they are ‘bad’ or ‘naughty’ and that as everything they do is ‘wrong’ what’s the point in changing their behavior? Take the time to notice good behavior and actively give praise, i.e. ‘You hung your clothes up, thank you – that’s great’. All children require positive feedback, but ADHD kids more so. They need both verbal (praise) and physical rewards (toys, treats etc) to a greater extent than non-ADHD kids do.

• Think about timing too for punishmen

Parenting a ADHD child can be both challenging and rewarding. The home can often become a combat zone with confrontation over every little thing. Mom and Dad are left harassed and fed up, and the children upset and angry. There are ways to break out of this cycle and we’ll discuss those in this article.

You need to understand that an ADHD child needs special attention. But it does not follow that your lives should be turned upside down and you should cater to their every whim.

Clear boundaries and expectations over behavior should be set and met. You as parents must provide the essential guidance, behavior management, patience, and discipline.

Here are some suggestions for making your home life calmer and your family happier:

• Start by truly understanding the condition. ADHD can be made up of many different characteristics. Ensure your understand why your child is acting the way they do.

• A lot of the time children with ADHD won’t be acting in willfully disobedient manner. When you ask them to do something and they don’t it’s likely they either haven’t understood or were distracted rather than consciously deciding to defy you. That’s not saying they won’t do that sometimes so you need to learn to distinguish between the two.

• It helps to realize that people respond better to positive direction rather than negative and this applies to kids with ADHD too. This means rather than always telling them what not to do, start telling them what they should be doing. That way they’ll understand better what it is that you expect of them.

• Although you may not feel like it, always take the time to praise your child when they do something right. It is very easy to spot when things are going wrong and highlight those moments, however all this does is reiterate to your child that they are ‘bad’ or ‘naughty’ and that as everything they do is ‘wrong’ what’s the point in changing their behavior? Take the time to notice good behavior and actively give praise, i.e. ‘You hung your clothes up, thank you – that’s great’. All children require positive feedback, but ADHD kids more so. They need both verbal (praise) and physical rewards (toys, treats etc) to a greater extent than non-ADHD kids do.

• Think about timing too for punishmen

cater to their every whim.

Clear boundaries and expectations over behavior should be set and met. You as parents must provide the essential guidance, behavior management, patience, and discipline.

Here are some suggestions for making your home life calmer and your family happier:

• Start by truly understanding the condition. ADHD can be made up of many different characteristics. Ensure your understand why your child is acting the way they do.

• A lot of the time children with ADHD won’t be acting in willfully disobedient manner. When you ask them to do something and they don’t it’s likely they either haven’t understood or were distracted rather than consciously deciding to defy you. That’s not saying they won’t do that sometimes so you need to learn to distinguish between the two.

• It helps to realize that people respond better to positive direction rather than negative and this applies to kids with ADHD too. This means rather than always telling them what not to do, start telling them what they should be doing. That way they’ll understand better what it is that you expect of them.

• Although you may not feel like it, always take the time to praise your child when they do something right. It is very easy to spot when things are going wrong and highlight those moments, however all this does is reiterate to your child that they are ‘bad’ or ‘naughty’ and that as everything they do is ‘wrong’ what’s the point in changing their behavior? Take the time to notice good behavior and actively give praise, i.e. ‘You hung your clothes up, thank you – that’s great’. All children require positive feedback, but ADHD kids more so. They need both verbal (praise) and physical rewards (toys, treats etc) to a greater extent than non-ADHD kids do.

• Think about timing too for punishmen

y do.

• A lot of the time children with ADHD won’t be acting in willfully disobedient manner. When you ask them to do something and they don’t it’s likely they either haven’t understood or were distracted rather than consciously deciding to defy you. That’s not saying they won’t do that sometimes so you need to learn to distinguish between the two.

• It helps to realize that people respond better to positive direction rather than negative and this applies to kids with ADHD too. This means rather than always telling them what not to do, start telling them what they should be doing. That way they’ll understand better what it is that you expect of them.

• Although you may not feel like it, always take the time to praise your child when they do something right. It is very easy to spot when things are going wrong and highlight those moments, however all this does is reiterate to your child that they are ‘bad’ or ‘naughty’ and that as everything they do is ‘wrong’ what’s the point in changing their behavior? Take the time to notice good behavior and actively give praise, i.e. ‘You hung your clothes up, thank you – that’s great’. All children require positive feedback, but ADHD kids more so. They need both verbal (praise) and physical rewards (toys, treats etc) to a greater extent than non-ADHD kids do.

• Think about timing too for punishmen

his applies to kids with ADHD too. This means rather than always telling them what not to do, start telling them what they should be doing. That way they’ll understand better what it is that you expect of them.

• Although you may not feel like it, always take the time to praise your child when they do something right. It is very easy to spot when things are going wrong and highlight those moments, however all this does is reiterate to your child that they are ‘bad’ or ‘naughty’ and that as everything they do is ‘wrong’ what’s the point in changing their behavior? Take the time to notice good behavior and actively give praise, i.e. ‘You hung your clothes up, thank you – that’s great’. All children require positive feedback, but ADHD kids more so. They need both verbal (praise) and physical rewards (toys, treats etc) to a greater extent than non-ADHD kids do.

• Think about timing too for punishmen

they are ‘bad’ or ‘naughty’ and that as everything they do is ‘wrong’ what’s the point in changing their behavior? Take the time to notice good behavior and actively give praise, i.e. ‘You hung your clothes up, thank you – that’s great’. All children require positive feedback, but ADHD kids more so. They need both verbal (praise) and physical rewards (toys, treats etc) to a greater extent than non-ADHD kids do.

• Think about timing too for punishments and rewards. These should follow the action that leads to them as quickly as possible. Children will associate the behavior with the consequence more easily if the reward or punishment for those behaviors immediately follows. Waiting for your spouse to come home from work to punish a child that misbehaved hours earlier is not as effective as instant feedback.

• Be accommodating of the ADHD behaviors and try to avoid placing your child in a position where these behaviors are likely to cause difficulties and so lead to punishment. Be realistic about expectations.

• Don’t forget that your child will have qualities and abilities that can be nurtured. Try to find an outlet that meets their interest i.e. a sport or hobby. This is also a good time to spend some quality time together if its something that you can get involved with too.

• Be consistent and fair. You are a role model for your child so if it is all getting too much, leave the room and calm down. Children learn by watching others so lead by example.

• If you really aren’t coping then don’t be afraid to ask for help from professionals. Among the people you could turn to are your physician, counselors, psychiatrists, psychologists, teachers, and therapists.

• Finally don’t forget to tell your child that you love them and remember that a good sense of humor will carry you far.

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Parenting ADHD child can be quite a challenging experience, but conversely seeing your child make progress is very rewarding.