As some of you may know, I wasn’t diagnosed with my ADHD until I was an adult — at 45 years old. But I had it all my life (I just didn’t know my symptoms had a name). I was fortunate enough to have been raised by someone (my dad) who also had ADHD. Because dad understood my brain, he definitely knew, intuitively, the tools I needed to succeed every day. And this leads me to one of the major steps a parent needs to take if they think their child has ADD / ADHD…
Learn absolutely everything you can about the way the ADHD brain works.
It’s crucial to understand there is nothing intentional about the behavior of a child who presents ADHD traits.
So, to be frustrated or annoyed, or feel like your child is being passive-aggressive or lazy is wrong.
Would you be any of those negative adjectives with a child who had a hearing impairment or a visual impairment? No. Because you’d understand that that’s the way they were born.
Well, newsflash: ADHD is something children are born with, too. They didn’t choose to have this type of brain, they just do.
Step 2: This is an ongoing process.
You want to constantly assess how the child is doing, day-to-day. And work on improving things like focus and mental clarity — striving for better results.
Step 3: Regularly communicate, with patience, when it comes to other people in your child’s life.
This could be their:
- Coach
- Teacher
- Tutor
- Piano teacher
For someone who doesn’t understand ADHD and hasn’t been around it, it’s not uncommon for people to make assumptions.
“This child…
- is lazy.”
- has poor habits.”
- pays no attention.”
- lacks discipline.”
- daydreams.”
Now, I certainly don’t want you to make excuses for your child — that’s not what this blog is about. However, it’s our job to help support our kids. And, by extension, and help those working with our children understand what’s going on. It’s not personal.
Also, I’m not suggesting that you ask others to make special accommodations. That said, in some cases, you may need to.
Step 4: Educate yourself on how to be a better ADHD parent.
The way you parent a child with ADHD is completely different from a child who’s neurotypical. A child with ADHD is (often) going to struggle when it comes to time management and other things, like:
- focus
- memory
- comprehension
And the most important step of all — if you think you’re child has ADHD — is to get an official diagnosis from a psychologist, psychiatrist, or neurologist!
For much more on this topic, like why:
- Getting a brain SPECT is the way to go
- It’s so important to create an environment that supports ADHD
- Putting your child with ADHD into sports and/or other physical activities (they love) is a game-changer
Then, check out The Chalene Show episode below:
And don’t forget to subscribe to TCS for weekly shows dedicated to improving the quality of life for you and your family!
