ADHD: My Child's Diagnosis is for Real

ADHD My Child's Diagnosis is for Real parts I and II introduced and clarified the author's experience with parenting ADHD children. In part III we will begin to explore the approach that has worked in our home and encourage others be willing to go beyond the norm, to be willing to put in the study, time and effort to do what will be best for the child - one day adult - whom you are raising.

First we must all recognize that ADHD is something that is lifelong. Most individuals who struggle with attention deficit and/or hyperactivity will need to be able to cope their entire lives with this "condition". My personal belief is that the God who creates all individuals makes no mistakes and if a child is indeed born with these traits then God has a mighty plan and purpose for his life. As a parent my role includes teaching my child the personal discipline necessary to channel excess energy and a mind that runs here and yon! This is the beginning step. See this as a challenge, a goal for you and your child to accomplish together. Then get to work.

Once I understand that the activity level of my child's brain and his body is something that is not a problem but a challenge I can begin to create an atmosphere at home that helps him. In our home we homeschool. I learned very early on that this particular son could only work on textbook work for 15 minutes at a time. So, every 15 minutes I excused him to literally run around the outside of the house. After his run he would return for another 15 minutes of book work. This little exertion of energy every 15 minutes allowed him to get some fresh air, get rid of excess energy and he was able to come back and settle in for another short period. After a while we were able to extend the study time to 30 minutes. This was the beginning of my son's learning to control himself for short periods of time knowing that he would be allowed to get some relief shortly. Homeschooling being our choice of education was helpful because I could not expect a teacher in a classroom situation to give my son this type of preferential treatment.

Another method of helping my son in his early years of education was teaching him in a different style. Most of us have heard of the different learning styles of children. My eldest son was the type of learner who could sit, read his material, comprehend it, test through it and move on. My ADHD child needed more of a hands on learning style. The more activity involved in his early education the more he retained. Science involved many (weekly) trips to the local science museum, and many nature studies outside. History involved reading, movies, scrapbook making, oral reports and visiting historical sites as different eras were studied. For writing our sons both wrote stories daily. This was quite interesting - the ADHD child's stories were always full of adventure and excitement. They didn't have to be long, but they had to be written. These are just some examples of how his early education was tailored to meet some of his different learning needs.

These first two approaches to training an ADHD child are just the beginning of the ideas we have to share. I remind you that today this severely ADHD child is 20, he is a sophomore in college and got there on academic scholarships. Learning in the beginning to give him outlets for his energy and teaching him to control himself for short time spans (without expecting too much) and tailoring his education to meet his style needs began the process of his learning self control and discipline. It all begins with the parents! We must decide that our goal is not simply control - which medication will do! Our goal must be to train children who will grow into teens who will become adults who must know how to channel their energy and discipline their minds to focus when necessary. No medication can substitute for this learned quality. Looking at the statistics of children now diagnosed with ADHD and on prescribed medication - I am deeply concerned! For the future of families, for our country, we must be raising disciplined adults!