How to Raise a child with ADHD

Is your child running around like he or she has been eating candy and drinking soda all day? To most, this is "normal" child behavior, but did you know it is only to an extent? I am hoping that people will learn how to handle their child and talk to their doctors about ADHD.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• PATIENCE is all you need.
• Love
• Kindness

1. Your first step if you suspect your child has any type of behavior disorder, is to do some research on the subject. In this case it is ADHD. A subject I am all too familiar with. When you think you have what you need move on to step 2.
2. After gathering your research, call you child's doctor for an appointment. At the appointment, ask the doctor what he or she thinks about your findings and if they think they may pertain to your child. Your doctor will more than likely hand you 1 questionnaire for every person who comes into daily contact with your child. This person could be their day care provider, a teacher, even you and or your spouse.
3. Once all the questionnaires are in and have been evaluated, your doctor will want to schedule another appointment with you to discuss the findings. In my case, my son was diagnosed when everyone was making a big deal about doctors over prescribing and misdiagnosing young children. So I flat out asked my sons doctor to which he said "you could call it ADHD".
4. Once a diagnosis has been established by your child's doctor, your child more than likely be put on one type of medication or another. Depending on how severe the doctor thinks it might be, depends on what type of medication he starts your child on. At this point you will also have learned that it takes more patience than you may currently have to raise your child.

Tips & Warnings

• By no means is it a promise that the first medication your child is on will be the one that works for him or her. It may take many more than you think. It took my sons doctors 4 or 5 times to get his right.
• My best cautionary advice if you find yourself in this situation, is to remember that children will mimic anything you say or do at one point or another. Trust me on this one, it may also be the most inopportune time for them to say it, but they will.