Many parents who have a child with ADHD may wonder if getting a pet is a good idea. Pets offer a child unconditional love and companionship, and having a pet can help teach kids a lot about responsibility and empathy. As a parent, you will need to assess whether your ADHD child can successfully handle a pet. It takes careful planning and understanding how a pet will fit in with your family’s situation.
If you have an ADHD child who is on a treatment plan that involves taking stimulant medications, you may face a vexing decision when summer vacation arrives. That is, whether to give your kid a “drug holiday” – discontinuing their medication during the summer break from school. There are many factors to consider when contemplating a summer drug holiday for your ADHD child. Be sure to give it as much consideration as you did when starting the medication treatment in the first place.
Jim Carrey is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, impressionist, screenwriter, and producer, best known for.his highly energetic slapstick performances. By any measure, he has achieved fame and success in his acting career. In fact, his is an almost classic story of rising from near poverty to comparative wealth. Carrey’s story is an inspiring example of how the “gift of ADHD” – its super powers – can be used to achieve a more fulfilling and meaningful life.
Most of us are aware of the benefits of exercise for our bodies. But it is also great for your brain. For individuals with ADHD, exercise can help them focus and leads to changes in the brain that are comparable to the effects of medications used to treat ADHD. The benefits are well worth the effort and can augment other forms of treatment for your ADHD symptoms.
A gap year is simply a break either before or during college. It is a time when students take a break from formal education to do activities like travel, volunteer, study, intern, work, perform or research. The increased maturity, self-confidence and life experience that a gap year can confer, especially for a student with ADHD, is well worth the investment if it means a better chance for your child to succeed in college and, later, in a career.
Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a condition where a child is almost always angry, frustrated and defiant toward authority figures. The exact causes of ODD are not known, but it occurs more frequently in families with a history of ADHD. There are many effective treatments for ODD, and strategies that parents can use to lessen the severity of symptoms and their negative impacts both within and outside the home.
Findings from several recent studies suggest that certain aspects of ADHD can be improved with at-home computer interventions. This comes as welcome news to children, who adapt easily to mobile devices, and to parents who seek alternatives to drugs that have limited effectiveness and adverse effects. These studies provide encouraging evidence that video game technology might one day be used as part of an ADHD treatment regime.
Recent studies have suggesed that the incidence of substance misuse can be higher among those with ADHD relative to the general population. Appropriate treatment of ADHD symptoms with medication and behavior therapy may, however, reduce the risk of development of substance use disorders. An important part of ADHD treatment and stimulant medication management includes screening for substance use disorders and providing guidance around the appropriate and safe use of stimulant medications.
As the end of the school year approaches, many teens will start thinking about getting a summer job. Besides the money they can earn, they will learn a sense of responsibility as well as have the opportunity to develop greater self-esteem, practice communication with others and sharpen their skills. If you are a parent with an ADHD teen, here are some tips to help them find a job that matches their interests, abilities and attention capacity.
Raising a child with ADHD is tough on parents. Children with ADHD often struggle in school, with friendships and at work. Getting your child a coach can do more than help your child succeed, it can help you too. An ADHD coach can be a critical and highly effective part of a multi-modal approach to managing ADHD symptoms and learning the necessary life skills for young people to learn to live well with the challenges of ADHD.
