Your Child Was Diagnosed With ADHD - Now What?
Your child was just diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder—now what? For many parents, the first reaction is fear, worry and even shame. But don’t panic! There are tons of helpful resources to support you and your child. Before we dive into some practical tips to help you if your child has ADHD, let’s first quickly address what exactly ADHD is.
What is ADHD?
Undoubtedly, ADHD has become an increasingly popular term. Over 6.1 million children in America have ADHD, so your child is not a lone ranger. As it continues to be studied, more options are available than ever before to help.
ADHD—or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder—is one of the most common mental disorders to affect children. Symptoms of the disorder include but are not limited to:
● Excess movement
● Difficulty sitting still
● Hyperactive
● Inability to stay focused
● Impulsivity, to name a few
This condition is treatable with the proper interventions. However, if left untreated both school and professional activities as well as academic achievements can be impacted.
Self-esteem can also be affected. Children—and adults—can experience difficulty in accepting criticism as they go through life if they are not taught coping mechanisms to manage ADHD symptoms.
So, now that you child has been diagnosed with ADHD here are 8 tips to help you set them up for success:
1. Help Them Understand Their Diagnosis By Using Friendly Language
One of the most important tips for your child is to help them understand ADHD. Be sure to use positive reinforcement words and stay away from words such as “lazy”, “impulsive”, or “stupid”. Friendly language can sound like:
● “Having ADHD means your brain is like a fireworks show, with lots of sparks and energy going off in all directions. It's what makes you so creative and full of ideas. We might need to work on ways to make sure those sparks light up at the best times, and I'll be here to help you with that every step of the way."
● "You know how sometimes it feels like your brain is running super fast, or you're bouncing around a lot because you have so much energy? That's because your brain works a bit differently, and it's something called ADHD. It just means we'll find cool and creative ways to help you learn and do things in a way that's best for you."
● "Imagine your mind is like a superhero - it's super quick and always on the go. That's a special thing called ADHD. It means you're really good at thinking about lots of things at once, and we're going to learn how to use that superpower together."
● "ADHD is a short way of saying that your brain likes to jump from idea to idea, kind of like a frog jumping from lily pad to lily pad. It's not a bad thing; it's just how your amazing brain works. We'll work on ways to help you focus when you need to, just like helping the frog stay on one lily pad a bit longer when it wants to."
2. Give Praise
It is important to set rules for all children. A reward system for rules being followed goes a long way. With children diagnosed with ADHD, praise is essential to their self-esteem.
Praising good behavior and reinforcing healthy behaviors is a self-worth builder for kids with ADHD. They receive more criticism for their disorder and desperately need positive behavior to be praised. This teaches children to focus on what they should be doing versus allowing impulsivity and promoting bad behavior.
Here are some examples of positive praise statements:
● "You did a fantastic job on your project! It's clear you put a lot of effort and creativity into it."
● "I love how you always find a way to stay positive, even when things get tough. Your optimism is truly inspiring."
● "Your kindness towards your friends is really heartwarming. It's wonderful to see how caring and considerate you are."
● "Watching you work so hard and not give up, even when it's challenging, fills me with pride. Your perseverance is something to be admired."
3. Engage Them with Interactive Methods
Children with learning difficulties and disabilities learn differently. Children with ADHD tend to learn better by doing versus simply listening to a lesson. Provide hands-on, interactive approaches. For example:
● Cooking Together: Rather than instructing a child on the importance of math in everyday life, involving them in cooking can be a practical lesson in measurements and fractions. Following recipes together encourages reading, math skills, and following instructions, all while engaging in a fun, interactive activity that results in a delicious treat or meal to enjoy together.
● Gardening Projects: Instead of explaining how plants grow from seeds, parents can involve their child in gardening. This could be as simple as planting seeds in pots or a garden, watering, and watching them grow over time. It's a hands-on way to teach responsibility, the life cycle of plants, and the importance of caring for the environment.
● Crafting and Building Projects: Swap out passive learning with crafting or building projects that match the child's interests. Whether it's constructing models from kits, creating art projects, or building a birdhouse, these activities develop fine motor skills, creativity, and problem-solving abilities. It transforms abstract concepts into tangible creations that children can see, touch, and feel proud of.
● Interactive Storytelling: Move beyond just listening to stories by making storytelling an interactive experience. Encourage the child to act out parts of the story with costumes or puppets, or create their own endings to stories. This not only enhances their understanding and retention of the story but also boosts imagination, expressive skills, and confidence in storytelling.
4. Create Healthy Habits
Establishing habits can set you up for success from the get-go. This can look like setting a bedtime that does not fluctuate, eating a well-balanced diet of healthy foods, and time for fun. You can intermingle exercise into their allocated fun time to create an even healthier routine that your child will enjoy.
5. Concise Talk
When you have a child with ADHD, you may feel like your directions go in one ear and out the other. Be sure to effectively communicate your commands and stay consistent. They already struggle with paying attention, so this can feel tricky.
To ensure your words are comprehended, make eye contact and a touch on the arm. Short and simple commands are the easiest to understand. The more concise and consistent, the better for your child.
6. Nurture Their Friendships
In order to nurture the friendships of your child with ADHD, you must first set a good example of how to be a role model. Only allow a certain amount of screen time to influence your child. Take them to the local park or an outing with other kids their age.
Help them establish and nurture their friendships with at least one friend. Set up play dates to continue the growth of friendships and social skill development.
7. Set Achievable Goals
Every parent wants their child to succeed. Therefore, it is your responsibility to provide realistic, achievable goals for them.
Several examples of achievable goals can include:
● Cleaning up before bedtime
● Being in bed on-time
● Studying and completing their homework on time
● Saying ‘hi’ to one new person each day at school
● Being kind to their teachers
These small, yet impactful goals are a great way to show your child that they can do anything they put their mind to. Be sure to reward and praise them after their goals are achieved. This continues developing the much-needed self-esteem that some children with ADHD struggle with.
8. Outside Resources
Take advantage of all of the incredible outside resources that can help you and your child. Look into school services such as counselors and group activities.
Children with ADHD benefit from social interactions and activity-centered focuses. Reach out to local support groups that have other parents with children diagnosed with ADHD. These support groups can be lifesavers for both the parents and the kids.
Bottom Line
If your child was diagnosed with ADHD, there is no need to panic. Many options exist to help your child cope with their diagnosis.
Many positives are associated with ADHD, and your child can still live a normal life filled with happiness and success. The key is to stay calm, stay positive, and stay consistent.
The Mind Center, LLC is a thought leadership mental health brand dedicated to helping parents, their kids, and the schools they attend. At the heart of what we do, we have your little one's best interest in mind. We help kids thrive, by providing school-based testing services that put your mind at ease, and make their educational wins something you and your child can be proud of. To learn more about the services, visit the services tab on our website!
