You may need to take a different approach to disciplining if your child has ADHD. A few easy adjustments to your parenting practises could provide your child with the tools they need to better manage their behaviour. ADHD children may struggle to sit quietly, complete work, manage urges, and follow directions. These disciplining techniques can assist a child with troublesome behaviours in adhering to the rules.
1. Give Positive Attention
It’s difficult to parent a child with ADHD. Even the most patient parent can become exhausted by their never-ending stream of energy and want to chat incessantly. Providing positive attention to a child with ADHD, on the other hand, is a wise investment.
Positive playtime minimises the need for attention. It will also improve the effectiveness of your repercussions. Set aside one-on-one time with your child every day, no matter how tough their conduct has been.
One of the easiest, yet most effective, strategies to lessen behaviour problems is to devote 15 minutes of positive attention.
2. Make Useful Instructions
Children with short attention spans require extra assistance in following instructions. Frequently, they are oblivious to the directions in the first place. Begin with gaining your child’s entire attention in order to improve the effectiveness of your instructions. Before making a request, turn off the television, make eye contact, and place a hand on your child’s shoulder.
“Put on your socks, clean your room, and then take out the trash,” for example, should be avoided. A child with ADHD is more likely to put on their socks and then find something else to do on the way to their room rather than cleaning it. One lesson at a time should be given. 1
Avoid general tasks such as “clean your room.” Instead, provide or assign a checklist making the bed, putting dirty clothing in the hamper, replacing books on the shelf, and so on are examples of tasks that can be completed one at a time.To be sure your child understands, have them repeat what they heard back to you.
3. Appreciate Your Child’s Hard Work
Make a point of praising your child when he or she does something positive. Children with ADHD are motivated to behave by praise, and constant feedback is critical. 2
Make your compliments more precise. “Great job placing your dish in the sink right when I asked you to,” instead of “Nice job,” remark. You’ll encourage your child to keep doing things like following directions, playing quietly, and sitting still if you praise them.
4. When it’s necessary, take a time-out.
Time-out can be a useful tool for helping children with ADHD calm their bodies and minds. 2
Time-out does not have to be a severe sanction. Instead, it can be a valuable life skill that can be applied to a variety of situations.
When your youngster is overstimulated or frustrated, teach them to go to a quiet place to calm down. Create a relaxing environment and gently lead them there, not as a punishment, but as a method for them to relax. Your child will eventually learn to travel to this location on their own before getting into trouble.
5. Ignore Minor Infractions
Attention-seeking behaviour is common in children with ADHD. Giving them attention, even if it’s unfavourable, encourages them to keep doing what they’re doing.
Ignoring minor infractions teaches children that annoying behaviour will not earn them what they want. Ignore whining, complaining, loud noises, and interruption efforts. Your child will eventually quit.
6. Allow for Natural Consequences to Play a Role
When disciplining a child with ADHD, pick your battles wisely. You don’t want your child to feel as though they can’t do anything right or that they are constantly getting into trouble. Allowing some behaviors to slide can help both of you.
Sometimes, allowing for natural consequences makes more sense than trying to convince a child to make a better choice. For example, if your child refuses to take a break from playing to eat lunch, simply put the food away.
The natural consequence is that they will likely be hungry later and will have to wait until dinner to eat. Tomorrow, they will be more motivated to eat lunch when it is served.
7. Establish a Reward System
Reward systems may be a powerful tool for keeping kids with ADHD on track. 1 Traditional reward systems, on the other hand, often bore children with ADHD because they require them to wait too long to receive a reward. Consider implementing a token economy system to assist your child in earning tokens throughout the day.
Establish a few token-earning behaviours, such as remaining at the table during a meal, utilising gentle touches with a pet, and putting things away after use. Allow tokens to be swapped for larger benefits, such as electronic time or the opportunity to play a favourite game together.
8. Work With Your Child’s Teacher
When parents collaborate with a child’s teacher, the likelihood of a child’s academic success increases. To be successful, some students require adjustments to their curriculum, such as more time on tests.
Changes in behaviour may also be required. Forcing a youngster with ADHD to stay inside for recess may exacerbate his or her behavioural issues. As a result, it’s critical that you and your kid collaborate to develop a behaviour management plan that will support your child’s efforts to manage their symptoms. 3
It can be beneficial to have a behaviour control plan that is carried over from home to school.
A youngster may, for example, obtain points or tokens at school that can be swapped for home privileges.
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