Would you rather have your child who has ADHD have possible academic/behavior problems when he is in the adolescent years? Now, how do we deal with these children diagnosed with ADHD in the first place?

• They need structure and routine. That one of the first and foremost rules. Matter of fact, this does not only apply to these children but to all children as well.
• There should be a strict application of clear as well as consistent rules.
• Behavior modification should be clear and consistent too.

As additional help to those who are in their adolescence, it is good to:

• Include vocational assessments to help them find out what skills they are good at. And make them busy with those skills so they don’t have time to be bored or restless or impulsive. Does he like computer games? Does he like sports? Does he like to cook? The choices and possibilities are endless.
• Continue with the behavior modification. I’m sure by now, they have gotten used to rules which makes them more compliant. Which in turn make them more pleasant to be with. Which in turn, help them develop better social, emotional and good interpersonal relationships skills.
• Help them improve their time management skills. That way, they know what to do and when/where to do what they need to.
• Help them improve their organizational skills. That way, they get to put some order in their immediate surrounding. They will also learn here to budget time, money, energy and effort.
• Help them to improve their problem-solving skills. That way, they would rely on themselves to do the right thing. If they made a mistake, it should help them do better next time.
• When all these things are not working out according to his (and yours too) plans, help him to manage his stress. Help him to get his focus back. Help him to recognize that sometimes even the best-laid plans come across some glitches.

Most of all, these would not be accomplished if guidance, love, patience and understanding are not included in the package.

P.S. You may be wondering why I used he and him when referring to a child with ADHD. It is because ADHD ratio is said to be Male:Female is 9:1 or 6:1 or 3:1 depending on the setting. But still, the boys outnumber the girls. Also in the USA, it has been estimated that prevalence of ADHD is 4-12% in school-aged children.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 13th, 2007 at 12:04 am and is filed under ADHD, behavior modification, Being a (Special Ed) Teacher, My Thoughts, special education, Teaching Techniques. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.