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
Bilbow Formula for Success
In the 20 years I’ve spent advocating for children and families with ADHD, I’ve identified one common denominator that stands…
CONTINUEDHow to Help Teens Who Aren’t “Living Up to Their Potential”
“If he just applied himself, he could be earning straight A’s! He’s so smart…he’s just not living up to his…
CONTINUEDTrue or False: ADHD Kids Can’t Focus
Have you ever seen a normal, everyday person suddenly turn into Perry Mason or Matlock right in front of your…
CONTINUEDHow to Get Your ADHD Child’s Attention
Communication Barriers As different as we all are, there are certain fundamental things most families have in common about how…
CONTINUEDLife With An ADHD Kid: It Is What It Is…
Digging Deep For A Lesson I love to garden. Scratch that. I love to get dirty and wear out my…
CONTINUEDSitting Still: Is it Sensory or ADHD?
Restless behaviors can be distracting and disruptive to family and classroom routines. There are many reasons a child might have…
CONTINUEDHow to Manage ADHD Effectively: 6 Fundamental Steps
ADHD Is Manageable! That’s the message of the new e-book by ImpactADHD, “ADHD in Reality: Practical Tips FROM Parents, FOR…
CONTINUEDWhat Does it Mean to “Treat” ADHD?
“Acceptance is not submission. It is acknowledgement of the facts of a situation, and then deciding what you’re going to…
CONTINUEDDiagnosing ADHD: An Integrative Pediatricians’ View
“Medicine is a science of uncertainty and an art of probability.” Sir Dr. William Osler (one of the great physicians…
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.