Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder commonly diagnosed in children. It’s a relatively severe mental illness that often lasts into adulthood and is standard at young ages. Although children generally have trouble focusing and behaving at one time, it’s significantly different for a diagnosed child. It’s challenging for children with ADHD to grow out of these behaviors.
Fortunately, many children outgrow their symptoms, while others struggle. However, this doesn’t mean they must live a difficult life. To help you better understand what you can do, here are helpful strategies and tips you can look into.
Seek Medical Help
Before anything else, you must understand that every child may experience different things. So, their conditions are unique to them. That’s why what worked with others may not work for your child.
Moreover, your healthcare practitioner will also let you understand your kid’s diagnosis, like what it is about, how it works, and what you can do. Aside from that, they may also prescribe you medication like Adderall, but keep in mind that it can be pricey. Save on Adderall by getting prescription coupons, which significantly discount this medication. Keep in mind that you can only purchase this medication with a prescription.
Help Establish Healthy Habits
Healthy habits allow you to practice living healthily and prevent certain conditions. At the same time, it can be an excellent way to help your child manage their condition. If your child is on medication, ensure they take them as prescribed. Let them practice sleeping early or at least help them get enough sleep. Healthy habits like these help your child feel better about themselves and at least live a relatively better life.
Let Them Understand What Impulse Is Acceptable and Not
This part requires deep understanding, empathy, patience, affection, and energy. The goal is to let your child consider the consequences of their impulse or action and help them control it. As a parent, you must first recognize which behaviors you will tolerate and accept and which are not. Let them understand that doing the unacceptable can lead to punishment.
You must be clear about this and consistent with your guidelines. Keep what’s acceptable and not because this can harm their improvement. Unacceptable behaviors like physical outbursts and refusal to do their daily routines should be something you should never tolerate.
Additionally, make the rules straightforward so your child can internalize and enact your guidelines. Reward your child if they can successfully follow them, like providing a points system where they can collect points for presenting good behavior.
Once they’ve accumulated enough points, they can claim certain rewards. Repetition and positive reinforcement will allow them to understand your rules and guidelines.
Help Them Connect With Other People
Another challenge your child may experience is difficulty connecting with peers due to disturbed relationships and deficiencies in appropriate social behavior. One way you can help them is to become a good role model that your children can look up to.
Help them develop at least one close relationship, and as a parent, you’ll need to actively participate by taking the lead to arrange playdates. You can join communities or support organizations for ADHD to get other tips for helping your child develop social skills.
Encourage Loud Thinking
There are different subtypes of ADHD, and other diagnosed children can lack self-control. As such, they can speak and act before thinking. Instead of prohibiting them from doing this, let them verbalize their thoughts and reasoning. Let them explain when the urge acts out. It’s essential to do this to understand your child’s thought process better and be able to help them manage their impulsive behaviors next.
Respect Their Downtime
Despite being diagnosed, they are still kids, after all. So, as much as you need breaks, they, as well, will need them. Try to make schedules for alone time and make them understand its importance.
This downtime is usually called a “brain break,” where they can do other things and not just learn and study. So, they can take their brains for a few minutes off and reset themselves. It’s because children with ADHD usually take longer when they work. After all, others who work continuously on a single task longer can become less productive.
This activity is also significant when your child starts to enter school. That’s why it’s encouraged to let your student’s educational institution know your child’s situation so that they can provide the utmost support your child can receive. Additionally, try to meet with their teachers to find out how they’re doing well and what other things the teacher will need.
Provide Clear and Effective Directions in Various Activities
There are many misconceptions regarding a child with ADHD’s productivity. Some think completing an assigned task will be impossible for them. However, as a guardian, you must understand that aside from their particular needs, they’re like regular children. You’ll only need to provide other accommodations to help them focus on their task.
For instance, if you’re playing with them, you can try to make eye contact to get their attention or gently touch their shoulder or arm. Provide brief and necessary commands or directions that are direct to the point. Avoid telling them wordy statements that can quickly be delivered through short reports. Afterwards, you can praise them for their excellent behaviour and give them a head pat.
Giving compliments will help them build their self-esteem and help them feel relieved about their condition. You can also present rewards if they complete their tasks.
Final Thoughts
Children with ADHD have special needs. They need more understanding and extra effort to help them manage themselves. They may also require exceptional development, but they can have relatively everyday lives if their needs are recognized early on and interventions are acted upon on time. As a parent and a guardian, there’s no need to panic. You can follow the tips above and visit their healthcare practitioner regularly.