Children with ADHD can struggle with low self-esteem, difficult relationships, and poor school performance. Symptoms sometimes decrease with age. However, some people never develop symptoms of ADHD. But they can learn strategies for success.

Although medication cannot cure ADHD, it can help a lot with the symptoms. Treatment usually includes medication and behavioral interventions. ADHD symptoms begin before age 12, and in some children, symptoms appear as early as age 3. ADHD symptoms can be mild, moderate, or severe and can persist into adulthood.

ADHD is more common in males than females, and behavior can be different in boys and girls. For example, boys can be more hyperactive and girls can be quietly inattentive.

Types of ADHD

There are following types of ADHD:

Most are indifferent. Most symptoms go unnoticed.

A child who exhibits a pattern of neglect often:

• Not paying attention to details or making careless mistakes in school work
• Having trouble concentrating on tasks or games
• Pretend not to hear even when spoken directly
• Have trouble following directions and may not be able to complete school work or homework
• Having trouble managing tasks and activities
• Avoid or dislike tasks that require significant mental effort, such as homework
• Lose things you need for work or activities, such as toys, schoolwork, pencils
• Get confused easily
• Forget about doing everyday things like doing homework
• Hyperactivity and impulsivity

A child who exhibits symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity often:

• Squeeze or squeeze their hands or feet, or squeeze them in the chair
• Having trouble sitting in class or in other situations
• Be consistent
• Run or climb a mountain if you don’t have to
• Having trouble playing or doing something easily
• Talking too much
• Confused to answer, interrupt the questioner
• Having trouble waiting for your turn
• Disturbing or disrupting others’ conversations, games, or activities

How Is ADHD Diagnosed In Children?

If you think your child has ADHD, talk to your child’s doctor. They will do tests to make sure nothing is causing the symptoms, including a hearing test.

To determine the type of ADHD, the doctor asks about the child’s health, behavior, and activity. They talk to parents and children about what they noticed. The doctor may ask you to fill out a checklist about your child’s behavior and may also ask you to give the checklist to your child’s teacher.

After receiving this information, the doctor makes a diagnosis of ADHD:

• The child’s problem with attention, hyperactivity, or impulsivity is more than normal for his age.
• The behavior continues from childhood.
• Behavior affects children at school and at home.
• A health check showed that no other health or learning problems were causing the problem.
• If necessary, your doctor can refer you to a child psychologist or psychiatrist.

How Is ADHD Treated?

Treatment for ADHD usually includes:

Medicine

It activates the brain’s ability to focus, slow down, and exert more self-control.

Behavior Therapy

Therapists can help children develop social, emotional, and planning skills that lag behind ADHD.

Parent coaching

Through intervention, parents learn the best way to respond to the behavioral problems that are part of ADHD.

School support

Teachers can help children with ADHD do better and enjoy school more.

Proper treatment helps improve ADHD. Parents and teachers can teach children to be better at managing their attention, behavior, and emotions. As children get older, they need to learn to develop attention and self-control.

Role of Parents

How to take care of your ADHD child?

Get Involve with them. Learn all about ADHD. Follow the treatment recommended by your child’s healthcare provider. Open a counseling session.

Take safe medication. If your child takes ADHD medication, always give it at the recommended time and dose.

Work with your child’s school. Ask the teacher if your child should have an IEP or 504 plan. Meet with the teacher often to find out how your child is doing.

Parent them with purpose and warmth. Learn what parenting approach to a child with ADHD can make ADHD worse. Be open and supportive with your child about ADHD. Focus on your child’s strengths and positive traits.

Discipline with purpose and warmth. Learn what discipline is best for children with ADHD and what can make ADHD worse. Get coaching from your child’s therapist about how to respond to your child’s behavior. Children with ADHD can be sensitive to criticism. Behavior correction is done in a way that encourages and supports rather than punishes.

Set clear expectations. Before going somewhere, talk to your child about how you want them to behave. Instead of reacting to what not to do, focus more on teaching your child what to do.

You should talk about it. Help your children understand that it is not their fault that they have ADHD and that they can learn ways to improve their problem.

Make a special time every day. Find time to talk and relax with your children and do fun activities -even if it’s just for a few minutes. Give your baby full attention.

Have a Positive attitude. Do not praise too much, but comment when your child does something good. For example, when your child is waiting in line, say, “You are waiting in line very well.”

Your relationship with your child is most important. Children with ADHD often feel that they don’t get along with others, that they are doing something wrong, or that they are not “good enough.

Create a structure and stick to it. It is your job to create and maintain structure in your home so that your child knows what to expect and what he is expected to do.

How to help your child with ADHD stay focused and organized?

Follow a routine Have your child lay out their clothes for the next morning before bed and make sure everything they need to take to school is in a special place, ready to grab.

Use clocks and timers. Consider placing clocks throughout the house, with large ones in your child’s bedroom.  This way would make them organize.

Simplify your child’s schedule. Avoiding inactivity is good, but a child with ADHD can become more distracted and “hurt” if they have a lot of activities outside of school. You may need to adjust your child’s extracurricular responsibilities based on your child’s individual abilities and the demands of specific activities.

Create a peaceful place. Make sure your child has their own quiet, private space. A porch or bedroom works well as long as it’s not the same place where the child goes for recess.

Try to be neat and organized. Arrange your home in an organized manner. Lead by example with cleanliness and organization as much as possible.

Stay out of trouble by keeping kids with ADHD busy! For children with ADHD, inactivity can worsen their symptoms and create chaos in your home. It is important to keep a child with ADHD busy without piling up so much that it overwhelms the child.

Enroll your child in a sports, art or music club. Organize simple activities at home that will fill your child’s time. These can be tasks such as helping with cooking, playing a board game with a sibling, or drawing a picture. Try not to rely too much on television or computer/video games to fill the time.

How to help them with their Encourage movement?

Children with ADHD often have energy to burn. Organized sports and other physical activities can help them get their energy out in a healthy way and focus their attention on specific movements and skills. The benefits of physical activity are endless: it improves concentration, reduces depression and anxiety, and promotes brain growth.

Find a sport that your child will enjoy and that will suit their strengths. For example, sports like softball that involve a lot of “downtime” aren’t the best for kids with attention problems. Children with ADHD may also benefit from martial arts training or yoga, which increase mental control while exercising the body.

How to aid your child with their sleeping pattern

Lack of sleep can make anyone less attentive, but it can be very harmful for children with ADHD. A consistent early bedtime is the most useful strategy to combat this problem, but it may not completely solve it.

Help your child rest better by trying one or more of the following tactics:

• Reduce the time spent in front of the TV and increase the activities and movement of your child during the day.
• Eliminate caffeine from your child’s diet.
• Create a buffer time to reduce your activity level about an hour before bed. Find quieter activities like coloring, reading, or playing quietly.
• Spend ten minutes cuddling with your baby. This will create a feeling of love and safety and allow time to calm down.
• Use lavender or other aroma in the nursery. The scent can help calm the baby.
• Use relaxation tapes as background noise for your baby to fall asleep. There are many types available, including nature sounds and soothing music.