I Have No Patience For My ADHD Child

ADHD & Attention and Focus
Written By Kinsey S. Wolf

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common challenge amongst children that can continue into adulthood. Over 6 million children in the United States alone have been diagnosed with ADHD.  Parenting or taking care of a child with ADHD can be difficult!

If you feel a little overwhelmed or like you have no patience for your ADHD child, we hope this blog can help.

The good news is the ADHD can be treated! It is important to seek proper treatment for your child, which can also help the relationship you have with your child remain strong.

Does My Child Have ADHD?

Children with ADHD can show symptoms as early as 3 years of age. ADHD can be recognized through the following symptoms:

  • Inattention: your child shows frequent patterns of inattention during school, play, conversation, or tasks

  • Hyperactivity: Although children often have higher energy, children with ADHD exhibit fidgeting, constant movement, impatience, or difficulty staying in control. 

  • Lack of Restraint: Children with ADHD may have trouble containing their emotions in any given setting. 

ADHD can also lead to low self-esteem in children, as well as poor performance in school or play. It can also lead to a troubled relationship with family, friends, teachers, babysitters, and especially parents. 

We recently published a complete guide to ADHD in children that may provide a little bit more guidance and insight.

If your little one seems to have a lot of the symptoms above, or those behaviors are impacting your home life or their ability to succeed in school, it may be time to seek additional support.

If you decide to seek additional help with Little Otter, our mental health providers will evaluate ADHD in the context of your family to design a Care Plan that helps your whole family thrive. We can and do provide support with ADHD medication management, too!

How to Test for ADHD in a Child

There is no set test for ADHD in children. If a child shows multiple symptoms of ADHD, such as a combination of inattention and hyperactivity on many levels, that may be enough for a diagnosis. Doctors can also take a look at your child’s medical history, and provide a physical examination, including a noninvasive brain scan. 

In some cases, ADHD in children is linked to anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder. If you are worried that you child may have ADHD due to a larger, underlying cause, it may be time to consult with a psychiatrist or mental health expert.   

How to Help a Child with ADHD

Children with ADHD can be treated through behavior therapy or medication. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends behavioral therapy before trying any medications. Behavioral therapy often begins with both the parents and child. However, schools can also be a part of behavioral therapy if necessary. 

Positive Praise

When your child is doing something that exhibits good behavior, positive praise can go a long way. The positive attention can motivate your child to behave that way in the future, so they can receive that attention from you again. Always acknowledge these moments with you full and undivided attention. 

Encourage Healthy Habits

Healthy habits can be anything from praising your child for reading a book to making bedtime something they can look forward to. Along with positive praise, encouraging healthy habits for your child will motivate them to exhibit good behavior on their own. 

Enlist Additional Support, Like a Nanny

It’s ok to seek help when you need it. Even the strongest parents can get tired from dealing with their child’s ADHD. Instead of waiting until you have lost patience, it may be best to hire enlist the help of a nanny who has had experience with children with ADHD. They can help stimulate your child as you take a well-deserved rest. 

Consult with a Mental Health Expert

Mental health experts can be anyone from a therapist to a psychiatrist to a counselor. They have handled children with ADHD before and can help you discover the best actions you can take moving forward each day. 

Little Otter Health provides online mental health services, including support for kids with ADHD. 

How to Discipline a Child with ADHD

Children with ADHD can have trouble sitting still, listening, or remaining under control of their emotions. If you need to discipline your child with ADHD, make sure you are doing so in a safe and healthy manner that will not place blame on your child for the ADHD. 

Positive attention is one way to avoid a situation that can result in disciplining your child. This can help reduce attention-seeking behavior in the long run. A good rule of thumb is to set aside time each day to give your full attention to your child in a positive manner, whether that’s doing an activity together or listening to them if they are excited to talk. 

If you need to give your child a time out, make sure that the area of their time out has things that calm them, whether that’s a book or certain music. This does not mean you have to provide them with something that will encourage more playing, like toys. But, a safe space where they can calm their mind at their own pace can teach them how to handle their ADHD better. 

Parenting with Patience

You can still raise a child with a healthy relationship regardless of their ADHD. The biggest first step to maintaining a healthy relationship with your child is to learn everything you can about ADHD. Understanding ADHD can help you practice patience and how to handle any situation with care. 

ADHD is not caused by poor parenting. With a little bit of consistent effort, you can prove that you are handling your child’s ADHD with great parenting instead. 

There are plenty of support groups available for parents struggling to deal with their child’s ADHD. Seeking professional help for both you and your child is not a bad thing. It can actually lead to a much stronger relationship between you and your child, and it can also reduce stress that the disorder may have caused.

Little Otter is here to help your family with ADHD.

Research indicates that there’s a significant genetic component to ADHD, and it tends to run in families. We can provide ADHD care for both parents and their little ones, since we have board-certified psychiatrists who can treat adults and children.

Kinsey S. Wolf

 

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