ADHD: How to Raise a Happy ADHD Child

by Jessie Hewitson

Informative, empathetic and empowering for families and their brilliant neurodivergent children. Alex Partridge, bestselling author of Now It All Makes Sense

A must-read for every parent or teacher of a child with ADHD. Lisa Lloyd, bestselling author of Raising the SEN-Betweeners

This essential guide offers clear, practical advice to help parents understand ADHD, support their child's unique strengths with joy and confidence. Zenna Hopson, Former chairman of Ofsted

Is your ADHD child struggling at school? Do they make friends, but find it difficult to keep them? Do your attempts to get them off their screens end in tears (and that's just you)?

Jessie Hewitson, SEND Agony Aunt for The Times, ADHDer and parent to two fantastically neurodivergent children, has been there.

Here she asks whether ADHD is over diagnosed, is medication the solution, and how can parents best support ADHD kids to become the happiest version of themselves at school, in their friendships, and at home.

For more than a decade Jessie has been on a quest to better understand neurodivergent happiness and the many barriers young ADHD people face in finding it. Now she shares everything she has learned, including interviews with world-leading scientists, researchers and experts in the field. Combined with her own personal experience, ADHD will empower you to centre happiness in what can be a more complicated and ultimately more rewarding parenting journey.

251 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 12, 2025

Reviews

[Melissa Nicolet · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book. Informative, but written with humour and compassion, and speaks straight to the reader as though a friend over a cuppa. As a qualified teacher who also has my own little boys with ADHD, I sometimes feel so out of my depth. This has given me a really easy list of new ideas and techniques to try. After all, all we want as parents is for our children to be happy.

[ClaireEldridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really helpful and insightful guide into the relatively misunderstood and under-researched world of ADHD, including some interesting history, advice, and tips for helping your child be happy. Highly recommend

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

loads of helpful insights for anyone who knows someone with ADHD or wants to learn more about themselves.

[Diletta Ponchielli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!!! An absolute must for anyone who knows or work with someone who has ADHD.

[A Bookworm Crafts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by a journalist who is also a parent to neurodiverse children, this is a must-read for parents with ADHD children at any step on the journey. The author provides information on what ADHD is from a medical perspective, presents all the medicine offered currently with detailed pros and cons, explains how to go about getting support in the school system, and offers a positive, loving guide to parenting children in a way that embraces their differences and helps them to succeed.