ADHD makes it harder for kids to develop the skills that control attention, behavior, emotions, and activity. As a result, they often act in ways that are hard for parents manage. For example, because they are inattentive, kids with ADHD may: seem distracted.
Moms and dads with undiagnosed ADHD often find themselves overwhelmed by the demands of parenting and struggling to meet their children's needs. Lacking organizational skills, they may find keeping up with their kids' schedules and managing their behavior very stressful.
For example, children with ADHD create far more demands on parents' time and attention. That can lead to relationship problems, less family togetherness, and more conflict. Research even shows higher rates of divorce and depression among parents of a child with ADHD, compared with other families.
Any parent of a child with ADHD faces challenges in reacting calmly and consistently to impulsive, risky, and sometimes dangerous behaviors. Our children with ADHD become bored easily, continually seek rewards, and sometimes get angry when we set limits to keep them safe.
Finding the right ADHD management strategies may take some trial and error. But once you learn how to deal with your kid's ADHD and help your child manage their condition, life will get easier.
You can inherit genes that boost risk for ADHD from your mother, from your father or from both parents. In a recent Norwegian study, inherited risk was somewhat higher when a child's mother had ADHD compared to their father, but researchers weren't certain why that would be.
Decades of research show that authoritative parenting is the most effective style for raising productive, well-adjusted, functional children with ADHD.
To discipline a child with ADHD, try to set your child up for success. Break down complicated tasks into small, actionable steps. Encouragement is helpful so stay positive. Try to let smaller infractions go as you focus on the larger goals.
They are what I call the 5 C's of ADHD parenting: self-Control, Compassion, Collaboration, Consistency and Celebration. By using these tools, you can reduce your stress, create peace in your family and increase cooperation and love all around.
ADHD can reduce life expectancy by as much as 13 years, but its risk is reversible.
Kids with ADHD often have behavior problems. They get angry quickly, throw tantrums, and refuse to do things they don't want to do. These kids aren't trying to be bad. The problem is that ADHD can make it hard for them to do things they find difficult or boring.
Yelling doesn't help kids with ADHD learn better behavior. In fact, harsh punishment can lead them to act out more in the future. Try these calm, collected ways to deal with discipline instead.
Youth with ADHD often have more stress than their peers without ADHD due to the symptoms they live with. Disruptions in daily routines can add to stress as well. Stress is an emotional response to difficult circumstances.
Kids with ADHD have a hard time controlling their actions, McGough says. Sometimes, they take risks without thinking. But, he adds, most of the time, they're not trying to hurt anyone. This disorder can be linked to a mental disorder that causes children to disobey or rebel.
Sitting still, listening quietly, concentrating- these are among the most difficult tasks for a child with ADHD, and are the ones they're often required to do all day long in a traditional classroom environment.
Sometimes it may feel that way, but raising a child with ADHD to be a well-behaved child is not impossible. You just need to develop strategies for developing positive behaviors, while curbing negative ones.
In general, children with ADHD are right-brained learners. They prefer to learn visually — by watching or doing a task in an activity-based, hands-on format, not by listening to lectures, practicing drills, or memorizing. There are many ways to implement visual learning outside the classroom.
Causes of ADHD
Recent studies link genetic factors with ADHD. In addition to genetics, scientists are studying other possible causes and risk factors including: Brain injury. Exposure to environmental risks (e.g., lead) during pregnancy or at a young age.
ADHD is not on the autism spectrum, but they have some of the same symptoms. And having one of these conditions increases the chances of having the other. Experts have changed the way they think about how autism and ADHD are related.
ADHD tends to run in families and, in most cases, it's thought the genes you inherit from your parents are a significant factor in developing the condition. Research shows that parents and siblings of someone with ADHD are more likely to have ADHD themselves.