The following tips and strategies were designed to help parents and families living with an individual affected by ADD. As you scroll down, you will see we have provided useful tips that may work with certain individuals, and for others, different strategies are required. "AD/HD children do something right twice, and we hold it against them for the rest of their lives."
ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER (ADD) Attention Deficit Disorder is a neurological disorder and is predominantly characterized by a child's inability to focus, concentrate or inattentiveness. The child appears not to listen and seems easily distracted. They may have difficulty completing work or tasks. Very often, the child doesn't finish something they've started. They may also experience difficulty with a play activity. Emotionally, these children are very sensitive to criticism from others. They may engage quickly in fights with other children. Children with ADD may also be socially isolated or considered "social loners." They will blame others for their problems and may experience angry outbursts.
According to Dr. Russell Barkley, ADHD is a problem with inhibition and not a deficiency of attention per se. In other pswords, the brakes in the brains of children affected by ADHD don't work.
Unable to put brakes on inside thoughts which leads to impulsivity.
Unable to put brakes on acting upon distractions or thoughts which leads to hyperactivity.
Children with ADHD have "leaky brakes." Their brakes just ain't working properly! Our brakes reside in the frontal and prefrontal lobes of our brain. These lobes are responsible for our Executive Function (memory, analysis, plan, organize, executive, judgment).
Tips & Strategies for Home
Take out processed foods from diet.
Consider a gluten-free, casein-free diet for your child.
Provide juice and water instead of cocktail juice and pop (soft drinks).
Consider giving your child a daily vitamin and fish oil (omega 3's are great for focus, concentration, memory, etc).
Decrease the amount of stimulation at home. Often children can get overwhelmed with too much stimulation especially electronic. Allow a short period of time for computers, television and video games such as Nintendo, game boy.
Allow for their own quiet time in their own space.
Give positive feedback often and praise them even more often.
Keep in constant communication with their teacher.
Have a homework book you can use to communicate with your child’s teacher. This will allow you to keep abreast of homework assignments or any issues at school.
Participate with your child’s homework assignments.
Make sure your child has a quiet area, with no distractions to do their homework.
Create opportunities for social interactions with other children. Ask your child which friend they would like to invite over for the day.
Try to invite a friend once a week. If the other parents don't reciprocate, remember it doesn't matter. Your intention is to help your child become more comfortable with his/her social skills.
Find what your child is good at and create opportunities to use his/her talents for success. Try to provide support to your child. When doing activities, forget about criticizing or giving negative comments. Maintain a positive outlook and an opportunity for learning. Ask them for their opinion or how they would approach the situation.
