How to Discipline Your ADD Child
If you have a child with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), also known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, traditional discipline techniques may not work. Instead, practice techniques such as redirection and restating requests, and avoid blowing misdeeds out of proportion.
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Instructions
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Remain calm while discussing disobedience or a misdeed. Take a breather and count to 10 if needed.
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Focus on interrupting the misdeed, not ignoring it. Ignoring it sends the message that you do not care or that the behavior is acceptable; interrupting it removes the objects that are triggering the misdeeds.
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Get your child's attention by removing distractions, speaking privately to your child or moving to his eye level to address him.
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State your instructions in several ways. According to John Taylor, Ph.D., children with ADD may respond to tasks differently. Use words that clearly tell them what is wrong and why it needs to be punished or fixed. For example, you may say, "I don't like seeing all your books strewn all over the house. Those were expensive." Then you could follow up with, "Please pick up your books."
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Be firm and consistent with discipline, so children learn to pay attention to your words. According to child psychologist Douglas Riley, children with ADD need to be taught that their access to privileges such as the phone and computer must be earned by repeated good behavior and a positive attitude.
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Be reasonable with punishments so they don't conflict with a child's ADD. For example, if your teenager missed curfew, grounding her for a month may be too extreme and cause her to become restless. Immediate consequences will work more effectively.
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Redirect younger children, instead of using harsh punishment, to show them responsibility for their actions. John Taylor states that harsh punishments just cause children to become sneakier. If your child is fooling around at the dinner table and knocks over his juice, make him clean up the mess. After that, give him another glass but show him a safer place on the table to put it.
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