5 Things Parents of Kids With ADHD Want You to Know
Updated January 05, 2015.
Written or reviewed by a board-certified physician. See About.com's Medical Review Board.
Parents of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) spend a lot of time learning all they can about ADHD and the unique ways that symptoms affect their child’s day-to-day life. From the time their child is diagnosed (and often even before diagnosis when parents recognize problems and begin their search for answers) learning about this complex condition is a process that continues as their child ages and moves through various developmental stages.
When parents understand and have insight about the impact of ADHD on their child, they are more effective at identifying and implementing strategies and interventions to help minimize ADHD related impairments. From early on these parents work hard to teach their children skills and techniques that come naturally to children who are not struggling with this developmental disorder. Parents of children with ADHD make it a priority to actively support, advocate, and instill a sense of self-esteem and confidence in their children.
Unfortunately, there is a great deal of misunderstanding about ADHD in the general public. Misperceptions can range from trivializing the impact of ADHD to attributing behavioral problems to poor parenting or a lack of discipline to labeling the child as being lazy or simply not trying hard enough to skepticism about the diagnosis itself.
With all the other stressors parents of children with ADHD endure; it is these misperceptions which can often be the most frustrating and hurtful.
If the general public became more informed about science-based information on ADHD, these misconceptions and the stigma often surrounding ADHD would be greatly reduced. Below are 5 facts parents of children with ADHD want you to know.
5 Facts Parents of Kids With ADHD Want You to Know
1. ADHD is real. It is a complex disorder that can have a devastating impact on a child and his or her family if it remains untreated or inadequately treated.
2. Inherited brain differences underlie ADHD. Genetics and heredity play the strongest role in the development of ADHD. ADHD is not caused by poor parenting, by consuming too much sugar, or by excessive video game playing or TV watching. ADHD is also not caused by too much junk food or by a poor diet, though certain dietary components may affect a child’s behavior.
3. Everyone experiences episodes of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. For children with ADHD, however, these episodes are chronic and can severely impair functioning at school, at home, and in relationships with others. Not all children with ADHD experience the exact same types of impairments. Symptoms can present very differently from person to person, as well as throughout one’s lifespan.
4. ADHD can look like a problem of willpower, but it is not. Many children with ADHD (and adults with ADHD, as well) often are described as “consistently inconsistent.” Their ability to complete tasks at school or in other settings is highly variable – sometimes they can successfully complete the work, while other times they cannot. This fluctuating performance can be frustrating and confusing to teachers, coaches, other adults and even to the child’s peers, who may view problems as a lack of willpower, laziness or stubborn defiance. The problem for many children and adults with ADHD is not that they cannot do the work, but that they cannot maintain the consistent pattern of work productivity the way others can.
5. The most effective approach to treating ADHD involves multiple interventions including a combination of behavioral, educational, and sometimes medication treatments. The issue around medication can be quite a sensitive one for parents, made even more difficult by inaccurate assumptions in the general public. No parent takes this decision lightly. It is often a very challenging, but informed decision making process that is reached after careful consideration of risks and benefits.
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