Parenting a child with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is no easy feat. In addition to the typical trials of being a parent, children with ADHD can have school and home difficulties that require extra patience and understanding.
“Why does my child need 1001 reminders to finish a task?”
ADHD can have an impact on executive functions skills such as:
- Planning and Organization
- Time Management
- Task Initiation
- Self-awareness
- Strategic Thinking
Identifying the challenges your child faces can be the first step to helping them to manage school and home tasks more effectively.
Is this a skill that needs to be taught rather than a behavior that needs to be punished?
If you have to remind your child over and over again that they need to take out the garbage on Tuesdays, maybe the reminders aren’t the solution. Likewise, if your child loses privileges every week because they do not remember to turn in their homework, maybe consequences are not the answer. A better way may be to teach the life skill to help them be self-sufficient. Timers, planners, apps and visual schedules can all be useful tools in helping to integrate time management habits.
Does it feel like you’re talking, but your child won’t listen to you?
Sometimes the skills parents attempt to teach their children seems to go nowhere. Enlisting the help of a professional may be just what you need. At the Center for Neuropsychology, Learning and Development, we have professional staff available to work with your child on Executive Function coaching. Sometimes another person or another mode of delivery is what it takes to get through. For more information about our ADHD clinic or Executive Function Coaching program, please contact us.
Jen McCulloch, LMSW
