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)
Filter by Focus Area
Leading Articles about Managing ADHD
What It’s REALLY Like in the ADHD Brain: A Video Simulation
Ever wonder what it’s like to be in your kid’s ADD/ADHD brain? Or your spouse’s? Or, do you have ADD/ADHD…
CONTINUEDBring More Mindful Moments Into Your Life
It is no secret: parenting a child with ADHD can be very stressful at times. The toll of disorganization, impulsivity…
CONTINUEDWalking on Eggshells? How to Help ADHD Kids Control Emotions
Jordan’s mom was near tears. “What can I do about the roller coaster of emotions that Jordan seems to have…
CONTINUEDWhat’s Possible When Teachers and Coaches Understand ADHD
Hilary is physically active with good eye-hand coordination. She has a love-hate relationship with organized sports. She loves it, but…
CONTINUEDHelp Your Team Create Effective IEP Goals
The Individualized Education Program (IEP) is the cornerstone of special education. A good IEP relies on individualized goals to meet…
CONTINUEDTips For Surviving Your ADHD Child’s Adolescence
Adolescence is one of my favorite age groups to treat in my practice. However, when my oldest son was 12…
CONTINUEDSocks in the Dogfood: Managing Distractible ADHD Kids
Socks In The Dog Food Bin? Yes. I found my teenage son’s socks in the dog food bin. No joke.…
CONTINUEDEducational Coaching: What Is It And How Is It Different?
Across the world today, students are seen as active participants in their education and academic development. No longer are students…
CONTINUEDGirls Will Be Boys & Other Friendship Factors
A Pain to Witness Often, it pains us to see our kids walk alone on the playground, or in the…
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.