Parents guide for disciplining children with ADHD
Disciplining children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) might seem like climbing the Mount Everest, not impossible but extremely difficult. Did you know that approximately 10 million children in India are diagnosed with ADHD disease annually? (Source: India Today)
If your children have ADHD, you’ll come across daydreamers whose attention span is minimal, will face trouble trying to controlling their behaviour and are hyperactive. Earlier, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) was used to address people with inattentiveness but not hyperactivity. It’s a type of ADHD but you won’t see the common symptom of constant movement or fidgeting, as seen in kids with ADHD.
It’s true that your children undergo tremendous pressure to excel in every field while also dealing with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. A child who appears to be absolutely normal may be going through havoc inside. For a child with signs of ADD or ADHD disease, life is like watching someone flipping television channels constantly while they keep trying to absorb and understand every running show. Lack of concentration is one of the biggest Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder symptoms.
Read more about the symptoms at https://www.drbatras.com/understanding-adhd-does-your-child-have-adhd
Every child is unique and so is their experience with ADHD. For your child’s atypical behaviour and signs of ADD, you may need to establish some distinguished norms which work exclusively for them. Here is a complete guide on how you can establish the same.
Tips to help discipline children with ADHD:
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Focus on the good, ignore the bad:
Due to their brain’s hypersensitivity, children with ADD syndrome always tend to respond better to positive reinforcements. Children with ADHD crave any form of attention. When your children act out by not doing their homework, instead of depriving them of privileges or giving time outs, turn a deaf ear this bad behaviour. Unless anyone is hurt, don’t give their bad behaviour any form of attention. Rather, channel your conversation towards the good behaviour they show and reward it. This will give them a message that their tantrums will not be acknowledged; only their good behaviour will.
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What to do when the bad cannot be ignored?
In any instance where the bad behaviour cannot be ignored, a ‘time-out’ is the most practised technique. However, don’t present ‘time-outs’ to your children as a punishment. Explain to them that ‘time-outs’ are an opportunity for them to address their breakdowns, process how they feel and have a one-on-one session with their emotions.
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Wait for the meltdown to melt:
Reasoning with your children when they are upset can be futile. Wait for their meltdown to pass before you take any action towards them. Explain to your child that negotiating when you’re angry is a wrong move by not reasoning with them during their meltdown.
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Recheck your expectations:
With ADD in children, you can’t expect them to change at once. Life is a constant battle. Don’t expect your children to focus on everything and all at once. Let them pick their own activities, tasks and battles. Make sure you have their backs while you’re at it. But don’t bombard them with things that aren’t important right now or don’t need to be solved immediately. Take it one day at a time.
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Enforce a plan and stick to it, together:
Children with ADHD tend to be forgetful. To fix that, you can create a pattern for every activity your child is about to adopt. But involve your child in creating this pattern together. Ensure that they are a part of the planning process as much as the execution. This will ensure that they remember the pattern.
Treatment alternatives:
As you detect signs of ADHD in kids, you’ll need treatment options to help deal with it. ADHD treatment in homeopathy for your children can be the perfect choice for parents who don’t want their children to deal with side-effects of conventional medicines. Homeopathy helps your children deal with their mental and emotional turbulences while reinstating their overall well-being as well.
In a study to obtain scientific evidence of the effectiveness of homeopathy in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, a total of 83 children aged 6-16 years with ADHD were recruited. They were treated with individualised homeopathic medicines. 62 patients achieved an improvement of 50%. (Source: NCBI)
Owing to the minimal consumption and appealing taste, homeopathic medicines are generally easier for children to take regularly. Homeopathic remedies for ADHD offered at Dr Batra's® provide customized homeopathy treatment for every child as each case is different in terms of symptoms, bodily capacity and even their mental strength to undergo the treatment.
For a detailed evaluation of your child, you can book an online appointment and get a unique and individualised ADD treatment plan.
Self-care tip: Your happy and healthy mind will mould your child’s hyperactive mind better. While you focus on helping your child, don’t forget to work on yourself, address your emotional state and deal with it.
