Speech Therapy for ADHD & Executive Functioning Challenges
Help your child build stronger communication and executive functioning skills through therapy shaped around how they actually think and talk. Let's find the right starting point together.
When To Notice
Signs of Executive Functioning Challenges in ADHD
Every child has off days. A few patterns are worth a closer look, especially if they show up across home, school, and friendships.
- Loses track during conversations
- Difficulty following multi-step directions
- Interrupts or blurts out
- Forgets what they wanted to say
- Starts tasks but can't finish
- Jumps between conversation topics
- Difficulty taking turns
- Struggles with routine changes
Know the Difference
ADHD and Executive Functioning: What We Actually Support
We're not here to change who your child is. We're here to build the specific communication and organisation skills that make daily life a little easier. These two get blurred together often, so here's the plain version.
ADHD
A medical diagnosis affecting attention, impulse control, and activity level. Diagnosis and management stay with an appropriately qualified healthcare professional, not with us.
Executive functioning skills
Everyday skills executive functioning challenges can affect: working memory, organisation, self-monitoring, and staying on topic. This is our focus.
Our Expertise
Executive Functioning Speech Therapy
Executive functioning shows up differently in every child we see. Here's how it can look, and what support does for each one.
Working Memory & Directions
Support for holding onto multi-step instructions long enough to follow them, at home and school.
Organisation & Planning
Help structuring thoughts before speaking, so a story or explanation has a clear beginning, middle, and end.
Self-Monitoring
Building awareness of when a conversation drifts off topic, so your child can notice and respond.
Task Initiation
Using language as a tool to plan out loud and get a task started, instead of getting stuck before it begins.
The Social Side
ADHD Social Communication Therapy
ADHD often affects how kids connect with peers, not just how they focus. We work on the conversational side directly.
Conversational Turn-Taking
Practising the back-and-forth rhythm of conversation, including the pause before jumping in.
Staying on Topic
Strategies for noticing when a story has drifted and finding the way back to the point.
Reading the Room
Support for picking up on a listener's cues without asking your child to mask who they are.
How We Help
Our Therapy Approach
We build every session around real conversations, not worksheets. Practice that actually feels like talking.
Our approach may include:
- Practising multi-step directions through games and real tasks
- Building self-monitoring strategies for conversation
- Structuring storytelling and explanation skills
- Coaching you on strategies you can use at home
Your Journey Starts
What Happens During the Assessment
Understand your child's communication and executive functioning profile through an assessment built around how they actually communicate day to day.
01
Initial Conversation
We ask about your child, your priorities, and where things get hardest during the day.
02
Communication & Executive Functioning Assessment
We observe how your child follows directions, holds a conversation, and manages a task.
03
Goal Setting
We set goals that matter at home, at school, and with friends.
04
Clear Next Steps
You get a plain-language plan, not a stack of clinical terms.
05
Home Practice Tips
Small strategies that fit into your family's actual routine.
Expected Outcomes
What Progress Actually Looks Like
Progress often shows up in small wins first, a direction followed the first time, a conversation that doesn't derail.
Following Directions Independently
Staying On Topic Longer
Explaining Thoughts Clearly
Starting Tasks Easier
Recovering From Topic Shifts
Feeling More Confident
Our Commitment
Why Families Choose Aria Integrated Care
- Registered Speech-Language Pathologists
- Neurodiversity-affirming, family-first care
- A plan built around your child's actual communication, not a template
- Real strategies you can use between sessions
- Clear boundaries on what we support, and honest referrals when you need something else
Convenience Matters
Therapy Where Your Family Needs It
We make speech therapy for ADHD accessible with in-home visits across Greater Vancouver and secure virtual sessions across British Columbia.
In-Home Therapy
Speech therapy for ADHD in Greater Vancouver happens right in your living room, with your child's own space and routine. Easy for a sibling or caregiver to sit in and learn too.
Virtual Therapy
Families anywhere in BC get the same speech-language pathologist for ADHD support over a secure video call. No drive, no waiting room, no meltdown in the car after school.
Quick Answers
Frequently Asked Questions
Parents often have questions about where ADHD ends and speech therapy begins. Here are clear answers to the ones we hear most.
01 Does my child with ADHD need speech therapy?
If your child has ADHD and struggles with following directions, staying on topic, or connecting with peers, speech therapy can help build those specific communication skills. It's typically one part of a broader, collaborative care plan that may also include medical care, occupational therapy, or school-based support, depending on your child's needs.
02Do you diagnose or medically treat ADHD?
No. We support the communication and executive functioning skills ADHD can affect. Diagnosis and medication management stay with your child's physician or psychiatrist.
03What's the difference between ADHD and executive functioning challenges?
ADHD is the medical diagnosis. Executive functioning challenges, like working memory or self-monitoring, are specific skills that ADHD can affect. Speech therapy focuses on the communication side of those challenges, not on ADHD as a whole.
04Can ADHD and autism happen together?
Yes. Many children have both ADHD and autism. Learn how our Autism Speech Therapy services support children with overlapping communication and social communication needs.
05What does executive functioning speech therapy actually look like in a session?
Real conversations and tasks, not worksheets. We might practice following a recipe together, telling a story in order, or catching a mid-sentence topic jump, all built around what your child already enjoys.
06 Do you offer sessions in Greater Vancouver and across BC?
Yes. We come to your home across Greater Vancouver, and we offer virtual sessions anywhere in BC.
07What happens in the first session?
We talk with you about your child, observe how they communicate and manage tasks, and walk you through what we found in plain language. This first session is one part of building a fuller picture, alongside whatever other care your child may already be receiving.
Your Child's Communication Starts Here
Whether it's following a direction the first time or explaining a school day without losing the thread, the assessment is where we find out which communication skills to focus on first.