If you’re facing a diagnosis of ADHD with your child, you might be struggling with the idea of medicating such a little person, but also worrying about his or her future if they can’t get their behavior straightened out.
Newer research is suggesting, though, that training the parents can be just as effective as medication for kids with ADHD. As a matter of fact, having parents who use effective parenting techniques is one of the major predictors for success in adulthood for kids with ADHD.
Training the parents helps them in turn skills-train the kids, and ideally teachers and other important people in the child’s life will get on board as well. For example, remembering to bring home assignments is a big problem for kids with ADHD, so the parents learn to reward good behavior more than punish lapses, and help their kids find a trigger so they remember what they need to do. It can be as simple as a note attached to their bookbag zipper or teaching them to always do the same thing in the same order.
Go over and read the article if you’re curious –it’s lengthy, with lots more good information than I can summarize here. As someone who has ADD -- and I’m pretty convinced my husband has it too -- I am sure one or both of our kids will eventually be diagnosed and our older child is already showing signs of it. Having a plan in place when or if that diagnosis comes down – or even before – would be good for everybody in our family.
