PARENTING THE ADD CHILD - 6 NO-FAIL STRATEGIES

Children with ADD present unique parenting challenges. Those challenges are often seen as frustrating by the parent who is trying to get a child to behave or cooperate. Does anything work? Yes, and it’s easier than you might think.
What are the biggest problems when working with an ADD child?

“He never listens, or at least acts as if he hasn’t heard a word I’ve said!” – Kids with ADD often appear to be “in space” or daydreaming. You can tell your child 15 times to do something and he may appear to be listening, but in reality, he is not. He’s not being rude or disrespectful, as many parents believe. His attention is simply not there or it is on something else.

“She loses everything!” - Yes, ADD kids have a tendency to be disorganized. Have you taken a peek at your child’s school back pack lately? It’s the perfect metaphor for what is happening in her brain. She is disorganized. She has no sense of order, another common symptom of ADD.
“His moods are unpredictable. It’s hard to take him out anywhere!” - Unless on a schedule, ADD kids can become quite irritable and anxious. Why? The ADD brain craves structure. When there is no routine to his day, it sort of “throws him off.” Once this happens, he gets irritable, impatient, and anxious.

“She’s like a little time bomb if I don’t let her go outside and play!” – When hyperactivity is part of your child’s ADD, her brain is much like a boiling pot of water. If the top to the pot isn’t lifted regularly, it will bubble over and make a mess. Your child needs a safety valve for letting off her steam, too!

“He just won’t mind me.” – Most kids, with or without ADD, have a tendency to test the limits. For an ADD child, there’s the extra issue of impulsiveness that makes him act before thinking most of the time, thus making him appear even more disobedient than the other kids.

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ADD kids are truly great gifts. Yes, it may take some extra work, and yes, they can bewilder even the savviest parent! But with a little forethought and lots of planning, you can make things easier on your child and on yourself!