What every parent should know about their ADHD child

No doubt that, as a parent, being told that your youngster is an
ADHD child will unleash a torrent of often conflicting emotions
within you.

You may feel that things have suddenly become a little 'skewed',
and that you are no longer in charge of your life or that of
your child, either.

You will perhaps feel a terrible, but nevertheless natural,
surge of sadness, frustration and remorse.

In some ways, you will probably even blame yourself for the fact
that your child has been diagnosed an ADHD child.

In the midst of all of these conflicting feelings and emotions
however, it is very important not to lose sight of one crucial
fact.

That is, it is not the end of the world and that the fact that
your child is now 'officially' an ADHD child does not change
them or your one jot!

You must accept the fact that many, many kids that are diagnosed
with ADHD (or the associated ADD) will ultimately be seen to
have gifts and talents that far outweigh their 'disability'!

There are quite a few ways in which you can help your ADHD child
to nurture and utilize his (or her) 'special' talents, and thus
deal with ADHD.

The first and perhaps most critical step is to know exactly what
it is that you are dealing with, by doing your research and
becoming familiar with everything there is to know about ADHD.

Quite simply, the more that you know about what being an ADHD
child means to your youngster, the more you will be able to help
them. You will be better equipped to help your child, and
understand their particular problems.

You would also be able to teach yourself about some of the more
popular or common ADHD treatments, and be better prepared to
face whatever might happen next. In this way, you can position
yourself to help your ADHD child to cope better with their
situation, to teach them more about their condition, and to
answer any questions or queries that they might have.

Being informed will be useful in readying you to work with your
child's medical professional to try to manage their disorder
successfully, too.

In consultation with your Doctor, you will also have to give
very serious consideration as to whether you can accept having
your child medicated. This will obviously depend on several
factors, such as the degree and severity of your ADHD child's
'affliction', and will also be decided at least to some extent
by your own individual opinion.

At the end of the day, such a decision is an entirely personal
one that only you can make.

Some parents have maintained that the administration of drugs or
medicines give their ADHD child the best chance of leading as
normal a life as possible and that, therefore, such drugs are a
good option.

For others, medication is a very definite 'last resort',
something to which they really do not want to turn until all
else fails.

However, no matter which path you should choose to take, you
need to make that decision based on knowledge and certainty,
rather than on guesswork!

Even if you should decide that using medications is the right
way for you and your child to go, you should not lose sight of
the fact that you still need to manage your ADHD child's
behavior as well.

By teaching them the basics of what constitutes acceptable
behavior and what does not, you will prepare your child for
life, teaching them the skills that they will need in order to
become efficient and productive in later years.

The strategies, plans and rules that your child must adhere to
must come from you. It is absolutely crucial that a children
suffering from ADHD has clearly defined limits set on their
actions and that they must be taught to adhere to those
guidelines.

You must be willing to encourage your child at all times, no
matter how difficult their behavior may sometimes become. You
should be their strongest supporter, and provide them with
everything that they might need to succeed.

Whether they are at home or in school, it is your job to help
your child to grow into a confident, self-assured and happy
person.

Rather than focusing or concentrating on the negative side of
them being an ADHD child, you should strive to recognize their
potential and try to help them to do the same. Make sure that
they are always aware of the extent to which you value and love
them.

An ADHD child is often susceptible to some degree of depression
and low self-worth, so you need to be aware of, and prepared for
this eventuality.

You must be ready and able to take the necessary actions to deal
with this situation, never forgetting, of course, that you can
always seek expert help should the situation demand it.

Finally, is at all possible, never allow either yourself or your
ADHD child to become isolated and cut-off from others. If
possible, seek out and join a good support group to meet and
interact with others in the same situation as you.

It is very often true that sharing a problem does lessen its
burden upon you, and the advice that you can get from a parent
who has been through a similar situation to yours is probably
the best advice you can ever hope to receive.

Do not be mislead into thinking that having an ADHD child in the
home is the end of the world.

Do not allow yourself to treat it as such, and the quality of
life for both you and your ADHD child will be immeasurably
enhanced.

About the author:

The author has compiled a FREE handbook of some of the best
writings about ADHD from the last ten years, and you can access
your personal copy from http://SteveCowan.com/ADHD/book.html. He
also analyzes the #1 ADHD Management Program on the net at
http://SteveCowan.com/ADHD and blogs on ADHD & ADD related
matters at http://SteveCowan.com/add