Newly Diagnosed Child
Has your child just been diagnosed with ADD / ADHD?
Do you want to know more about your child's brain and how it works?
Are you wondering what to do next?
You are not alone. Parents are finding out every day that their child has Attention Deficit/Hypeactivity Disorder. They often don't know what it all means to their child in his/her development and the impact it will have on his/her life.
- He/she is just too lazy to do what he/she needs to do
- She/he is so self-centered
- He's/she's acting crazy
- Is he/she stupid?
- She/he only does what she/he want to do and nothing else
Our children with AD/HD are NOT lazy, crazy, stupid, or selfish... they have a Dis-Ability... they are not able to engage in life in the same way people without ADD / ADHD do. There are differing ideas about what the disorder is exactly – is it attention or self-regulation? What everyone agrees on is that this disorder is definitely a result of a difference in brain functioning.
Studies have shown that the best way to help our children is to implement a comprehensive/multimodal plan that explores and includes, as appropriate, the following:
- Education
- Diet
- Sleep
- Exercise
- Behavioral Tools & Strategies
- Medication (this is a personal choice)
- Brain Based Training Strategies
- Cognitive Tools
Medication is a personal choice – ALWAYS. We do not take the position that a child must be on medication for them to make progress. The truth is that there is a continuum and some children are mildly impacted by AD/HD while others are severely impacted. At some point in time, it is possible that you as a parent may determine that your child is not doing well enough and you will investigate possible medication options. In other cases you may have been advised to start medication immediately by your child's doctor. There is no "right" answer – each parent must determine this for themselves.
AD/HD Parent Coaching has been successful in helping parents to learn more about their child's condition and most importantly how to support the parent's success with creating environments that support his/her child's success. Creating these successful environments include many tools & strategies. The following is a partial list:
- Behavior Identification
- Goal setting around these behaviors
- Co-creating a plan of action for each behavior
- Development of strategies – the "how's" of the plan
- Promoting consistency
- Encouraging creativity in the process
- Creating systems to support these processes
- Identifying appropriate rewards
- Support on implementation
- Encouraging parental self-care
There is a lot of information on ADD / ADHD and how to work with our children. We encourage you to visit trustworthy and informative websites, read books and create a team of support. Our Resources Center can get you started with recommendations on where to get information. Also know that we are available to support you through ADD / ADHD Parent Coaching, AD/HD Professional Organizing and with groups/classes to support you through this process.
