by Parenting a child with ADHD can be exhausting. Their never-ending supply of energy and desire to talk constantly can tire even the most patient parent. However, providing a child with ADHD with positive attention is a good investment.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic condition that affects millions of children and often continues into adulthood. ADHD includes a combination of persistent problems, such as difficulty sustaining attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behaviour. What to know more? Please read on…
How ADHD Affects A Child
The record has it that a child with ADHD can be more inattentive, hyperactive, and impulsive than is normal for their age. ADHD makes it harder for kids to develop the skills that control attention, behaviour, emotions, and activity. As a result, they often act in ways that are hard for parents to manage.
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That is to say, if they are faced with ADHD or inattentiveness they may be faced the following challenges:
- Always seem distracted
- Always seem not ready to listen
- Always have trouble paying attention
- Unable to follow directions well
- Need many reminders to do things
- Often times show poor effort in schoolwork
- Have trouble getting organized
Some characteristics to expect from a child with ADHD hyperactive:
- Always rushing instead of taking his or her time
- Climbing, jumping, or roughhouse is part of their play
- Fidget and seem unable to sit still
- Always making careless mistakes
Because they are Impulsive, a child with ADHD may:
- Be blurt always
- Always do things without thinking
- do things they should not, even though they know better
- Always have trouble waiting, taking turns, or sharing
- Always have emotional outbursts, lose their temper, or lack self-control
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Differences In Children With ADHD
Research record has it that ADHD is more commonly diagnosed in boys than girls, however, research into ADHD in adulthood stage suggests an almost equal balance between men and women. A lower diagnosis rate among females in childhood can result because girls with ADHD are more likely than boys to have the inattentive form of ADHD and are less likely to show obvious problems. That is to say, more than half of children who experience ADHD in childhood continue to have symptoms as adults.
Children with ADHD need lots of help managing their time and daily activities. They may also struggle with impulse control.
Provide Positive Attention: Know how ADHD affects your child, that is to say, teaching your child better time management will help him/her to set goals. Then, work with them to break those goals down into manageable, actionable steps.
Every child is different. Identify the problems your child has because of ADHD. Some kids need to get better at paying attention and listening. Others need to get better at slowing down.
Focus on teaching your child one thing at a time: It is good to try giving one-step commands instead of multistep commands.
Help children learn how to use planners and checklists to monitor their own activities. This is because trying to work on everything at once will not yield the best result. Start small. Pick one thing to focus on. Praise your child’s effort.
Work With Your Child’s School: Always engage with your child’s teacher at school to find out if your child should have visited a therapist. Meet often with teachers to find out how your child is doing. Work with the teacher to help your child do well.
Be Involved: Take time to notice the child’s success. Schedule one-on-one time for positive interactions that do not include punishment or negative feedback. However, do not punish typical ADHD behaviours, such as distraction. Instead, find ways to help children redirect their attention.
Enrol In Family Therapy: This act has to do with bringing in a specialist. This will give everyone an opportunity to share their emotions and get expert insight on managing ADHD.
Give Effective Instructions: Kids with short attention spans need extra help following directions. oftentimes, they do not hear the instructions in the first place. However, to make your instructions more effective, start by gaining your child’s full attention. Turn off the television, establish eye contact, and place a hand on your child’s shoulder before making a request.
Establish A Reward System: By establishing a reward system, it can probably be a great way to help a child with ADHD stay on track. But children with ADHD often get bored with traditional reward systems that require them to wait too long to earn a reward. Consider establishing a reward attitude system that helps your child earn small gifts throughout the day.
Establish a few target gift-earning behaviours, such as staying at the table during a meal, using gently reading his /her book during weekends, or putting toys away after using them. Then, allow little gifts to be exchanged for bigger rewards, like electronics time or a chance to play a favourite game together.
Children Advocating Law In USA
In the United States, there two federal laws establised for the help and encouragement of Individuals with Disabilities and Education Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 . This law require schools to accommodate the needs of children with ADHD.
According to records US federal law entitles children with conditions such as ADHD to an individualized education plan and a 504 plan. The former includes special services to meet the child’s needs, while the latter includes changes to the learning environment to accommodate the child’s ADHD. Parents and caregivers need to request accommodations, and they sometimes have to push for institutions to honor these accommodations.
Examples of classroom accommodations and support that may help a child with ADHD includethe following:
- Rewards for appropriate classroom behavior
- Preferential seating, such as sitting at the front of the classroom
- Organizational materials
- Extra time for tests
- The use of technology to support learning
- Frequent breaks and daily feedback from his/her classrom teacher
- The freedom to move, either through taking breaks or by using specialized equipment, such as sitting on a ball
- Classroom changes to reduce distraction
- Training to teach children better time management and emotional regulation skills
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