ADHD Treatment Information

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ADHD Treatment

Managing a child with ADHD requires participation of the entire family. Each member including grandpa and grandma - needs to become educated at this problem, just as they would if a child had asthma, or any other significant chronic condition. Input from the professional(s) involved and froms, tapes, and local support groups can be extremelyul. The nonprofit organization CHADD provides a variety of services, including printed information (facts, newsletters, educational materials for parents anders) and local organizations where parents and adults can prevent, support one another, and share about ADHD.

Parents of a child with ADHD must be ossified andcooperative. The survival of your marriage will requireyour conscious decision to create a flexible team andfirm support. If you are a single parent with an ADHDchild, you will need to marshal all the support you canfind - from relatives, friends, members of your church,even coworkers - to give yourself some breathing room.In all cases, prayers to God for wisdom and patienceshould he a vital part of each day.

The following can help restore and maintain order athome:

THE ADHD CHILD NEEDS STRUCTURE AND CONSISTENCY.

A predictable routine every day, with specific times formeals, chores, homework, bathing, and bedtime, createsa stable framework for his life. The ADHD child mostoften wants to do what is right. External structure helpsmove him in the right direction.

House rules and expectations for behavior should beexplicit, understandable and - very important - achiev-able. It would be unrealistic to expect a child withADHD to sit quietly through a full-length sermon, go onan extended shopping trip, or dine in a formal restaurantwithout some difficulty - or total disaster.

GIVE INSTRUCTIONS SIMPLY AND CLEARLY; AVOID GIVING A CHAIN OF DIRECTIONS.

A half hour after making aseemingly simple statement such as "Put the Legos away,let the dog out, and get your coat," you may find theADHD child playing with another toy he spotted whileputting away the Legos. The dog and the coat will havebeen long forgotten. If you have more than one thingyou want him to do, tell him one item at a time.

ENFORCE RULES AND LIMITS CONSISTENTLY AND PRE-DICTABLY, WITH CONSEQUENCES APPROPRIATE FOR THE VIOLATION.

For example, if he charges into a busy streeton his bicyde despite being warned not to do so, bike-riding privileges should be suspended for a day. If heknowingly mistreats a toy and it falls apart, don't repairor replace it right away. If he has become too excited oraggressive playing with other children, give him a time-out in an uninteresting spot.

Remember, the child with ADHD may not seem to"get the picture," and he may actually repeat the behav-ior that you just punished him for. It is important tomake him suffer consistent consequences each time but tonot yield to extremes: either giving up, which forfeits yourright to be in charge, or reacting with increasingly harshpunishments. As with all children, pick your battles carefully. Behaviors that put bins or others at risk or areovertly destructive need your decisive response. But ifyou go to the mat with him over every minor annoyance you'll be exhausted-and thoroughly depressed-everyday.

OFFER PRAISE AND ENCOURAGEMENT.

The child withADHD needs to know he is loved and accepted as an important member of the family, especially because his dis-ruptive behavior, difficulties with schoolwork, and lackof success in other areas such as games and sports willgenerate negative feedback from several directions. Heneeds to know that you and others are on his team andalways will be.

When he does what he's told, accomplishes a task,plays well with another child, or makes progress atschool, praise him. A special time of ten or fifteen min-utes every day with one or both parents can allow somepositive attention to be focused on hint regularly.

Helpful approach at school

The demands of school are nearly always at odds withthe natural bent of the child with ADHD. Often it is oneor more problems in the classroom that bring the issueto a head. Many children are first diagnosed with ADHDas a result of a teacher's observations.

Some adjustments are usually necessary to preventschool from being the site of endless defeat, embarrass-ment, and disruption. Smaller, calmer, more structuredclassrooms are preferable to larger, more chaotic envi-ronments. Sitting at the front of the class where there arefewer distractions and closer supervision can be helpful.Giving him brief physical tasks, such as passing out pa-pers or erasing the blackboard, will provide acceptableways for him to get up and move around the room dur-ing the day.

In a best-case scenario, the teacher will be aware ofhis diagnosis and be sympathetic, tolerant, and willing toprovide frequent, tactful reminders about assignmentsand appropriate behavior. Small-group and even indi-vidual instruction can be helpful. Just as in the home, thechild with ADHD will need praise for his accomplish-ments and areas of strength to balance the negative feed-back that invariably and frequently comes his way.In the real world, not all of these helpful features willbe readily available in the classroom. Parents may wantto become advocates for special services for their child,which by law are to be provided by the local school dis-trict for those with educational handicaps, including ADHD. Advice from the professional who made the di-agnosis or from a local support group might be neces-sary to guide parents in finding help within the system.For some ADHD children, home schooling providesan environment that is more structured and conduciveto learning. Taking this route obviously requires a fairamount of parental planning and effort, but it could pay off in the long run if it allows the child to compleehis primary education more efficiently and with hetself-esteem intact.

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