How to Avoid Making a Child With ADHD Feel Different

It can often be a challenge to avoid making one child feel different, especially when the child has ADHD. It is important for your child to feel equal to other children in the family and to feel that she plays an important role in the family's life.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Patience
• Love
• Understanding

1. Establish a set of household rules, rules that apply to everyone. Although the punishment for breaking the rules may need to be a little different for a child with ADHD, hold the child responsible for his actions. If breaking the rule is a punishable offense, carry out the punishment each and every time. Be consistent.
2. Never compare one child with another child. Base everything on the individual child and her abilities, rather than on the abilities of another child. Even without ADHD in the picture, each child is different. Each child will learn at a different pace and each child will have different interests. It is important that her accomplishments and interests are important and add something to the family.
3. Do not make excuses! While a child with ADHD is easily distracted and excitable, he should be held accountable for his own actions. If he breaks a rule, hold him responsible. It is very easy to make excuses for a child's behavior, but the child needs to learn what is expected of him and that he is responsible for acting accordingly.
4. Don't focus on the ADHD. Instead, focus on the positive factors that your child brings into the household. Often children with ADHD are very inquisitive and creative, and it is important that you nurture these aspects in a positive way. Of course, you should give your child boundaries and expect the child to stay within these boundaries. For instance, if your child loves to draw, set the boundaries of where she is allowed to draw (paper, coloring books, etc). Your child may think a colorful rainbow would be a great addition to the living room wall, but you may not.
5. Set aside alone time for each child. This is equally important as family time. Praise each child for his accomplishments and stress that each child has something wonderful that he adds to your life. Since children with ADHD are more inquisitive and are easily distracted, it is important that you not focus on the negatives. Many children with ADHD feel like they are less important because they are always the ones who get into trouble. Be sure that you use positive reinforcements to encourage your child to stay within the boundaries that have been set.

Tips & Warnings

• Hold each child accountable for his actions.
• Focus on the positive aspects of each child's personality.
• Don't compare one child to another.
• Don't make excuses for a child with ADHD.