Hannah Bookbinder ’95 consolidated her 25 years of experience guiding neurodivergent individuals as an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and executive functioning coach in an accessible and streamlined app, My TOAD. Bookbinder is the founder of AcademicAlly, an academic coaching and college preparation service that also provides support to individuals who are struggling with executive dysfunction.

Executive dysfunction is a symptom of ADHD and other conditions that disrupts the brain’s ability to “control thoughts, emotions and behavior,” according to Cleveland Clinic.  

“[My TOAD] kind of acts like having an ADHD coach in their own back pocket,” Bookbinder explained in an Oct. 16 interview with The Justice. Each letter in the acronym adheres to a specific skill Bookbinder designed the app to reinforce: time management, organization, accountability and dialing in. Every skill has its own set of interactive tools — all of which can share information between one another. For example, the “organization” skill includes features such as “Brain Dump,” where the user can set a timer and type anything that comes to mind; a “Lost and Found” log where they can make note of where frequently lost items are and a “Get to Do List” that allows them to input their tasks for the day. 

“A lot of people are viewed as being lazy, unmotivated, defiant, difficult, stubborn, unreliable because they can’t follow through on their plans that they initiated,” Bookbinder said. The app is designed to improve individuals’ self-efficacy, productivity levels and overall ability to follow through with their plans. 

My TOAD’s “How to Tool,” named TJ, is a chatting feature powered by Artificial Intelligence. TJ helps users break their tasks down into smaller goals, assists them with developing and organizing their original ideas and directs users to find the appropriate tool to help them with their tasks at hand. 

“So, are you going to find out who’s going to win the next presidential election? No.” Bookbinder clarified. “But you might figure out how to strategize a campaign on behalf of whoever your candidate may be.” She stressed that having a “troubleshooting tool” like TJ keeps the app structured by giving the user various pre-fabricated options. Bookbinder said that for neurodivergent individuals, it can be very difficult to start tasks, and she wanted to eliminate this concern. 

My TOAD’s “SOS” feature gives users the ability to sync their phone’s contacts with the app. If they find that being held accountable for the work they intend to accomplish would be helpful, they can choose a contact to sync to My TOAD and select a message to send them from a predetermined list of options or write their own message. Through the “SOS” element, users can ask their contact to check in with them, ask them a question, inform them of a problem they wish to talk through and more. 

This feature directly corresponds with Bookbinder’s observations. “If somebody reaches out and makes it publicly known what their objectives are, then there’s a greater chance that they’re going to follow through,” she expressed. “There’s all kinds of backup features in there as well — they’re very scaffolded, and at the same time, this app is training them to be able to harness and maintain these skills so that they can use them going forward.”

Alongside the app’s emphasis on streamlining options for users for their convenience, the app also integrates gamification strategies, which is the use of gaming elements to encourage participation. Bookbinder explained that the ADHD brain is perpetually looking for something new because the novelty causes it to release dopamine, which they often lack. These elements include the app’s streaks to commemorate daily usage and the “Close the Ring” feature that encourages users to complete one task associated with each skill.  

“With the use of gamification, that will kick off that dopamine and that, in turn, will translate into motivation, which translates into a greater use of the app, which translates into their success,” she explained. 

Bookbinder designed the app for it to be accessible and engaging to individuals “across the lifespan,” accommodating anyone from children to older adults, highlighting that she has been in contact with learning support centers. 

Additionally, numerous student-athletes at Brandeis have participated in My TOAD’s beta testing, and Bookbinder has reached out to other higher education institutions such as  Wilmington University. Bookbinder’s team has also collaborated with companies to introduce the app to employees, and within these varied demographics, the app has been “seeing success across the board.” 

Bookbinder’s ADHD coaching book, “Unlock Your Inner Superhero,” implements her office’s strategy and acted as the impetus for this app. The book’s purpose is to act as a handbook for  parents, professors, coaches and adults to better understand the challenges and perspectives of the individuals they work with. 

Bookbinder established that alongside the stigma surrounding ADHD, there is a lack of resources directed towards kids, even with the best of intentions among experts. “I’ve said this often in my practice, that I think individuals who are this age are an untapped resource,” she elaborated, “I think we forget to solicit that voice. In speaking with my students over and over again, hearing how invalidated they feel and underrepresented they feel — that was really the impetus for this tool.” She shared that she fell in love with being an advocate for individuals with ADHD in working with her first client — a “conduit” between a student and their parent or teacher, for instance — when she founded AcademicAlly in 1998. 

Bookbinder’s firsthand experience with coaching “over 1,000” individuals with executive dysfunction informs the accessibility and innovation that makes the My TOAD app appealing to users across age groups and backgrounds. With various features integrating AI-powered guidance, gamified motivation and built-in accountability, her app empowers users to reclaim control over their daily lives, turning what is often perceived as a character flaw into a manageable set of skills that they can carry with them for a lifetime.