adhd

« Previous Entries Next Entries »

Children Stealing: What to Do if Your Child Steals From Friends

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 Parents of children with ADHD commonly complain of their children stealing. If you notice your child playing with an unfamiliar item, for example a pocket knife, ask him where it came from. If he says he found it, back off for a while. At least an hour later, say, “Son, I want you to sit on the sofa for five minutes while you decide what you’re going to tell me about this knife.”  If he tells you he took it from his friend, say, “Tell me three reasons that knife could be worth losing your friend.”  Review the problem-solving steps (from Session 33) with your child. You will probably decide he needs to write an apology letter (see Session 7) and read it...

Parenting: Challenging Child Warning Signs That May Lead to ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder)

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 If your child has ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) or bipolar, you’re familiar with child behavior problems. If your child has signs of autism, ADHD or ADD (attention deficit disorder), Aspergers, or PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified), you may be seeing challenging behaviors.Five Warning Signs of Challenging Child BehaviorIf you suspect that your child’s difficult behavior is something more than just being a kid, these are the warning signs of a full-fledged challenging child.1. Refuses to look up into your eyes. This is one of the early signs that your parent-child relationship is in trouble. He refuses to look up into your eyes because that gives you power. He doesn’t trust you enough to give you that control. To...

Children Stealing: What to Do If Your Child Steals from Others

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 Stealing is a common rite of passage for children. The secret is to develop an action plan and follow it consistently.Let’s assume that your 9-year old child stole his peer’s Squirt Pen at school and you found it in your son’s backpack.  We recommend that you use a token system with which to teach honesty.Give him time to explain his side of the story.  Take a token for each “story” you hear.   If you determine a theft say, “I’m hearing you say that you committed theft.  That’s dishonest.”   Immediately take three tokens.Ask him, “Can you tell me two reasons why you took the pen?”  If he gives you no reasons that he needed it, the theft falls in the “want” category.If he begins to tell the...

Children with ADHD—How to Recognize the Early Signs of ADHD in Children

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 You will know your child is difficult before he is two years old, especially if you have other children. He exhausts you. He cannot sit still, does not listen to instructions, and gets in trouble constantly. A former foster mother of 36 children with severe ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) said, “These kids make your eyeballs tired.”If your child has behavior problems, it is hard to know what to do next. You may be reluctant to get him assessed right away because you still have questions. What if he just has a lot of energy? What is normal behavior anyway?Typical Milestones of Children without Child Behavior ProblemsAt three years old—he can initiate play activities and he enjoys playing with...

ADHD in Children - How to Get Your Child to Listen to You (Part 3)

Monday, July 6th, 2009  Stage 3: Not Only NO But You'll Pay For ItHere's what it feels like: At this stage, most parents are so miserable, they're trying to find a way out.Here's what your child does: My son was at this stage when he was 8. By then he was hitting us and hurting our feelings all day long. If your child is going to be aggressive, this is when we see it most.Here's what parents typically do: If you worry what your child will do if you ask him to do something (he doesn't want to do), then you're stuck in this miserable state. If you're changing your behavior to please your child so he won't rebel, then he knows you're...

ADHD in Children - How to Get Your Child to Listen to You (Part 2)

Monday, July 6th, 2009  Stage 2: No Way No HowHere's what it feels like: At the moderate stage, most parents are getting discouraged. This usually happens around age 6, but it may be sooner depending on the child's hyperactivity and the parents insistence. It also depends on how oppositional the child may be. (My son was at the moderate stage when he was about 5.) Here's what your child does: He is in charge. You are being held hostage by his angry temper tantrums that last until you give in. He'll have a tantrum every time he doesn't get his way. And he can get quite skilled at them. If this is happening to you, you're both stuck. Your child can't stop it until you...

ADHD in Children - How to Get Your Child to Listen to You - Part 1

Monday, July 6th, 2009 The Problem: Your child is not listening to you. He is not honoring your first request or complying with your wishes.  Parents most common question is "How do I get my child to listen to me?"  This occurs in three main stages depending on your child's hyperactivity and your (his parent's) reactions.  Stage 1: Passive Noncompliance  The first is what we call passive noncompliance.   Here's what it looks like and feels like: Your child is not really defying you and saying NO. But he isn't jumping up and doing what you ask, either. So this leaves you nagging and reminding gently, or not so gently.   Some mothers have to remind their children 5-20 times to get ANYTHING done. Apparently their child...

Parenting Angry Children - Seven Easy Ways to Transform From Reactive to Respected Parent

Monday, July 6th, 2009 Children with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), ODD (oppositional defiant disorder), bipolar, autism, Asperger's syndrome, and PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified), can be difficult to manage sometimes. If your child has one of these conditions, he may try to push your buttons so you lose control and he wins. The only way out of this gridlock is to develop some winning tactics of your own.Adopt these winning tactics that soothe your child and elevate your parenting style:1. Refuse to argue. Your child's first line of defense (and distraction from the real issue at hand) is to start an argument. Counter his defensive tactic with your calm logic.For example, if you child doesn't want to do the dishes,...

Specialized Parenting: When Typical Parenting Just Doesn’t Fit

Thursday, February 19th, 2009 Parents tell me they worry about their role in their children's behavior challenges. So let's just get that out of the way... Obviously you care enough to get extra help for your child. That's why you're here right now, right? :)  This is what I think, and you can see if you agree.  Having been through this myself, I'm 90% certain that you are not directly responsible for the development of your child's behavioral or emotional problems. As your child's primary caregiver (not stepparent), you are the only one with the power to resolve his or her behavior and emotional problems.  Some children are more difficult to parent than others. Lots of children have short attention spans. It's hard for them to handle change....

ADD ADHD Parenting: Building The House of Respect - Preparing Your Child With Values, Skills, and the Success Mindset

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009 It's easy to get so busy raising our kids that we lose scope of the ultimate goal. That goal is to prepare our children with the values, skills, and mindset for success.  A widely-accepted definition of success is the ability to support oneself in a career he enjoys. It includes the ability to create and maintain enriching relationships. And requires remaining a law-abiding citizen not dependent on drugs or alcohol.I have an embarrassing admission. It bothers me that I got so involved in running this business, that I lost track of some of your goals, too. That is why I'm focusing more on connecting with you, to find out what you want and need to assist you in parenting. On thing is... « Previous Entries Next Entries »