ADHD to some is a racecar running at high speed:
Having ADD is like having a Ferrari engine for a brain. It will propel you to win many races in your lifetime. However, there is one problem. You have bicycle brakes! So, you need to see a brake specialist, someone like (Dr. Hallowell). Once you get your brakes strengthened, then the race car can win races instead of spinning out on turns.
To others, it’s a tug-of-war where one provokes, the other reacts and no one is willing to drop the rope. In last week’s blog I said ADHD was treatable but there is no cure. 70% of individuals who have ADHD in childhood continue to have it in adolescence, up to 50% continue to have it in adulthood (ADDitudemag.com). While not a disease, it is a disorder to be reckoned with both in the family and at school. Your child’s pediatrician, therapist, and school counselor are invaluable resources. Read everything you can (a few recommendations were posted in last week’s blog). Get the whole family involved. Here are a few things you can do, right now!
- Find something positive to say about your child to your child every day. So often he/she is getting negative feedback because of the behavior that doesn’t fit into a school setting. Children with ADHD can do well, even excel, when they receive help and support.
- Get your child engaged in some physical activities–tennis, swimming, martial arts, track and field, or even some team sports like soccer, baseball or softball.
- Give your child a hug. It’s pretty tough to show love and affection when you are battling each other. Think about it, when was the last time you hugged him/her? The two most important predictors of which children stay out of trouble are: feeling a positive connection at home and feeling a positive connection at school (National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health).
