Life with a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD/ADD) can sometimes be a challenge, frustrating and even overwhelming. The earlier and more consistently you address your child’s challenges, the greater chance for success later in life. With this diagnosis your child most likely experiences these deficits:
- Inability to think and plan ahead
- Managing and controlling impulses
- Difficulty carrying out tasks and completing them
It’s important to remember that the child who is ignoring, annoying and embarrassing you is not acting willfully. Kids with ADHD/ADD want what you want. They don’t know how to make these things happen.
If you keep in mind that have ADHD/ADD is just as infuriating for your child, it will be a lot easier to respond I positive, helpful ways. With patience, empathy and plenty of support, you can manage childhood ADHD/ADD while enjoying a balanced, and peaceful home.
Compassionately and consistently implement these tips:
- Stay Positive/Stay Healthy
- Maintain positive attitude
- Keep things in perspective
- Don’t sweat the small stuff and be willing to make some compromise (win/win)
- Believe in your child. Make a list of the positive, valuable, and unique things about your child for when you’ve had a rough day. This will help you to keep focused.
- Seek support
- Take breaks
- Provide structure and stick to it
- Follow a routine
- Break up tasks and take breaks
- Use clocks and timers
- Simplify your child’s schedule and create one for them
- Promote wait time: Press pause
- Create a quiet place: not the same as time out, but for self-nurturance
- Encourage sleep and movement
- Find a sport
- Spend time in nature
- Decrease tv and electronics
- Eliminate caffeine, food dyes, and additives as much as possible
- Slow activity in household an hour before bed
- Create a ritual for bedtime that allows for connection and positivity
- Set clear expectations and rules
- Provide limited choices: limit to two choices
- Reward with privileges, acknowledgements, and activities rather than food or toys
- Make a chart for visible reminders of their successes.
- Immediate rewards work better than the promise in the future.
- Consequences should be spelled out in advance and occur immediately
- Use removal of privileges as consequences but not in excess of a few days
- Try giving a 2-minute pause to reset their brain’s control to make a wiser decision.
- When your child behaves badly, ask what he/she could have done instead.
- Help your child eat right:
- Get rid of junk foods
- Put unhealthy fatty and sugary foods off limits at home
- Give a daily vitamin and mineral supplement
- Teach your child to make friends
- Speak gently and honestly about their challenges and how to make changes. Many of them have difficulty with simple social interaction, read social cues, talk too much, interrupt frequently or come off as aggressive.
- Role play various social scenarios; make it fun
