, he really wasn't saying many words. They started speech therapy, but by three, he still wasn't talking. After a comprehensive evaluation at a local autism therapy center at age five, Griffin finally received his diagnosis.

"Staying on one task has always been something," his dad says. He tried countless activities and apps, but Griffin never showed interest. Then they found Keiki. "I gotta say, this is the first app that my son will spend hours on. Not even like 10, 20 minutes. There are times where he will spend extended periods on the app, and I have seen him learn a ton."

💡 Expert Insight: Multi-Sensory Learning

Children with ADHD and autism often learn best through multiple senses. Experiences that combine visual, auditory, and tactile elements help create stronger neural pathways and build lasting focus.

What's Helping Now

Griffin loves tracing letters and numbers and will stay with those activities for 10 to 20 minutes at a time. He's learned to navigate menus on his own. The marine life color-sorting game particularly amazed his dad. "At first, he clearly didn't get it," he says. "And the next thing I know, I'm watching him on his own, choosing the correct colors." Griffin still can't identify colors verbally, but he can group them correctly – a quiet, steady step forward.

Over the summer, Griffin had more one-on-one time with his dad, and his ability to focus grew. "If he's interested in it, right? That's half of it," his dad explains.

A four-time state champion athlete, he once dreamed of playing ball with his son. "You can't throw a ball at him, though. He's not gonna catch it," he says. "So just don't give up. I haven't given up on that. Maybe someday it'll be different."

The Biggest Advice

Patience, repetition, and acceptance. "It can be frustrating when you don't get the results right away. But just patience and repetition–you'll eventually see some results." He emphasizes understanding that these kids are different. “It may seem weird sometimes, the behaviors and things they do. But it's not weird to them. So you just gotta be accepting of it.”

What These Families Teach Us

These three families look nothing alike. Different diagnoses, different treatments, different choices about school, medication, and therapy. But they share something important: they stopped waiting for their kids to fit a mold and figured out how their kids can learn.

The lessons from their stories:

• Patience and repetition matter more than quick fixes
• Following your child's interests unlocks faster learning
• Multiple approaches work together – therapy, structure, engaging tools
• Reframing ADHD from deficit to difference changes everything
• Never giving up means believing progress is possible, even when it's slow
• Continuing to care for your own well-being and reminding yourself that you're doing great is just as important as supporting your child.

A heartfelt thank you from the Keiki team to the parents who opened up about their journeys, because by sharing your stories, you're helping other families feel less alone.

This ADHD Awareness Month, let's celebrate the incredible minds that see the world differently. Because different isn't difficult. It's just different. And different minds often change the world.