Survival Strategies with Parenting Children with ADHD

• Be Available During Homework Time. Be present and talk through what assignments need to be completed. Once your child begins to work on his assignments, you then can complete the tasks you may have to complete. If your child asks you to leave, consider going to another part of the home, as long as he or she is working on their assignments.

• Increase Physical Activity. Studies suggest a connection between physical activity and increased levels of alertness, mental function and learning. Physical activity increases blood flow to the brain, allowing for increased levels of glucose (brain food) to the brain, while releasing endorphin's, which are shown to improve mood. Encourage your child to bounce a ball or walk around the house while reading aloud from a book. Your child will eventually settle down and be able to focus on their work more easily.

• Use medication. Most children with ADHD are mentally exhausted upon returning home from school. This often poses significant challenge for completing homework. Discuss with your doctor additional options such as, prescribing a medication that is short acting/ quickly absorbed. Children are able to remain focused, complete assignments and recall the material they studied when prescribed medication.

• Arrange the environment. Although the end of the day may be approaching, homework still has to be completed. Getting your child comfortable and reducing interruptions/distractions improves his or her ability to complete homework. Create an inviting work-space free of the TV and cellphone. Have your child sit away from anything that could distract him from completing homework.

• Make it more fun and it will get done. Homework can be difficult and exhausting. The idea of coming home from a long day of school, only to begin the process all over again can be dreadful. Develop a reward system for homework assignments. You can reward your child with additional privileges such as increased television time or a later bedtime on weekends after homework is completed. If your child is studying for a test, turn it into a game of jeopardy or allow him to also ask you questions. Math, Science and English are some of the subjects that tend to tedious for children. Spice it up a bit.

• Periodically take a break. Allow your child a few minutes to rest in between subjects. Don’t expect your child to complete each assignment one right after the other. Consider also working for 20 minutes then allowing for a short break before moving to the next 20 minute segment.    

• Find a tutor. Depending on your schedule, you may find it hard to help your child with assignments. Consider hiring a tutor or locate an after school program where your child has a teacher available for assistance.

• Organize assignments in their appropriate folders.  Have your child place their homework in the designated folder and place it in his schoolbag the night prior. Develop a system with his teacher to ensure that his assignments are being turned in daily. 

Is Summer Vacation the Time for ADHD Medication?

Only seven weeks left!  Once again school will be out and summer break will be upon us.  This is the time of year when most students jump for joy!  Desks are emptied; backpacks are stashed in the closet.  Families begin to think about sun and fun, lazy afternoons, swimming lessons, BBQ’s, summer camp and family vacations.  When you’re the parent of an ADHD child, there is often another issue that begs attention. Parents frequently ask whether their child really needs to take his/her ADHD medications during the summer.  Parents often feel that because there is no need to manage an academic setting and everything that goes with it, there is no need for medication.  Not necessarily so.

In order to make an informed decision about your child’s summer medication needs, there are several factors to consider.  The best place to begin this process is to have a conversation with the doctor who prescribes medication and works with your child.  He or she will have the information necessary to help the family make an informed decision that is appropriate for their child. 

It is important for parents to consider just how much assistance their child derives from the prescribed medication.  What symptoms are being managed by medication?  How important is medication for the child’s ability to function in a healtlhy fashion.  For the child whose major ADHD symptom is inattentiveness it is possible that a “med vacation” could be well tolerated.  However, for the child who exhibits symptoms of hyperactivity and extreme impulsive behavior, year-round medication may be a better option.  This child frequently has difficulty appropriately managing social situations with peers.  Lack of medication can often result in poor social/peer relations thus having a negative impact on the child’s self-esteem. Again, in this situation, a medication break might not be the best option. 

Generally, summer is looser and less structured than the school year. The ADHD child, however, still needs structure and predictability in daily life in order to manage effectively.  Providing daily lists can help your child more efficiently manage the day. Keeping a calendar with daily and weekly activities clearly spelled out is helpful.   Provide daily activities like: planned events, enroll your child in swimming lessons/summer camps, play dates with friends, encourage reading for enjoyment (not classroom assigned reading) and family outings.  These types of activities can provide structure for your child thus avoiding boredom and the need for stimulation seeking behaviors.  Kids with ADHD have a more difficult time structuring their own lives.  They require some external support in the form of parental intervention. Planning lots of physical activities is a key to success.

When considering sending your child to sleep-away camp, it’s imperative to consider how well your child can stay on task, follow directions and relate to peers. In addition, it’s important to consider the skill level of the camp counselor who will be supervising your child.  Will these adults be familiar with ADHD and its impact on a child’s behavior?  These are questions that might help you decide whether your child can have a “medication vacation” while away at camp.  The last thing any parent (or child) wants to experience is a call from camp requesting an early pick-up.  Some ADHD children may be more able to manage a day-camp setting vs. a sleep-away camp. There is less stress and less for them to manage when they know they will be home at the end of the day.

It’s important to remember that there is no perfect solution to this dilemma.  But, there are options. You may choose to try a lower dose of the child’s prescribed medication during the summer months. You may choose to take short breaks from medication as seems appropriate. You can always medicate your child on days when you feel he may need a little extra help maintaining self-control.  Summer break should be a time for fun and relaxation for kids and their families.  If you begin with the premise that your child deserves to have a positive and successful summer experience, you will be on your way to making a healthy choice for your family.   

Challenges of ADHD and School

Written by: Deborah Miller-Lunsford, LCSW

Many adolescents with ADHD experience significant problems managing school, both in terms of social and academic successes.  Both parents and adolescent can become frustrated and angry leading to a great deal of stress at home.  One of the first steps is to get a formal diagnosis from counseling professional.  With that in hand, the next step is to engage the teachers and school support staff in identifying your child’s needs. Together you can develop strategies for academic success.

There are two different types of attention deficit disorders.  ADHD refers to hyperactivity and impulsivity while ADD refers to those who are primarily inattentive and easily distractible.  According to the American Psychiatric Association, however, the correct diagnostic term for both types is ADHD.  Because these symptoms can be mild to severe, parents see varying levels in skill and maturity impairment.

Our school system is not ideally designed for the ADHD child (unable to provide enough individual attention) so the child often experiences a host of challenges.  Here are some of the more common school problems that your ADHD child is likely to experience.

Restlessness: 

The hyperactive child is often restless, getting up and down from his/her seat disrupting classmates and irritating the teachers.  There can be lots pencil tapping, leg and foot moving and general bouncing around in the desk.

Short Attention Span and Distractibility:

The AD/HD child often has trouble following teacher’s lectures, participating in small group projects and performing well on tests.  The child with short attention span often finds him/herself with a wandering mind. This can result in failing to complete tasks as well as irritating project partners.

Impulsiveness:

This impulsivity can be evidenced by the child blurting out answers in class or making impulsive and incorrect responses on tests and class assignments.  Speaking before thinking is often a real problem for this child.  These statements can often resemble insults but are really just the result of not thinking before speaking. Nevertheless, this can result in the child having difficulty in the social aspects of school.

Procrastination:

Most of us have put off an unpleasant task until the last minute.  With ADHD, kids often wait until the very last minute to begin an assignment and then don’t have enough time for completion.  This can be particularly true of the “long term” research assignments/projects.  These kids just don’t anticipate how much time it will take them to properly complete all the steps and get it ready to hand in on time.  They frequently turn in poor quality incomplete assignments or they don’t get the work done at all.

Trouble Shifting Attention from One Situation to Another:

The child’s ability to shift attention from one task to another is often impaired.  Transition time, when students are switching classes or topics, often results in not turning in assignments at the end of class, forgetting to pack up everything needed to complete homework assignments, etc.  Kids can “over focus” on what they are doing which makes it difficult to switch gears and move smoothly and swiftly from one task to another.

Forgetfulness:

This is a big one!  It applies to almost any activity but it is evidenced in school by forgetting to turn in assignments, permission slips, bring home books, etc.  Homework can become a challenge when the needed materials are “in my locker.”

These are just a few of the more common complaints associated with AD/HD kids and the classroom.  Fortunately there are resources available to teach kids, their parents and teachers positive coping skills.  Structure, consistency and organization are key factors.  Finding an experienced therapist who can guide you is a good place to start.  In addition, you can find several good books that are easy to read and are encouraging for everyone.  Edward M. Hallowell, M.D., John J. Ratey, M.D., and Daniel G. Amen, M.D. are just a few of the recommended authors.  They are excellent resources to assist you with your challenges. 

The most important thing you can do as a parent of an ADHD child is to love them.  I encourage you all to Stop, Breathe and Think before responding.  

5 Tips for Managing Symptoms of ADHD

1. Set specific behavior goals and monitor your child’s progress toward the goal. Applying consequences and rewards using a behavior chart can help motivate the behavior changes. For example, a child may have a goal of sitting for 15 minutes at a time to do homework. Parents should track whether the child has met the goal. Short amounts periods of time can help the child complete assignments more easily and improve their level of confidence. 

2. When giving directions, it is helpful to keep them short and simple. Complicated or long directions for children with AD/HD can result in the child easily losing focus and forgetting what you have asked them to complete. If long directions are needed provide written directions.

3. Provide a homework assignment notebook where your child is required to write assignments in and obtain teachers signatures indicating that he/she has everything needed to complete the assignments. Once the assignments are completed, parents should check them and also sign the assignment book indicating that all of the homework has been completed.

4. Create a written schedule for the child to follow. This would include a morning and after school routine. Specific directions such as: Make your bed, make your breakfast, brush your teeth and organize your backpack can reduce forgetfulness.  If possible parents should check to ensure their child has everything necessary for the school day.

5    5. Offer feedback between compliments. If you need to let your child know that they have done something incorrectly, find something positive he/she has done and begin with the positive comment first.