What is ADHD? What does it look like in kids? At home? At school? Where are some key area that kids with ADHD are likely to have some challenges?
In this video, Dr. Phelan answers the following questions:
- What is ADHD and how do you know if your child has it?
- At what age do parents start seeing indicators that their child could have ADHD? When do you seek a diagnosis?
- What are the challenges of living with ADHD as a child and as a parent?
- Should parents seek medication? Or follow alternative therapies?
What is ADHD and what does it look like in kids at school and at home?
ADHD is a developmental disorder that interferes with normal development. Kids with ADHD often struggle to pay attention or sustain attention especially during school. Concentrating in class on things that are normally boring is harder for them, which can result in poor school work. Another symptom parents notice is their kid is "driven like a motor" and may be much more active than kids their age. Possibly the hardest thing for parents to cope with is that their ADHD child may be rejected socially--they may become a "class clown" and struggle to make friends.
What are the best things parents can do to help a child with ADHD?
If you suspect your child has ADHD, get it checked out. Find a mental health professional who has experience with children with ADHD who can make a diagnosis if needed. After that, you need to be a "professional parent"--you have to come up with a parenting strategy and stick to it.
I hope this video helped! For more parenting advice, check out All About ADHD, the book, and 1-2-3 Magic .
