The following collection of suggestions are intended for parents and
teachers of children of all ages. Some suggestions will be obviously
more appropriate for younger children, others for older, but the
unifying themes of structure, education, and encouragement pertain
to all.
1. Make sure what you are dealing with really is ADHD.
It is definitely not up to the teacher to diagnose disorders nor is it the
parents , but together you can and should raise questions. Specifically,
make sure someone has tested the child's hearing and vision recently
and make sure other medical problems have been ruled out. Make sure
an adequate
evaluation has been done. The
responsibility for seeing to all of this is
the parents', not the teacher's, but the teacher
can support the process. An evaluation
can be done in most school settings at no cost to you.
An evaluation that involves the teacher would be of the utmost value.
2. Ask your child what will help.
These kids are often very intuitive. They can
tell you how they can learn best if you ask them. They are often too
embarrassed to volunteer the information because it can be rather
eccentric. But try to sit down with the child individually and ask how he
or she learns best. The best plans to handle ADD are when children
are involved in the decision process. It is amazing how often their
opinions are ignored or not asked for. In addition, especially with older
kids, make sure the child understands what ADHD is.
3. Organize yourself!
It has been found in prior research that as
many as 25-30% of parents who have a child
with ADHD have ADHD themselves. Slow
down, focus and be a role model of self-control
and positive behavior. This is one of the most
important steps toward treatment success!
4. Make lists.
Make lists. Children with ADD benefit greatly
from having a table or list to refer
back to when they get lost in what they're
doing. They need reminders.
They need previews.
They need repetition.
They need direction.
They need limits. They need structure.
5. Post clear concise rules.
Have them written down and in full view. The
child will be reassured by knowing what is
expected of them.
Research suggests, if you do something
everyday for approximately sixty days, it
should become a habit, and part of your
unconscious.
6. Repeat directions.
Repeat directions.
Write down directions.
Clarify directions.
But always give time to respond BEFORE you
repeat the direction
People need to hear things
more than once.
But no more than twice
7.
Make frequent eye contact.
• You can "bring
back" achild with eye contact. Do it often.
A glance can retrieve
a child from a daydream or give
permission to ask a question of just give
silent reassurance.
8.
Set limits, boundaries.
Limits are containing and soothing, not
punitive. Do them consistently,
predictably, promptly, and plainly and
you alleviate stress for the child.
9. Don’t debate your rules
Don't get into complicated,
lawyer-like discussions of
fairness. These long
discussions are just a
diversion. Take charge. Allow
debate or discussion and allow
gray areas of your limits and
you create stress for the child
and for yourself.
10. Have as predictable a ADULT schedule
as
possible.
• Transitions and
unannounced changes
are very difficult for
these children. Post it on
the refridgerator. Refer
to it often. If you are
going to vary it, as most
do, give lots of warning
and preparation. as the
time approaches.
11. Have as predictable a CHILD schedule
as
possible
Try to help the kids make their own schedules
for after school in an effort to avoid one of the
hallmarks of ADD:
procrastination.
12. Go for quality rather than quantity of
homework
Children with ADD often need a reduced
load. As long as they are learning the
concepts, they should be allowed this. They
will put in the same amount of study time,
just not get buried under more than they can
handle.
13. Monitor progress often.
• Children with ADHD benefit greatly from
frequent feedback. It helps keep them on
track, lets them know what is expected of
them and if they are meeting their goals,
and can be very encouraging.
14.
Break down large tasks into small tasks.
This is one of the most crucial of
all teaching techniques for children with
ADD. By breaking the task down into
manageable parts, each component looking small enough to
be doable, the child can sidestep the emotion of being
overwhelmed. In general,
these kids can do a lot more than
they think they can. other ways, too
15.
Let yourself be playful,
have fun, be unconventional, be flamboyant.
Introduce novelty into the day. People
with ADD love novelty. They respond
to it with enthusiasm. Every once in a
while, if you can let yourself be a little bit
silly, that will help a lot.
16.
Watch out for over-stimulation.
Like a pot on the fire, a child can boil over.
You need to be able to reduce
the heat in a hurry. The best way
of dealing with chaos in the classroom is
to prevent it in the first place.
17. Seek out and underscore success as
much as possible.
These kids live with so much failure; they
need all the positive handling they can get.
18. Memory is often a problem with these
kids
Teach them little tricks like
mnemonics, flashcards, etc. They often have
problems with what Mel Levine calls "active
working memory," the space available on your
mind's table, so to speak. Any little tricks you can
devise --cues, rhymes, code and the like -- can
help a great deal to enhance memory.
19. Use outlines.
Teach outlining. Teach
underlining. These
techniques do not come
easily to children with ADD,
but once they learn them,
the techniques can help a
great deal in that they
structure and shape what is
being learned
as it is being learned.
20. Announce what you are
going to say
Say what you are about to
say…………….. before you
say it AND THEN ……Say it.
Then say what you have said.
This kind of structuring glues
the ideas in place. Don’t
confuse this with repeating,
this is rephrasing.
21. Simplify
Simplify choices. Simplify
scheduling. Simplify
instructions.
The simpler the verbiage
the more likely it will be
comprehended.
And use language.
Like color coding, colorful
language keeps attention.
22. Use helpful feedback …avoid sarcasm
or statements that belittle.
23. Full hands Busy Hands
If you have a very active child, who tends to get
into mischief when you turn around, give them
something to do.
"Sort these towels,"
"Count these noodles,“
"Cut out pictures from a
magazine."
For a child who walks too fast, have
them carry a box or other item that will slow
them down and keep them by your side. Keeping
a child occupied will keep the child out of trouble.
24. Have a home point or
reward system
Have a behavioral modification plan
for younger children. Children with
ADHD respond well to rewards and
incentives..
25.
If the child seems to have trouble reading social cues - body language, tone of voice, timing and the like -try discreetly to offer specific and explicit advice as a
sort of social coaching. For example, say "Before you
tell your story, ask to hear the other person's first," or,
"Look at the other person when he's talking."
Many children are viewed as
indifferent or selfish, when in fact they just haven't
learned how to interact.
26. Make a game out of
things. Motivation improves
attention.
27. Give responsibility!
Whenever possible give
responsibility back to the
child. Self-esteem is built
through challenges and
successes, give your
child the opportunity to
succeed and teach them
if they fail.
28. Try a home-to-school to
parent notebook.
This can really help with the day-to-day
parent-teacher communication and avoid the
crisis meetings. It also helps with the
frequent feedback these kids need. Try to
use daily progress reports.
29. Create opportunities for turn
taking
Playing games with your child. Teach the
skills of waiting for their turn, listening to
other s and sharing.
30.
Prepare for unstructured time.
These kids need to know in advance what is
going to happen so they can prepare for it
internally. If they suddenly are given
unstructured time, it can be over-stimulating.
31. Have kids write little notes to
themselves
to remind themselves of upcoming
events.
32.
Handwriting is difficult
There is little doubt that kids with attention
problems have difficulty sitting and
attending to handwriting.
Keep an eye on how much writing is being
asked and reinforce
your child for what they can write and up
build from there.
Focusing on how much they can’t write will
be
frustrating and increase their dislike for
writing.
33. Be like the conductor of a
symphony.
Get the orchestra's attention
before speaking. Gain eye
contact and only speak
once you have your child’s
attention (You
may use silence, or the tapping
of your baton, to do this.)
34. Meet with teachers often.
Avoid the pattern of just meeting around
problems or crises.
35. Encourage reading aloud at
home.
By using story telling you can help the child
build the skill of staying on one topic.
36.
Exercise.
One of the best treatments for
attention, in both children and
adults, is exercise, preferably
vigorous exercise.
Exercise helps work off excess
energy, it helps focus attention, it
stimulates certain hormones and
neurochemicals that are beneficial,
and it is fun.
37. Always be on the lookout for
sparkling moments.
These kids are far more talented and gifted
than they often seem. They are full of
creativity, play, spontaneity and good cheer.
They lend to
be resilient, always bouncing back. They
tend to be generous of spirit, and glad to
help out.
38. Work together with a coparent, not against them.
If you have differing attitudes or ideas about
parenting, take some time to discuss what
approach will be best, and agree. Kids need
to see unity; it gives them a sense of
security and
reduces manipulation.
39.
Don’t enable your child by encouraging
or reinforcing the ADHD label to avoid
responsibility.
Work to get rid of that label and let your
child be themselves….not a diagnosis.
Your child is a wonderful person not a
label.
40. FAMILY MEETINGS.
Plan one night a month for a FAMILY
MEETING. Keep an agenda, review family
rules, have everyone say something good
about everyone else. Finish with fun. Play a
game or eat pizza.
Make it part of the family routine.
41.
Eat together as a family.
This is the best time of the
day to slow down, and
really talk to your kids.
More importantly, listen to
what your kids are talking
about. With today's active
schedule, make a commitment
to spend mealtime together,
even if it is just a few times a
week.
42.
Buy your child a calendar and a watch.
Keep track of time and dates with your
child. Have them understand time
management and track days towards
events.
43.
The Homework Box
• Find a box for your child to decorate
any way they like. Place it by the front
door. When homework is completed it
goes in the box every
night. Creative ideas include: Magic
box,
favorite animal that needs to be fed
homework
box or locked treasure box where a
pirate’s gold
is placed. Have fun with it and create it
together.
44.
Organize your thoughts and choices out
loud with your child.
• When you have things to do share with
them your system for getting them done
and break it down into steps that they can
easily understand.
To Do List
45.
Talk less.
Shorten what you say in to tight concise
easily understood statements and your
frustration level will decrease. Guaranteed.
Go to your
room
How many times do I
have to ask you to go
to your
room…you…..are
starting to get……
46. Don’t use ADHD as a crutch.
There are many, many worse disabilities
in the
world and many that have been
overcome.
ADHD is not a reason for failure.
Deal with it, BE FRUSTRATED BY IT
and overcome the difficulties
it presents but don’t use it to make deals
or excuses for your child.
47.
Use a homework timer
Set a kitchen timer for a set amount of time
for
homework to be completed in. When the
timer is up, the homework is put away.
Done or undone.
This will reduce the battle at home and
place the responsibility back on your child
for the consequence in school.
This may be hard for a lot of parents but after a
few trials it works!
48.
Do not reinforce interrupting
By stopping your conversation
to attend to your child’s
disruption immediately every
time you are inadvertently
reinforcing interrupting .
Interrupting is one of the main
complaints teachers have from
students in their classroom.
This is a learned behavior that
you can help change.
49.
Track your child’s behavior with notes or
data on a calendar.
Keep track of the good
days and the bad. You will be able to
identify patterns in your child’s behavior
and ways to handle those difficult days. In
addition, if you go to your pediatrician you
can give him solid information to make
educated decisions if necessary.
50. Go online and learn more
about
ADD/ADHD
There are support groups and resources
out there for you.
www.helpforadd.com/ www.chaddonline.org/
www.mhs.com www.addwarehouse.com