Tuesday, August 14, 2012

ADHD Children - Parenting Them Does Not Have To Be A Nightmare!

Some parents think that having ADHD children just means getting the prescription for the right medication from their doctor and all will be well. Figures from Canada last year show that there was a 43% increase in ADHD prescriptions for psychostimulants!

However these parents are in for a rude awakening as it will very soon become obvious that ADHD is much more complicated than that. They soon realize that unless there are structures, rules and limits in place, then family life will become mayhem. They have to explain the difference between what is acceptable behavior and what is considered inappropriate behavior. They have to back that up consistently and also introduce rewards and consequences to make it meaningful for the child.

Another problem is how to deal with anger, aggression, hostility and irritability which can result in meltdowns and outbursts. These start to happen with sickening frequency. What can you do? One great way is to encourage the child to verbalize his feelings and emotions before he lashes out and uses violent physical action as the universal remedy for all his problems.

The National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland has decided to offer parents of ADHD children classes in parenting. By attending these classes, they will understand ADHD better and what is happening to an ADHD child as he faces school, social situations and behavior problems in the family. This is following a recommendation by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). It is happening also in other areas of the UK.

ADHD children need not always be considered to be at a serious disadvantage as recent research by Professor Michael Fitzgerald of Trinity College Dublin suggests. He told a meeting of the Royal College of Psychiatry's Faculty of Academic Psychiatry that while ADHD is not a guarantee of genius, 'the focused work-rate that it produces may enable creative genius to flourish'.

So, there you have it. We have seen that the greatest challenge in dealing with ADHD children is managing their behavior but also leaving room for their creative ability and all the other gifts they undoubtedly have. After all, let us remember that ADHD is not a disease, not even a condition. It is just a difference.

Learn how to deal with this successfully and your child will never look back. I have built a website which suggests some ways of putting that into practice. Why not click through and explore it.

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