One of the most disturbing things that parents fear most is when substance abuse is being done by their children.
As a special education teacher, I have read articles and studies that in not so few words tell that with children or adolescents who have been diagnosed with ADHD is that they are vulnerable to be involved with people who may influence them to do drugs. Why? Because of the behavior characteristics that go with their diagnosis: impulsivity, social skills problems, problems with compliance including those with the authority, and the tendency to associate with others who do not do well in school.
These children have difficulty dealing with frustrations and they have a short frustration tolerance. They are more likely to have outbursts just to cover up their inability to do well on certain tasks that they are supposed to do.
I am not saying that all of them will be addicted to drugs but that they are vulnerable to abuse substances for several reasons like for them to be able to feel accepted, more able, and to somehow lessen their feelings of inadequacy. There are several reasons why they may abuse substances but these can probably be prevented with the proper steps in order to prevent this from happening.
Parents wouldn’t want to subject their child through the substance abuse, experiencing its ugly symptoms, subjecting their child to drug rehab and trying to start a new life.
So what should parents do while their children are still young so that they will not even consider doing this thing that they fear for their child?
Parents, caregivers, therapists as well as doctors should maintain an open communication with the children about risky behavior and its consequences. Those who seem aggressive and who break rules, whether knowingly or unknowingly, are said to be at risk.
Considering to have intensive family and/or individual therapy to develop good and appropriate behavioral patterns and to develop skills for better productivity can help a lot. It helps that parents become role models for the child to look up to.
(I have written about Behavior Management for ADHD for more information and it is included in the trackback.)
This entry was posted on Sunday, June 22nd, 2008 at 8:08 pm and is filed under behavior modification, Information. 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.
