Her intense, restless son harnessed ADHD by climbing mountains (Michelle’s story)

Marc-André Leclerc was a skilled rock climber and alpinist who died at age 25 in the mountains of Alaska. He’s the subject of a Netflix documentary, The Alpinist. Marc-André was diagnosed with ADHD and written expression disorder as a child. Through climbing, he found an outlet for his intensity and hyperfocus — and his achievements were nothing short of extraordinary.

Marc-André's mother, Michelle Kuipers, homeschooled him and helped him learn to channel his ADHD. Michelle joins the show to talk about her son and her approach to parenting a child with ADHD. She shares how Marc-André would be more panicked about renewing a passport than about climbing mountains alone and without ropes.

Listen as Michelle describes Marc-André’s loving and generous spirit and how she wants her son to be remembered.

To find a transcript for this episode and more resources, visit the episode page at Understood.

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Related resources

• 8 things I wish people knew about parenting a child with ADHD
• Understanding hyperactivity
• Video: Race car driver Dusty Davis talks about his ADHD

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