Help! My Child is Diagnosed with ADD!

by Nate Sawyer, Reach Therapist Intern

      What do you do when your child’s teacher sends home a note that says she keeps acting up in class and cannot complete her work? She talks to other children too much, cannot pay attention, and will not complete her schoolwork. Parents often go to one of two extremes: "that is not my kid causing trouble, she just has an overzealous teacher, [child] just has too much energy," or "I cannot deal with her anymore, let's get her to the doctor and see if we can get some medicine!" Unfortunately, many well-meaning parents end up getting ADHD medication for their children from doctors willing to prescribe without trying the most difficult route of affecting their child's behaviors at home. As a therapist and husband to first grade teacher, I see this disturbing trend of over-medicated children. My wife has said that many of her teacher and educational researcher colleagues agree that much of what children are expected to learn in our educational system, especially in elementary school, is not always developmentally age appropriate.
So what do you do when your child is overly energetic? There are a few helpful behavior encouragement techniques to try at home before going to the doctor. In school, teachers often set-up a reward system where stickers are earned for good behavior after a certain agreed upon number are acquired the child receives a prize from the prize box. The most important aspects of this system are clear communication of expectations, follow through, and consistency. It is important for parents to make a big deal and celebrate desired behavior because it will encourage continued good behavior.
       Our technologically-driven society has encouraged a lot less physical activity or time outside, which can lead to much unused energy in children from sitting on the couch watching TV. Parents should schedule regular outdoor play or physical activity into their child's routine.
      Establishing a routine of eating, sleeping, play, and homework is crucial to helping children focus and have continuity in what they do. Children need to be given tasks and goals such as homework or chores to learn how to feel accomplished and how to follow through with projects. The sticker system is helpful to reward completed tasks. It is especially important to give children with tendencies of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD tasks to complete because this is often difficult for them to see things to completion.
       If you try some of these activities and still notice that your child has difficulty paying attention at home and school then you might want to talk to your child's pediatrician about therapy or medication. Medication can be helpful for some who cannot focus, but in order for it to be successful it requires some parenting work, as well. We help lots of parents at Reach, with all kinds of parenting issues. Hang in there parents; talk to their teacher, work with them at home, get some support at Reach, and your hard work might pay off. The difficulty for parents with hyperactive children is often the amount of patience required for the task! Hang in there parents, keep up the hard work, and think of the potential your little one holds!