Living with ADHD

I'm sharing the following story from one of the mums from our ADHD support group because I think it highlights very well the struggles families go through as they work to build a positive approach to the challenges they face each day. Parents know when their children's behaviour is not like the other kids. I personally know this mum and her journey with ADHD is a familiar one for many families. She is a wonderful mum and advocate for her child. I share this story, written by her, with her permission, in the hope that it will help others to know they are not alone in this journey and also that others will find the help they are looking for.   As we started the journey with our daughter we had no idea what we were in for.   We just knew there was something just a little bit different about her to all the other kids around her. We first noticed this when she was about 3 years old. We saw the doctor who sent us to see an OT who said that our daughter was just to...

How do we let go of our children as they grow older? Well, that depends on how tightly we hold them in control. Love for our children should not mean we control their every move and every detail of their lives. Love means we teach and prepare our children to be responsible people. This is true whether ADHD is present or not. Sure, ADHD means some of this takes more time and more persistence by parents and there are times when we need to protect them but we cannot continue to rule their lives into adulthood. He's some thoughts that I've found helpful raising a child with ADHD: Accentuate the positive. Find out what they are good at. Give them lots of positive encouragement and the opportunity to pursue what they can do. Provide good and consistent boundaries and follow through. Encourage children to take responsibility for their actions by following through with consequences and allow children to experience natural consequences ( within reason and general safety) Have po...

Today I had a great time chatting to a couple of amazing mums who have children with various ADHD and related issues. These mums are doing it tough but their love for their children shines through and they are doing everything possible to help their children progress well in life.  I love that they were able to keep a sense of humour even in the most frustrating of circumstances. I am encouraged by their determination and their spirit to push on even on the most difficult days. They represent many of the parents I speak to. All determined to have better outcomes for their children. This is why together we are better. Together we can support and encourage one another. Together we can brainstorm ideas that can make life easier for families. Together we can help achieve outcomes that might not otherwises seem possible.  Together we are more than the sum of the individuals.  Together we can make a difference in our world.

This is a great blog by a mum of a child diagnosed with ADHD http://www.additudemag.com/adhdblogs/30/11289.html

This is the link to a great blog by the Mum of a child with ADHD. http://www.additudemag.com/adhdblogs/30/11289.html

I don't know about you, but I'm amazed at how often we think we know what is best for others without trying to understand their situation first. I know in the past, I probably made the same mistake. ADHD is a complex disorder, no two children are the same and it manifests in many different ways. Of course there are many things we can do to help our children, and some of them are up on this blog. But I've noticed recently, that some people seem to think they know best. My experience is that this is mostly in the area of medication. It seems that when a parent chooses to put their child on medication, that it unleashes the best and the worst in people. I'm always disappointed when I hear of, or read of, people who just assume that medication is somehow the cop out and the quick fix first response. This is simply not true. Again, from experience, parents of children diagnosed with ADHD and other related disorders are not looking for a quck fix to make life easy for them...

Well its been a little while since I posted anything here. The last few months have been very busy. One of the great things we have achieved with our ADHD Support Group over the last few months is getting our "Being Me" kids program for primary aged kids up and running. We have found this a really useful way to help kids living with ADHD to understand more about themselves and to be able to use the toolsfrom the program to help them make good choices, understand their emotions and devlop their creative side. Oneof the great things about the program is that the kids can feellike they belong. Recently, one of our children said that it was the first time they felt normal. Another mum told us that it was the only children's program her child had not been kicked out of. We value the children in our programs and the leaders are great people, all with a solid understanding of ADHD. It's been great to see the children grow and develop. We are now at a point where we are rev...