ADHD “Failure to Launch”: Young Adults, Boundaries & Coaching (Part 2 w/ Dr. Tamara Rosier)

Episode Summary

ADHD young adulthood, “slow-to-launch,” and boundaries with Dr. Tamara Rosier. We unpack ages 16–26, the maturity lag, elongated adolescence, and two common patterns (holding out for the “ideal lifestyle” and withdrawal/gaming). You’ll learn how to shift from fixing to scaffolding, set clear boundaries that preserve connection, and use a simple coaching script to build agency plus realistic timelines for later coalescence in the 20s.

Guest

Dr. Tamara Rosier, founder of the ADHD Center of West Michigan, author of Your Brain’s Not Broken and You, Me, and Our ADHD Family. She translates ADHD science into warm, practical strategies for families, teens, and young adults navigating motivation, emotions, and executive function.

Episode Overview

Launching can be bumpy for ADHD teens and young adults, not from laziness, but from skill gaps and a longer developmental runway. Dr. Rosier explains how parents can move from control to calm scaffolding: co-creating structure, aligning expectations, and setting boundaries with connection. We cover language that reduces shame, a step-by-step coaching script (Name → Aim → Plan → Support → Review), and how to think about timelines so families can lower panic and raise progress.

What We Talk About (Highlights)

• Why “launching late” is common with ADHD (maturity lag + EF gaps)

• Two patterns: idealized lifestyle holdout vs. withdrawal/gaming avoidance

• Parents first: calm reassurance + scaffolding > fixing

• Boundaries that preserve connection (limits, choices, natural consequences)

• A quick coaching script: Name → Aim → Plan → Support → Review

• Treatment pillars when needed (meds/therapy/coaching + structure)

• Realistic timelines: progress often consolidates later in the 20s

Resources & Links

• Dr. Tamara Rosier: https://www.tamararosier.com/

• Books: Your Brain’s Not Broken; You, Me, and Our ADHD Family

• Part 1 (previous episode): Punishment Fails ADHD Kids—The Pool Metaphor That Calms Emotional Chaos (with Dr. Tamara Rosier)

About Your Host

Kate Brownfield, Certified Whole Person & ADHD Parent Coach; author of How We Roll: A Parent’s Journey Raising a Child with ADHD; host of The ADHD Kids Can Thrive Podcast. Every child with ADHD is unique—so are their strengths and struggles.
Website & coaching: ADHDKidsCanThrive.com

Free Download

Get the first three chapters of How We Roll free: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/On1ABRH/first3chapters

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