1. How to Help Your Child with ADHD
If your child has ADHD, you may feel overwhelmed and unsure of how you can help to
control or reduce their symptoms. It may be a good idea to seek professional counselling to
help you cope with the difficulties of raising a child with ADHD. In addition to individual or
family counselling, there are a number of other ways that you can help your child be
successful and reduce the impact on your family.
The first step is to understand that ADHD result in a deficit in executive functioning, which
means that it can affect your child’s ability to:
 Think and plan ahead
 Organize
 Control impulses
 Complete tasks
It’s important for you to provide your child with extra help, guidelines and support in these
areas. Ensure you respond to your child with patience and understanding. Be positive,
supportive and compassionate when you deal with your child, even during trying times
where their behaviour is inappropriate. Here are some additional tips to help you and your
child:
1. Be Positive
 Keep things in perspective: if your child completes their homework on time, but
forgets to clean their room, focus on the positive and be willing to compromise
 Don’t sweat the small stuff: try to keep a sense of humour. Small, inappropriate
behaviours can seem like the end of the world, but you may look back on the
incident and laugh
 Believe in your child: remember that your child can be successful
 Get support for yourself: don’t feel like you are alone. Seek the help of a counsellor
or parent support group and talk about your problems, difficulties and successes
2. Establish Structure and Remain Consistent
 Follow a routine – an established routine will help your child understand expectations
about how they behave
 Use clocks and timers to help your child stay on task and focused
 Simplify schedules – ensure there isn’t too much down-time, or your child may
become restless and bored
 Create a quiet place – for your child to study and have a time out if needed
 Be neat and organized – role model neatness and organization for your child
 Keep your child busy – remember that children with ADHD are easily bored
3. Set Clear Expectations and Rules
 Ensure your child knows what to expect regarding their behaviour

2.  Use a consistent system of rewards and consequences
4. Praise and Give Positive Reinforcement
 Ensure you praise your child when they are successful
 Give lots of positive reinforcement to encourage your child to succeed
 Give positive attention on a daily basis
5. Educate Yourself and Your Family
 Learn all you can about ADHD
 Take advantage of support systems
 Talk to other parents as well as your child’s teachers and caregivers
 Talk to a qualified counsellor or mental health professional
With the right tools and knowledge, there are many ways you can help your child with ADHD
achieve success.