Best Tips for Your Child with ADHD
You might have recently found out that your child has ADHD, or maybe you’ve been dealing with it for years and you keep hitting the same road blocks, if so this video is for you.
Today we’re going to talk about Best Tips for Your Child with ADHD.
I’m Angela Howard, my passion is to break the stigma of mental illness among fellow Christians. I’m here to help you live a more purposeful life with God, and with one another. Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you can get the first updates of new content and connect in community.
Life with ADHD can be frustrating and will test your patience, but there’s a lot you can do as a parenting to empower your kids to overcome some of the obstacles that they will face with this disorder. The more consistent you can be in your parenting the better chance your kids will have in creating long-term habits that will help them be successful in life and relationships.
Whether you are choosing medication or other treatments I’d like to address some areas that aren’t covered by medication or supplements.
- Externalize their behavior. We all have a sinful nature, but when a kid with ADHD doesn’t follow through with a list of tasks, 99% of the time it isn’t a result of direct disobedience. They don’t need you to judge them as lazy, rebellious, kids who don’t listen. They do need you to work with their disorder by giving them a list if they are older or instructing them with one thing at a time if they are younger.
- Help them process the connection between their behavior and the consequences. This is messy. There’s no perfect way to do this, but the impulsivity of ADHD often leads to decisions that your kids will later regret. They need space to process that without a big lecture and judgment. Asking open-ended questions works well, and inviting them to put themselves in other people position is helpful too. This takes repetition and patience. They need parents who are in their corner reminding them that they are loved based on who they are as a creation of God, not based on their performance.
- Avoid Overscheduling. This can be difficult for kids with ADHD because they often think they can take on the world and have a lot of interests and jump from one thing to another. But you have to leave room for downtime or there’s no space for recovery emotionally, spiritually, or physically.
- Identify and talk through their feelings. In the notes below I’ve put a link to our family’s favorite feelings chart. There are tons of them out there, but when you are struggling with identifying how you feel this is a great place to start. You don’t need to agree with your child’s feelings to empathize and let them talk through them.
Scripture:
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1
Question:
What questions do you have about helping your child with ADHD? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
Feelings Chart: https://bitsntips.wordpress.com/2012/05/03/how-are-you-feeling/
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