Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the school-aged child

Children at the best of times can be a handful, but this is never more so true if they have ADD of ADHD in particular.
The time of development and growth is turbulent and fragile and it is the parent's responsibility to ensure the well being of their offspring, monitoring and supporting them with due care and attention.
But how do you cope when the child is unable to respect any situation where concentration, organisation and sustained mental effort are required to complete duties and tasks? A child whose speech is impulsive rather than thoughtful, disregarding social restraint by butting in on others or talking over them. How to communicate if they don't listen? If they interrupt you when your asking them questions?

In today's contemporary world it is easy to turn to medication for the answers. Methylphenidate (e.g. Ritalin) and dexamphetamine (Dexedrine) are commonly prescribed by doctors and are suggested to be the best treatment by US researchers. But they are amphetamine-like stimulants. Ritalin is a Class A drug. Okay it may reduce the impulse to behave erratically, making the child less aggressive, more compliant, helping focusing their attention span, but it is a prescribed Class A Drug. The same kind of Class A drugs that in maybe ten years or so down the line, the child will be warned against.
Another approach is natural parental mentoring and management. This will mean a lot of hard work will be required and a lot of pressure will be put on the child and parent to accomplish results, but the results will be rewarding for both.
Parents should take a more pro-active role in supplying their child with a healthy diet rich in fish oils and vegetables that will help strengthen brain activity. The parent should be forcefully insistent on getting the child into a routine heavily rooted on scheduling activities, completing tasks, eradicating unacceptable behaviour, improving communication with and sensitivity to others. These tasks should be executed consistently for efficiency with rewards handed out upon completion and not offered before as implying bribery.
Try to imply a scheduled amount of playtime after a session of homework. Try to eradicate television dinners, ensuring conversation in occurring whilst eating. Be firm and disciplined when empowering your rules on unacceptable behaviour using punishments such as denying them television, computer games and other toys, sending them to their rooms where sources of amusement should be removed. Also try to remain sensitive to your child's emotions for their minds are fragile and yours is wise; remember that by not letting yourself play mind games with you child.
For a child with this disorder, they should not be aware that they are a problem or are perhaps abnormal from others (and not that they are), and it is in the parent's duty to ensure that no suspicion is aroused.

Learn more about this author, Jon Miller (ENG).
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