ADHD children and teenagers often go through especially difficult times as they grow up. As a parent, you can use some simple strategies to help your child navigate this complex time.
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How to Talk to a Child who has Recently been Diagnosed with ADHD
One of the most difficult challenges facing the parents of children with ADHD is talking to them about their diagnosis. How parents frame their child’s ADHD diagnosis can have a powerful impact on the child’s response to this knowledge.
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Talking to a Teenager who has been Recently Diagnosed with ADHD
Teenagers recently diagnosed with ‎ADHD‬ are likely to have many questions and often want to be involved in their treatment. Teens may desire a level of control over ADHD interventions such as medication, tutoring, and accommodations made for them in the classroom.
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Why Teenagers Need to Know about ADHD
A good strategy for helping teenagers with ADHD is to empower them with knowledge, the capacity to advocate for themselves, information about tools and technologies that can help them, and an attitude that a diagnosis of ADHD does not need to impair them in any manner.
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Should we Encourage Children with ADHD to do Dangerous Things?
Many children, teens, and adults with ADHD are risk-takers. Child development experts have recently begun to encourage parents to allow their kids to engage in more dangerous activities like skateboarding, surfing, rock climbing, or other extreme sports. When ADHD kids are engaged in high-risk, stimulating activities, their focus is intense, and their desire for improvement unparalleled.
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ADHD in Children
Kids often go through difficult times as they grow up. So how can you tell if your child has ADHD? ADHD must affect performance and behaviors in two major areas like at home and school. Kids with ADHD also show symptoms for six months or more. They don’t pay attention to directions. They often have problems with talking out of turn and sitting still. Often they don’t deal well with authority and tend to act out. Daydreaming, forgetting simple tasks, and losing personal items are quite common.
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ADHD Teens
Teenagers have to deal with a number of issues as they grow up. Their bodies are changing, and they are testing their independence and gaining freedom from their parents. They may be learning how to drive, working at a real job or starting to date. They are most likely faced with difficult decisions about drugs, alcohol, and peer pressure. Having ADHD can make these teen transition years even harder. Read this article to learn a few simple strategies that can start teens with ADHD on the road to better behavior.
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Family Challenges with ADHD
Russell Barkley, PhD, a leading ADHD expert, describes a “vicious cycle” that he often sees in ADHD families where a child’s ADHD-related behavior is both a cause and an effect of family problems. Read this article to learn more about this cycle and how to break it.
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Raising a Child with ADHD
Taking care of a child with ADHD can be exhausting. Amidst getting the kids ready for school, cooking, and going to work, it’s easy to forget about taking care of you. At first, it may seem selfish but it’s not. Taking time to refresh your mind, body, and spirit on a regular basis is of utmost importance. When you take time for yourself, you’ll feel less stressed. This will help you become a better parent and spouse. So, take time to stop and smell the roses. You deserve it!
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Managing Teen ADHD
As a child with ADHD gets older, the opportunity to explore new behaviors and take on more responsibility increases. For teenagers with ADHD, normal growing pains may be complicated by their hyperactivity, inattentiveness, and impulsivity. In this article, learn how to talk to your teen about money, driving, and relationships.
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ADHD and Development
Every child’s ability to concentrate, pay attention and sit still changes with age. All parents know that what is normal for a 3-year-old child is not normal for a 6-year-old. This means that what is abnormal also changes with age. For example, if a 2nd grader acts like a kindergartner, we begin to suspect that something is wrong. At each age, the average child becomes more able to pay attention, concentrate, and control behavior. Even though the child with ADHD may be behind expectations for each age, the child becomes more able to do these things as they grow. As a result, the signs of ADHD change as the child grows. What was considered normal at an earlier age may now be a problem.
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ADHD Behavior Management
One of the biggest problems parents of children with ADHD face is how to manage their child’s behaviors. Many parents feel stressed when their child acts out at home or in public. Parents can learn to develop a new set of skills to deal with their child’s behavior. It takes time and patience, but it’s worth the effort.
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Voices in ADHD: A Letter to Dad from an ADHD Son
An InsideADHD reader shares with us a heartfelt letter written to his father in which he finally realizes that many aspects of his childhood were likely a result of undiagnosed ADHD. Having been diagnosed as an adult, the letter-writer thanks his father for his attempts throughout his childhood to establish household routines and organization, as these are the same life skills he now applies to his life as an adult to manage his ADHD.
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Voices in ADHD: A List You’ll Never Forget
Read this article submitted by an insideADHD reader to learn tips that can help ADHD children remember their morning routine.
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School is Back
The freedom and outdoor nature of a summer vacation are healthy for most kids with ADHD. Is there any way to continue this type of simple and natural cure for ADHD once the school year begins?
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Academic Support for Children with ADHD
Before the school year starts, parents of children with ADHD need to know about their children’s rights to get the same education as their peers. Your ADHD child will need your help in order to make sure his or her educational needs are being met. Read this article to learn more about the two laws that protect your child’s right to a free and public education.
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ADHD and Motivation
For children and adults with ADHD, developing motivation is a major component of success in work, school and personal life. Motivation can be defined simply as ‘the reason for doing something’. For those with ADHD, some would say that there is a deficit in motivation, as in, “I couldn’t get myself to finish that report until the last minute”, or “Why won’t my son work harder at school, he would feel so much better if he would just do his homework?” Read this story about Joe, which can teach you how to help motivate your child.
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ADHD and Repeating Grades
Repeating a grade, or grade retention, is rarely a good choice for a child who struggles academically, behaviorally, or socially. Repeating a grade often does little to advance a student’s skill level in any area. In fact, according to The National Association of School Psychologists, studies show that grade retention can negatively affect achievement, social-emotional adjustments, and attitudes toward school. Studies also indicate that students who have repeated a grade are at a higher risk of dropping out of school. Other studies show that during the repeated year a student may fall even further behind.
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ADHD Laws and Rights
The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution says that all citizens have equal protection under the law, including people with disabilities. That means that there are laws in place to protect children with ADHD. There are two laws that specifically apply to a child’s education. It’s important to know what these laws are and what they do.
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ADHD Learning Differences
While ADHD is not a learning disability, it certainly plays a big role in how your child learns. This article explains how ADHD and learning disorders are often confused and how it may affect your child’s academic success.
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Campus Concerns for Teens with ADHD
Going to college is an exciting time for students with ADHD. But there are also many new challenges, responsibilities, and freedoms. ADHD college students need to know their rights.
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Homework Difficulties in Children with ADHD
There are many things to consider for the success of a student with ADHD. How they perform in the classroom is essential, but how they perform on their homework is important, too. Read this article to learn how parents and teachers can help improve homework performance.
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Teaching Strategies for Children with ADHD
Students with ADHD have special needs in the classroom. The law says that public schools must help students with special needs learn as if they were no different than their peers. Schools, teachers, and parents work together to come up with ways to help ADHD students work in a normal classroom setting. Teachers use plans made up for each ADHD student to guide them in how to work best to meet the student’s individual needs. Read this article to learn three ways to make changes in the classroom in order to best reach the ADHD student.
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Summer “School” for Kids with ADHD that they will Like!
This summer, instead of letting your child use his or her focusing capacities on playing video games or surfing the Internet, find other activities to reduce boredom and, more importantly, develop interests.
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Can Playing Video Games Improve Attention and Focus?
Learn some researched-based, creative strategies that can help you get the most out of your child’s interest in video games, apps, and other technologies.
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Is Too Much Minecraft Mind-Numbing for Kids with ADHD?
What is too much Minecraft? Parents may wonder if so much Minecraft is good for kids with ADHD. Probably not, but it’s not all bad, either. Minecraft practices a variety of executive-functioning skills such as planning, flexibility, and organization and promotes creativity, collaboration, digital literacy, and other 21st century skills.
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The Importance of Exercise for Children with ADHD
Exercise is important for children and even more so for children with ADHD. Any and all exercise is seen as a positive intervention for children with ADHD, but there are strategies that can make it even more effective.
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ADHD at Playtime
There is no need to seek toys designed specifically for children with ADHD. Our job as parents is to choose toys and activities that are likely to build skills and coping abilities in children with ADHD. The best choices are those that also build on their natural aptitudes and preferences. Which specific games you choose depends on what your child likes to do; this will be the most successful in sustaining her interest. As a parent, you can structure the space and time: don’t have too many toys around for distraction, keep noise and other activity to a minimum, give individual attention especially when the child is learning to use the toy.
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ADHD and Sleep
Trouble falling asleep, staying asleep and waking up are common complaints for both children and adults diagnosed with ADHD. Getting restful sleep is a key aspect of living a healthy lifestyle. Having ADHD, however, can make this a challenge. For example, children who take stimulant medications for ADHD may struggle to fall asleep if their doses are too close to bedtime. In this article, Jonas Bromberg, PsyD., talks about ADHD’s impact on sleep, and discusses some things you can do as a parent to encourage good sleep habits in your child.
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ADHD and Teen Driving
Automobile drivers with ADHD are three times more likely to have accidents than drivers without ADHD. And when teenagers with ADHD drive, their accident rate is higher than adults who drive with a blood alcohol level over the legal limit. In observance of Distracted Driving Awareness Month, InsideADHD features a new article explaining the different ways ADHD can affect teenage drivers. It also lists some rules and strategies you can put into place to reduce the impact of ADHD on your teen driver, encouraging them to become safer motorists.
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ADHD and Video Games
You have experienced it time and time again. Your child who has ADHD may have difficulty focusing to get homework done, or can’t follow a few step-by-step instructions to complete chores. But you may have wondered – why is it that your child can focus when playing video games or watching TV, but can’t sit still and concentrate at other times? Many people with ADHD like or need immediate feedback and rewards. A video game provides immediate feedback, while much of school-based learning has delayed rewards and consequences, such as report cards.
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Summer Activities for Children with ADHD
Summer without the constraints of a classroom is often the best time to promote new learning for a curious and energetic child with ADHD. It is important to find engaging activities that can improve traditional subjects such as mathematics, reading, and writing.
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Summer Activities and ADHD
ADHD doesn’t take the summer off. A long summer vacation can be tough on your child, without the routine and structure that school provides. Read this article for some ADHD-friendly ways to keep your child busy and to make summer vacation more successful.
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Find the Right Camp for Your ADHD Child
It’s never too early to start making summer plans for your kids. But as a parent of an ADHD child, you may have questions or concerns about your child’s options. Fortunately, there are many summer programs out there for children with ADD, ADHD, and other learning disabilities. Learn about them in this article.
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Halloween and ADHD
Despite what many people think, there’s actually no real scientific proof that sugar directly causes hyperactivity. This article explains the connection between sugar and behavior, and provides tips that will help make Halloween as fun and drama-free as possible.
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ADHD and the Holidays
According to our experts, it is important to keep a few points in mind as you prepare for the holiday season. Mary Robertson, R.N., states that children with ADHD do not like unexpected changes in their environment. She also says that “from our own need to share our holiday excitement, we often over plan, over decorate, and simply ‘over do’ during the holidays. This can over stimulate a child with ADHD, leading to less than positive behavior.” She advises that the key to successfully managing the holidays is to provide as much routine as possible, as you navigate all the parties and family events.
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Holiday Shopping for a Child with ADHD
Read this article and learn about why the trendiest toy may not be the right toy for a child with ADHD.