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Strategies for parenting children with ADHD

ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a developmental disorder in children and is mainly characterized by problems in giving attention to a particular task a hyperactive behavior. Every behavior occurs infrequently alone and the symptoms usually start in children before the age of seven. It is a psychiatric disorder in children and needs to be tackled with proper care and attention in order to make a better life for them in their later years. The specific cause of ADHD is not known yet and studies are still going on to develop proper methods to deal with ADHD affected children.

Managing a child with ADHD can be a difficult task, especially for the parents, but understanding that their mind works differently and adopting strategies accordingly might help a great deal. It is very important for the parents to understand the needs of the child suffering from ADHD and develop such parenting strategies that would help the child in channelizing his/her energy. Obviously for the parents, it is a difficult task and an everyday struggle, but you need to empathise with your child and understand that your child’s brain works in a different manner than the others. The following parenting techniques help a lot if you have a child suffering from ADHD syndrome.

1. Parenting techniques must be in sync with the child suffering from ADHD

Parenting techniques must be such that the child suffering from ADHD is able to adapt them with ease. What works on an adult will not work on a child. The Timeout: One minute strategy might not work with a child suffering from ADHD. Since, in a child suffering from ADHD the brain of the child is not in sync with the age. So if you have a 6 year old child, the brain would function as that of a 4 year old. Thus, a 4 minute time-out strategy would be best for such a child instead of 6 minutes for a 6 year old. Parents need to understand the effect of ADHD on their child, only then can they make full use of the strategies.

2. Rewards instead of Punishment

A child suffering from ADHD responds extremely well with the rewards given to them rather than punishments. You can double the time-out technique when applying this strategy. Suppose you have a six year old who is not sitting quietly, you can tell him/her that their time-out is 8 minutes but if he/she sits quietly then the time-out will be reduced to four minutes. Then see the difference as the kid will struggle to earn that reward.

Punishments make any child stubborn and the same thing will happen here if you punish your child. Demonstrate to your child what he/she is supposed to do and then ask them to do it yourself. Understand your child and do not lose your patience or constantly nag your child. Focus on what your child does correctly and appreciate that, rather than taking out their mistakes.

3. Selective attention

Influence your child’s desire towards Positive attention. Make use of selective attention to increase a positive behaviour. Praise the appropriate behaviour of your child and just ignore the inappropriate ones. It will be difficult for parents to do this as we tend to jump on our child when we see any inappropriate behaviour. But control yourself and try to be as helpful to your child as possible.

Suppose you are making your child finish his/her homework and he/she is making distracting noises tell your child,” let us see how soon you can finish this work”; and while your child is working towards it try and motivate the child by saying “wow! See you are working extremely well. Now only a few more to go”. When you use such selective attention your reward behaviour automatically increases and the negative attention also gets diverted towards the selective task.

4. Team up with your child

You and your child should work together as a team, and this makes a very strong team for the child to develop his/her behaviour. You must remember that all children try and imitate their parents. Thus, if you are working together with your child, your child will try and imitate your behaviour. Do the child’s homework together, draw, paint, play, make charts and do other activities along with your child to get a selective attention from the child.

Behavioral intervention not only changes the behaviour of the child but also change the way the brain works. Children with ADHD are a full time job for the parents and do it happily, with a smile on your face, to make life better for your child.

5. The touch factor

Studies have shown that young children who suffer from ADHD respond very well to touch. So as all loving parents, love your child by showing your love and care with hugs, kisses, tickle, wrestle and the like.

6. Everyday focus on your child’s strength

Of course every parent should focus on their child’s strengths rather than weaknesses but this is more so in case of a child suffering from ADHD. First recognize your child’s strengths and then encourage it and develop and focus on them every day. This will help them overcome their disability. Praise them and motivate them by giving those rewards rather than punishments.

7. Develop Motor skills

Motor activities stimulate development. Thus, focus on motor skills as children suffering from ADHD have problems in coordinating their motor skills. Games like building blocks or playing ball with your child helps them to give selective attention and develops their motor skills.

8. No quick fix

Patience is the key here for parents. Parents need to understand that there is no such thing as a quick fix for the child suffering from ADHD. You need to stay with these strategies for a very long time in order to see some positive results. Consistency is extremely important with a young child having ADHD.

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