ADHD Blog

As your child begins the school year in a new classroom, the early steps you take to partner with your child’s teacher can make a big difference in getting things off to a good start. Kids with ADHD will typically need extra help in the classroom, and when teachers know that they have support from parents they feel much more appreciated for their efforts. With 20-30 children in a class, teachers often begin the year knowing only a few key details about each of their new students. As a parent, you know your child’s full history. You know what makes him or her tick, which strategies your child has responded to with previous teachers, and which strategies were not so successful.

In many families grandparents are essential members of the childcare team. The relationship that a child has with their grandparent is undeniably unique and special, but when a grandchild has ADHD a grandparent’s childcare role can be complicated. Many parents thrive on “spoiling” their grandchildren, letting them get away with small things that their parents might not allow. For a typical child, this may not cause any significant challenges and is in fact something that makes the relationship between a child and a grandparent so special. But for a child with ADHD, their grandparents may inadvertently be sending mixed messages that make it difficult for parents to implement behavior plans consistently.

Children with ADHD often need rewards and structure to help them succeed at challenging or mundane tasks and learn new behaviors. While rewards are a valuable ADHD management tool, it’s not uncommon for parents who use rewards to say that feel like they are simply bribing their child to get them to meet basic expectations. It’s important to remember that kids with ADHD actually need rewards to help with motivation. However, bribes and rewards are two very things with very different effects on behavior.

It may only be July, but back-to-school shopping commercials and sales are already under way! As you create the list of school supplies and backpacks that your family will need for the next school year, remember that teens with ADHD also need extra programs and support to succeed academically. By planning for extra support now, you will ensure that your teen has everything that he/she needs to succeed right from the start.

With the school season fast approaching, now is the time to start thinking about your child’s extracurricular activities. Think sports are not the place for kids with ADHD? Think again! Youth sports can be one of the most valuable experiences your child has in their development and is especially well-suited for kids with ADHD.

If you are sending your teen off to college this August, now it the time to make sure that the proper ADHD supports will be in place when they arrive. Even though your teen is about to gain a great deal of independence, they will likely need help and encouragement to get their ADHD supports in place before college begins.