Guiding parents and teachers to navigate the challenges of ADHD
ADHD is a medical condition marked by developmental delays in children and teens, and often leads to challenges in parenting. It tends to be greatly misunderstood by medical and therapeutic providers, who may develop treatment plans that rely on medication as a sole source of treatment to the exclusion of behavior management training in parenting. Parenting interventions are effective, recommended, and have been proven to improve symptoms for children and teens. Most experts agree that ADHD is much (cont'd below)
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Leading Articles about Managing ADHD
Standardized Test Prep for Kids with LD, ADHD and Other Learning Challenges
SAT, ACT and standardized testing are words that every student dreads – ADHD or not. So much studying and preparation…
CONTINUEDOvercoming Learning Challenges – A Complex Kid Speaks Out
Do you sometimes feel like you don’t know how to talk to your child about their learning challenges and how…
CONTINUEDCompassion is a Cornerstone of ADHD Management
In an interview recently, a summit host asked me for my #1 recommendation for parenting calmly with ADHD kids –…
CONTINUEDLove Your ADHD Brain
The Importance of Heart For thousands of years humans have considered the heart as the center of the universe. Indeed,…
CONTINUEDWhat to Say to Your Child or Teen about Diagnosis for ADHD
A member of our ADHD Parenting Community on Facebook (this is a private group open to the public) posted this…
CONTINUEDThe 3 Legged Stool of Success for Kids with ADHD Part 1: Self-Awareness
Here’s the bottom line: Find things your child does well; tasks he or she completes with mastery. Then you’ve got something about which both you and your son or daughter can honestly say: “That was pretty darned good.” Your kids need to experience the joy of success. It’s like money in their self-assessment bank account.
CONTINUEDKeep Your Eyes Open
I remember playing a hiding game with my kids when they were little. They would cover their eyes, and “hide”…
CONTINUEDManaging ADHD and Reducing Family Stress
ADHD has a profound influence on family life. It often contributes to an increase in daily household stress, with a…
CONTINUEDFrom Frustration to Organization – Using T.A.C.T. to Parent ADHD
ADHD is not a “new” condition, nor unique to life and times in the 21st century. But our understanding of…
CONTINUED(continued) more than a ‘deficit of attention.’ Instead, ADHD can appear as a rather complicated collection of symptoms, manifesting somewhat differently for each individual. It may more easily be understood as a brain-based developmental delay in executive function. It can also be confused with or compounded by the many co-existing conditions that are common for people with ADHD, including anxiety, learning disabilities, depression, asthma, allergies, autism, Tourette syndrome, as well as newer (and less-well-known or researched) conditions, such as rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD).
Executive functions are responsible for how we think, feel, and act. They’re how we get ourselves to do (or not do) absolutely anything. Therefore, the symptoms that lead to an ADHD diagnosis are not just whether or not someone can pay attention, but whether they can self-regulate – whether they can decide what to pay attention to, stick with it, finish what they’re focusing on, minimize their impulses, and avoid getting distracted in the process. That’s what makes parenting so difficult.
The five areas most commonly reflected in ADHD symptoms rely heavily on executive function: attention (focus), impulsivity, organization, emotional intensity, and (sometimes) hyperactivity. Again, when kids, teens or young adults struggle with these issues, it can cause significant challenges in parenting.
Whether parents are trying to get life moving in the mornings or just help their kids and teens manage any or all of their responsibilities, ADHD is best treated by a combination of medication and ‘behavior therapy,’ otherwise known as parent management training, or behavior management training. With training, parenting can work with medication (when relevant) to teach children and teens skills in self-management, and ultimately improve outcomes for the whole family.