Parenting an ADHD child can often be challenging and overwhelming. Stress is a given, and not everything will turn out as planned. There are ways to, at the very least, manage ADHD more effectively. While the symptoms of ADHD are not preventable, you can gain greater control over them. With proven methods, you can learn to manage them better. By following these five tips, and doing what’s right for your child’s specific needs, you will see improvement. This is especially true if you hire a professional ADHD Coach to work with you.
Before getting to the tips, keep these three things in mind:
Parenting an ADHD child requires more than the basic
When you tell an ADHD child to do something, it might not register in their minds the way it would for an average child. The average child can understand what has been said. Then make use of that information in a way that produces the desired results. If you ask most children to clean their rooms or do their homework, they can do it and follow through with what you asked. However, things change if the child has ADHD. This is one of the big reasons an ADHD coach is so important. You cannot approach an ADHD child the same way you would an average child.
You have to learn how to do more than the basics when speaking with ADHD children. Asking them to do something is not going to work. Their brains do not work that way. You have to give these children additional help and care. It’s important to play a more active role. If you want the child to listen and to do what you ask, putting in that extra time is essential.
Understand them
An understanding of their situation is important. Throughout ADHD coaching, you can learn more about the way that the child thinks and behaves. You will learn that they are not doing this as a way to hurt or annoy you; that is not their goal. These children want to behave and do as they are told. They just don’t have the ability. Regardless of how much they want to improve themselves, their minds are not making this an easy task.
Know how to approach
Approach parenting an ADHD child in a positive manner. Even when you feel exhausted, you want to continue remaining on track and collected. This keeps everyone on the same page and happy.
When you keep these three things in mind, it’s easier to follow these tips:
Set a good example
Be the example they need. Stay calm, stay dedicated, and stay positive. As any child, yours will look up to you and follow your lead. If you make yourself a positive role model in your child’s life, success is a more likely outcome. Your child will attempt to follow in your footsteps, handling life and situations in ways that you would.
Help them manage life and tasks
Give your child the chance to live like a normal child. Do not hover over your child or attempt to control every action. Children need to learn how to do things for themselves and how to handle situations. That is no different with ADHD children. To make this easier, you can have planning set up that structures their lives in way that makes balance and personal control possible.
Remember to discipline and reward behavior
Part of ADHD coaching is curbing certain bad behaviors and rewarding good ones. You have to do this as your child ages. You should discipline your child, in a sensible and reasonable manner, when they behave poorly. In turn, reward your child for good behavior. Just remember that what you do should fit your child.
Allow for freedom
Like any child, an ADHD child needs to have some freedom. Giving your child choices and allowing for the freedom to make decisions can help immensely. This gives your child the ability to grow, develop, and have more confidence. As the child ages, having the ability to make decisions about what they want is critical.
Stick with it
As any ADHD coach will tell you, you have to stick with it. This is not something that you can give up on the moment things get hard. Your child sticks with you so you have to stick with him or her. Continue to help your child understand, grow, and improve, even when things rough.
Parenting an ADHD child takes patience, consistently, and lots of love. You’ll make mistakes, as any parent does. It’s important to gain skills to manage and handle your ADHD child. It’s also important that they have tools to succeed. If you’d like to learn more about how Live ADHD can help, visit our ADHD Student Coaching page.
