Crescere con l’ADHD: il ruolo dei genitori lungo l’arco di vita (...)

Growing up with ADHD: The role of parents across the lifespan: regulation, relationships, and autonomy Speaker: *Sara Pezzica*, [email protected] Psychologist and psychotherapist, PhD in developmental and educational psychology. Lecturer at the "Second-Level University Master's Degree in School Psychology and Learning Disabilities" and the "University Specialization Course for Support Teachers" at the University of Florence. You can download the slides at: https://bit.ly/3PWpH7u ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects individuals from childhood to adulthood, impacting emotional regulation, relational functioning, and identity construction. During development, the impulsive, disorganized, or oppositional behaviors of children with ADHD risk being interpreted solely as symptoms, leading to poorly aligned educational responses. This paper proposes the Schema Therapy model of primary emotional needs as a clinical framework to help parents decode behaviors as an expression of relational needs, promoting security, co-regulation, and bonding quality. Particular attention is paid to the changing role of parents across the lifespan: from the containment and regulation function in childhood to the progressive support of autonomy and personal responsibility in later stages. It will explore how emotional needs remain central, even as their modes of expression and response evolve, and how parents are called upon to redefine their presence during developmental transitions. Finally, it will offer some useful references and clinical tools to navigate the diagnostic complexity and comorbidities of ADHD, supporting a developmental and integrated understanding of individual and family functioning. ______________________________________ "ADHD in Children and Adults: Awareness and Multimodal Interventions" is the conference organized by AIFA APS, the Italian Association of ADHD Families, in collaboration with the Careggi University Hospital in Florence. Florence, February 21, 2026 #adhd #aifaaps #AssociazioneItalianaFamiglieADHD #florence #emotionalneeds #parenting