Springboard Clinic

It’s that time of year where school starts to wrap up, and if you have ADHD in your home, you might really be feeling like you need a serious break. You probably all (parents and students) want to run out the front doors of the school and not give another thought to anything academic until the absolute last minute in September.

Wait, stop, not so fast!

Before you put school “out of mind” for the summer, consider these 3 steps (we promise it will be easier now than in the fall)!

From Laura MacNiven, Director of Health Education/Coaching at Springboard Clinic

Let’s face it, children with ADHD hear the word “no” a lot. They hear “sit down”, “listen”, “If only you tried harder”, “stop bouncing”, and not a lot of “yes”. I think when you hear a lot of the word no, you really physically, emotionally and mentally lose motivation. You don’t feel like you can do the right thing. You’re just kind of trying to avoid disasters.

That’s why picking battles can be so important for working with ADHD children. We can work to notice when they are doing something right (or partially right), try to give freedom when possible to make “low-risk” mistakes, and really work to say the word “yes” whenever we can.

Have you ever found yourself wandering along with a crowd, on your ‘vacation’ thinking: I don’t even like (insert whatever you are currently doing)?” 

Too often, we get so excited about the concept of a holiday that we just follow along with what the guide book says and don’t customize it to fit our own wants and needs, or the strengths and limitations of those traveling with us. You do the “must sees’ according to someone else, or hop on a pre-planned itinerary and skip the necessary steps to make it yours. You forget to ask yourself the meaningful questions about what you are wanting out of this time, and instead find yourself on holiday thinking “it would have been more relaxing to just stay home.”

As the holidays approach, children and parents alike are looking forward to some time off. Not only that, children with ADHD often experience challenges at school, and because of this are often told what to do, what not to do...no wonder they need a break!

Anger and emotional reactivity is often a big concern of parents with ADHD children. Emotional regulation is a skill that develops with age, but children with ADHD tend to take a little bit longer to learn these skills. As you can imagine, this can impact family life, friendships, school performance, and self-esteem.

As a parent, there are a few steps you can take to help your child manage their anger. For some ideas, take a look at this article we came across: Anger Is Important — But Only When It’s Managed.

Parenting isn't easy, and with ADHD in the picture it can be particularly challenging. For some tips on how to keep your cool at home during times of stress, check out the article Mindful Parenting: How to Respond Instead of React. In the article, the author talks about identifying our own triggers, and taking the time to allow ourselves a break to decompress. By doing this, it will be easier to listen to our child's struggles, and to model emotional regulation - an essential skill for all children to learn. This approach takes practice, but the payoff can be huge - for your child, but also for yourself and the whole family!