Living with ADHD

You may have been reading or listening to my podcast “Winning with ADHD”, a newsletter and audio production that I have been providing for the past year. What I have noticed in reading the public comments on our website www.trackadhd.com are the challenges provided by living with ADHD. In this newsletter, I want to delve further into the condition, and provide you with strategies to help you improve your quality of life when faced with these challenges. In this first edition, I want to touch on some general strategies for children that should be modified, but used throughout their life.

1) Once properly diagnosed establishing a daily structure for your child is very important. Try to have the schedule posted with clear expectations noted. Follow the plan.

2) As your child becomes more mature have them build the structure based on what works for them. They can use the e-track charting at this web site to better understand what does and doesn’t work.

3) Setting goals. Goal setting is a vital part of achieving success. Goals must be written down and reviewed regularly. You can create your own objectives, and chart them here at this site as well. Another option is to use a whiteboard posted in your child’s room. Long-term goals are listed at the top and daily goals that help to achieve the long-term goals at the bottom.

4) Daily exercise. This is a life-long requirement. Involvement in sports will also improve self-esteem, and teach social skills.

5) Using cognitive strategies. Helping your child think through their options when faced with a challenge is an important coaching goal. Writing down the options faced before proceeding with an action, is often missing when children with ADHD respond impulsively. With effective training this will change.

6) Proper use of treatment strategies. If your child is taking medication, they need to chart, you need to chart, and the teacher needs to chart any changes in school performance, focus and attention. You then need to share these chartings with your physician when you attend for visits. Remember, the goal is to help decide if “the medication is working”, and what dosage works best.

7) Don’t accept the ADHD excuse. Once diagnosed, your child may make statements such as “I can’t help it, I have ADHD, you know.” While ADHD is a lifelong condition, the impact of that condition on behaviour and school performance can be minimized with effort and applying proper techniques. Never accept the ADHD excuse.

Next month I will discuss life strategies for adults diagnosed with ADHD.