Show Notes
In this episode of Conversations with Kristi, Kristi is joined by Sharon Collon - ADHD educator, coach, speaker, and founder of The Functional Family - for an honest and practical conversation about neurodiversity, online safety, learning differences, and what actually helps families thrive.
Sharon is also host of the ADHD Families Podcast, where she supports parents navigating life with ADHD and other neurodivergent profiles. Having supported tens of thousands of families, Sharon’s work focuses on turning overwhelming information into clear, doable strategies.
Together, Kristi and Sharon unpack what parents are truly crying out for - not more theory, not more labels - but practical tools that make everyday life easier.
This episode weaves together neurodiversity, digital safety, emotional regulation, learning styles, rejection sensitivity, impulsivity, and body safety education - highlighting how prevention and support must be adapted for how children actually process the world.
This is not a conversation about fear. It’s about understanding how your child’s brain works - and meeting them there.
What This Episode Explores
1. The Reality of an ADHD Diagnosis
Sharon shares her own journey of receiving her son’s diagnosis - including the overwhelm of being handed outdated information and left to figure it out alone.
She explains why families don’t need more generic ADHD content online - they need:
Clear, practical strategies
Real-world application
Emotional validation
Support that reduces shame, not increases it
2. Processing Modalities: Why Talking Isn’t Always Enough
Sharon explains that children process information in different ways, including:
Conceptual (needing to understand why)
Auditory
Visual
Verbal processing
Emotional
Intuitive
Tactile (hands-on learners)
When parents rely only on talking, many children simply don’t absorb the message - especially neurodivergent children.
This becomes particularly important when teaching:
Body safety
Consent
Online safety
Social boundaries
Risk awareness
Kristi shares how role play - not just verbal instruction - helped her daughter internalise body safety rules. Sharon reinforces the importance of repetition and experiential learning over lecture-style conversations.
3. Online Safety, Gaming & Neurodivergence
Kristi and Sharon have a grounded conversation about what’s actually happening in online spaces — especially for neurodivergent kids.
They explore:
Impulsivity and posting without thinking
Dopamine-driven reward pathways
How predators exploit attention and validation
Difficulty reading social cues
Why online interactions can feel safer than playground dynamics
The very real impact of Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (RSD)
Sharon strongly encourages parents to understand RSD - explaining that for many children with ADHD, rejection can feel like physical pain.
Rather than banning technology outright, Sharon recommends:
Curiosity over confrontation
Coaching conversations (not interrogation)
Moving gaming into shared spaces
Researching games before approving them
Using tools like Common Sense Media to review age-appropriateness
Understanding that shame shuts down learning
This episode reframes tech supervision as relationship-based guidance - not surveillance.
4. Social Skills & Emotional Safety
Sharon explains that social skills are not intuitive for everyone - and many adults would benefit from explicit social skills training.
They discuss:
Why some children miss subtle social cues
Why gaming environments can feel predictable and therefore safer
The need for explicit teaching rather than assumption
The importance of consent-based connection (including hugs)
Regulation before conversation
Kristi highlights something powerful: sometimes children - and adults - need a hug before they can process words.
Key Themes Covered
ADHD and late diagnosis
Practical strategies over theory
Processing modalities and learning differences
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