Living with a hyperactive ADHD child can take its toll on the family, but the house doesn't always have to be a battleground.
Besides helping your child overcome ADHD with a holistic treatment plan, here are some tips on living with a hyperactive child.
Accept that your child has ADHD The goal of most treatments is to eliminate the symptoms completely, but you must realize that the symptoms will not disappear overnight.
The most you can hope for is to keep the symptoms under control.
Remember, your child is not being hyperactive on purpose; he or she is naturally energetic, and may stay that way for many years.
There's nothing more helpful than a parent who is patient, tolerant, and accepting of a child's limitations.
Provide healthy outlets for extra energy To keep your child from wrecking the house or getting into trouble at school, find a way to release this extra energy.
Encourage your child to spend time playing outdoors with friends.
If your child has difficulty making friends, go on long walks or bike rides together.
See if your child is open to the idea of taking up a sports-related extracurricular activity.
During bad weather, provide a large empty room (a garage will do) where your child can go wild as he pleases.
Just make sure that the room is safe and free from objects that can cause injury.
Keep the house organized Your child will learn to accept order if the household is organized and structured into routines.
Always keep chores, mealtimes, and bedtimes consistent.
The predictability of everyday life will help your child become predictable himself.
Maintain discipline Just as household routines have to be consistent, so must rules and consequences be firm.
Not only will discipline help reinforce desired behaviors; it will also protect your child from getting into trouble and from harming himself and others.
Come up with a few important and specific rules like, "Don't hit your brother" or "Don't scribble on the walls.
" Discipline should be enforced not through physical punishment, but through consequences.
Designate an area of the house as a "time out place" where your child should be sent to "shape up".
Once your child has changed his behavior and apologized, he may leave the time out place.
Avoid formal gatherings for now While your child's hyperactivity is still uncontrolled, avoid settings where displays of high energy are considered embarrassing and inappropriate.
Some examples include church services or formal restaurants.
Once your child has learned to self-regulate behaviors, you can slowly introduce these activities.
Besides helping your child overcome ADHD with a holistic treatment plan, here are some tips on living with a hyperactive child.
Accept that your child has ADHD The goal of most treatments is to eliminate the symptoms completely, but you must realize that the symptoms will not disappear overnight.
The most you can hope for is to keep the symptoms under control.
Remember, your child is not being hyperactive on purpose; he or she is naturally energetic, and may stay that way for many years.
There's nothing more helpful than a parent who is patient, tolerant, and accepting of a child's limitations.
Provide healthy outlets for extra energy To keep your child from wrecking the house or getting into trouble at school, find a way to release this extra energy.
Encourage your child to spend time playing outdoors with friends.
If your child has difficulty making friends, go on long walks or bike rides together.
See if your child is open to the idea of taking up a sports-related extracurricular activity.
During bad weather, provide a large empty room (a garage will do) where your child can go wild as he pleases.
Just make sure that the room is safe and free from objects that can cause injury.
Keep the house organized Your child will learn to accept order if the household is organized and structured into routines.
Always keep chores, mealtimes, and bedtimes consistent.
The predictability of everyday life will help your child become predictable himself.
Maintain discipline Just as household routines have to be consistent, so must rules and consequences be firm.
Not only will discipline help reinforce desired behaviors; it will also protect your child from getting into trouble and from harming himself and others.
Come up with a few important and specific rules like, "Don't hit your brother" or "Don't scribble on the walls.
" Discipline should be enforced not through physical punishment, but through consequences.
Designate an area of the house as a "time out place" where your child should be sent to "shape up".
Once your child has changed his behavior and apologized, he may leave the time out place.
Avoid formal gatherings for now While your child's hyperactivity is still uncontrolled, avoid settings where displays of high energy are considered embarrassing and inappropriate.
Some examples include church services or formal restaurants.
Once your child has learned to self-regulate behaviors, you can slowly introduce these activities.
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