Tips for Parents of Children with ADHD

<h1>Coping with ADHD</h1><p>Anyone with children will agree that raising a child isn’t always easy. If you have a child that’s been diagnosed with ADHD, things can be even more challenging. A parent’s biggest role when it comes to a child with ADHD is to be supportive and encouraging and show them how to manage their condition at home and how to succeed at school.</p><p>According to a recent report, parents of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) show more signs of stress than parents without. While these are often quite talented and amazing in many ways, they can also be difficult to raise. It’s essential that you know as much as possible about raising a child with ADHD.</p><p>When parents first learn that their child has been diagnosed with ADHD, it’s common to feel lost, or in shock. This diagnosis comes with a huge variety of questions and concerns. Learning more about ADHD is an important first step to understanding your child's condition, and how you can help them to cope more effectively. One way for parents to understand how they can best help their child who's been diagnosed with ADHD is to learn what they should and shouldn’t do in response to certain behavior. Here are a few tips to help you get started.</p><h3>Handling Rude Remarks Made by Others</h3><p>It can come as no surprise that raising a child with behavioral challenges tends to hold certain stigmata. There will always be people around willing to offer rude remarks regarding your or your child’s behavior. To protect them and yourself against hurtful remarks made by others regarding your child’s behavior, it’s important to talk with them about how to deal with negativity, especially from strangers. Teach them to control their emotions when placed in these kinds of situations. Being able to ignore the comments of others and walk away teaches self-control and discipline.</p><h3>Try not to sweat the small stuff</h3><p>One of ADHD’s hallmarks is a tendency to get hung up on small details. As frustrating as it can be, these tendencies should be viewed positively—it often means that your child isn’t going to miss a single detail. Instead of focusing on simply completing tasks, your child should instead focus on finishing tasks well. You can help them learn how to do that by refocusing their attention whenever they get off track by asking questions like: What were you doing before? Where did you leave off? Is there anything else that needs to be done here? These types of questions can help shift their mindset from just finishing to filling in all of the blanks.</p><h3>Set up ground rules</h3><p>A child with ADHD should still understand the importance of rules. Although it may be tempting to give your child more freedom, having certain limits until they grow older will ultimately be a benefit. It’s okay if they get frustrated; as that could be a perfect opportunity to help them learn to control their responses. Stay mindful of what works for them—and what doesn’t—when figuring out boundaries. This also means being cautious when introducing technology into their lives, such as cell phones or video games.</p><h3>Managing Your Child's Behavior in School</h3><p>Parents of children with ADHD often feel like they’re failing if they reach out to their child’s teachers and other school officials for help. But really, seeking outside assistance is a good sign that you care—and want what’s best for your child. Here are some ideas on how to get and keep teachers helping your ADHD child. Teachers can be excellent sources of support for an ADHD child. They’re trained to see things from another adult perspective; after all, many are parents themselves. Not only that, but teachers have likely taught children with similar needs before — in many cases, better than parents. In fact, it’s a good idea to form strong enough relationships with your child’s teachers so that they can keep you up to date on how they’re proceeding. If teachers are unable to help, you can even reach out to your family doctor for suggestions on what to do next.</p><h3>Dealing With Homework Issues</h3><p>Homework issues or trouble completing homework are common in children diagnosed with ADHD. When this happens, many parents can find themselves unable to help. You want to highlight the importance of completing homework, but you don’t want to add any undue stress, either. Consider taking a step back and letting them work alone for a little bit before helping out.</p><h3>Never give up</h3><p>With early diagnosis and proper treatment, parents of children with ADHD can be confident in knowing that their kids will still have every opportunity to succeed. Many doctors recommend behavior modification first, as it’s easy to try and much less expensive than medication. Using consistent discipline at home can also help improve a child’s behavior by removing causes of stress from family life. Even if your child seems unmanageable, you never give up. In fact, many children with ADHD grow up to lead successful lives. What you both learn today could end up being invaluable later on down the road!</p><h3>No quick fixes</h3><p>If you’re a parent of a child diagnosed with ADHD, your first instinct might be to try anything and everything in order to get them help. But unfortunately, many treatments are all smoke and mirrors—appearing to help at first, but ultimately doing very little to address underlying issues. Be wary of any claims for anything that can cure your child’s ADD/ADHD; often these are scams designed to take advantage of your desperation.</p><h1>Final Thoughts</h1><p>ADHD is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that can cause learning, behavior, and social problems. While there is no known cure for ADHD, doctors often prescribe medication to help treat symptoms. Meanwhile, you can focus on helping your child manage his or her condition.</p><p>Most parents of children with ADHD feel they aren’t prepared or don’t know what to do. It takes a lot of patience and understanding. Make sure you understand your child’s condition and what motivates their actions before approaching them about their behavior. And as always, no two children are alike, some respond well to rewards and consequences, while others need additional medication management or specialized educational services. No matter the case, they’ll always need the love of their parents. That’s where you come in.</p>

The most important thing to remember, as the parent of a child with ADHD is to show love , support and encouragement. Together you can learn how to manage their condition at home and how to succeed in school and life

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Tips for Parents of Children with ADHD