subject: How To Help Your Child With Adhd [print this page] If your child has ADHD, you may feel overwhelmed and unsure of how you can help to control or reduce their symptoms. It may be a good idea to seek professional counselling to help you cope with the difficulties of raising a child with ADHD. In addition to individual or family counselling, there are a number of other ways that you can help your child be successful and reduce the impact on your family.
The first step is to understand that ADHD result in a deficit in executive functioning, which means that it can affect your childs ability to:
Think and plan ahead
Organize
Control impulses
Complete tasks
Its important for you to provide your child with extra help, guidelines and support in these areas. Ensure you respond to your child with patience and understanding. Be positive, supportive and compassionate when you deal with your child, even during trying times where their behaviour is inappropriate. Here are some additional tips to help you and your child:
1. Be Positive
Keep things in perspective: if your child completes their homework on time, but forgets to clean their room, focus on the positive and be willing to compromise
Dont sweat the small stuff: try to keep a sense of humour. Small, inappropriate behaviours can seem like the end of the world, but you may look back on the incident and laugh
Believe in your child: remember that your child can be successful
Get support for yourself: dont feel like you are alone. Seek the help of a counsellor or parent support group and talk about your problems, difficulties and successes
2. Establish Structure and Remain Consistent
Follow a routine an established routine will help your child understand expectations about how they behave
Use clocks and timers to help your child stay on task and focused
Simplify schedules ensure there isnt too much down-time, or your child may become restless and bored
Create a quiet place for your child to study and have a time out if needed
Be neat and organized role model neatness and organization for your child
Keep your child busy remember that children with ADHD are easily bored
3. Set Clear Expectations and Rules
Ensure your child knows what to expect regarding their behaviour
Use a consistent system of rewards and consequences
4. Praise and Give Positive Reinforcement
Ensure you praise your child when they are successful
Give lots of positive reinforcement to encourage your child to succeed
Give positive attention on a daily basis
5. Educate Yourself and Your Family
Learn all you can about ADHD
Take advantage of support systems
Talk to other parents as well as your childs teachers and caregivers
Talk to a qualified counsellor or mental health professional
With the right tools and knowledge, there are many ways you can help your child with ADHD achieve success.
by: Dr. Dan Dalton
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