Raising Attention: A supportive guide for parents and carers of children with ADHD and explosive behaviour

by Sarah Ockwell-Smith

A book for anybody who has, or works with, children (of any age) with 'out of control' behaviour, including parents, teachers and healthcare professionals. Raising Attention busts commonly believed myths surrounding ADHD and 'naughty' children, discusses up to date neuroscience and genetics research in an accessible way and provides practical tips that really make a difference to both children and the adults who care for them.

Written by bestselling childcare expert Sarah Ockwell-Smith, herself a mother of a young adult with ADHD, there are plenty of heartwarming and heartbreaking personal stories included to bring the book to life.

If you've ever felt exhausted, helpless, guilty, embarrassed or shamed for your child's behaviour, this supportive and non-judgemental book is for you.

Genres: Parenting

270 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 3, 2025

About the author

Born in Bedfordshire, England in 1976, Sarah Ockwell-Smith is a mother of four school aged children, three boys and one girl.

After graduating with an honors degree in Psychology, specialising in child development, she embarked on a five year career in Pharmaceutical Research and Development, working with clinical trial data, until she became pregnant with her first child in 2001. After the birth of her firstborn Sarah retrained as an Antenatal Teacher, hypnotherapist/Psychotherapist, Infant Massage Instructor and Birth and Postnatal Doula. Over the years Sarah has updated her knowledge with various study days and courses including paediatric first aid, paediatric safeguarding, perinatal psychology and birth trauma.

Sarah now works as a parenting author, writer and coach. With a particular interest in child sleep.

Reviews

[Yvette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raising Attention explores the increase in attention-related difficulties among children and offers a grounded, compassionate alternative to the conventional medicalised approach. Sarah Ockwell-Smith blends neuroscience, psychology, and practical parenting advice to help families understand the root causes of attention challenges — including sensory processing issues, trauma, and the modern environment — and respond with empathy rather than labels.

Why It’s Included
This book aligns strongly with our gentle parenting philosophy. Ockwell-Smith rejects deficit-based models in favour of a holistic view of child development, encouraging parents to see behaviours as communication and to support underlying needs. Her approach is evidence-informed, kind, and realistic for families navigating everyday life. It also opens important conversations around the societal causes of attention struggles rather than placing all responsibility on the child.

Who It’s For
Recommended for parents, carers, teachers, and professionals who support neurodivergent children or who are curious about gentle alternatives to conventional diagnoses and interventions. Also ideal for families navigating questions around ADHD or sensory sensitivities without wanting to rush into formal assessments or medication.

“The realisation that parents of neurodivergent children - often neurodivergent themselves - are drawn to gentle parenting has been dawning on me over the past several years. So it was no surprise to find the author of definitive gentle parenting books had come to a similar realisation. The result is a wonderful resource for parents and others caring for these children living with ADHD and explosive behaviours. In this book I saw my childhood self, my children, my grandchildren and even my father described. This is essential reading for everyone.”
— Yvette O'Dowd

[Laura Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and informative, this book would have been a massive help had I read it 3 years ago! If you follow Sarah and have read other books, or have been on the ADHD path for a while, then you may not find anything new here. As it is, I have had to find my own way to the same conclusions, but I can confirm that the techniques suggested are much more helpful than the punishments and trauma that we got from school at first. I wish there had been a bit more focus on how to advocate for your child as this is the part k struggle with now. A great introduction to dealing with ADHD though, and well worth a look if you are starting out in learning about it.

[Dominique Lyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again Sarah has done an amazing job of providing the supportive voice every parent needs. This book is exactly what I needed as a ND parent with a suspected ND, definitely explosive, child. Her advice throughout is clearly well researched and put through in a very easy to understand way. I also really appreciated the attention she gave to not just the child's behaviour but the parents and their own internal struggles.

I've read 14/16 of Sarah's books, and each one is an invaluable resource to my parenting

[Victoria Relph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had lots of helpful idea and concepts but the thing that had the most impact on me was the validation that the parenting I have been working so hard to do is not in vain and i’m not going mad or “making a rod for my own back” but instead listening to and responding to my child’s individual needs.

I love this book I will be telling everyone I meet who has a child like mine about it.

Thank you Sarah for sharing your experiences and knowledge, the world needs to hear it.