My ADHD child

I have a child who was diagnosed as ADHD and I struggle with how to parent her effectively.

She often forgets what is asked of her even though it's the same routine in the morning and at bedtime. She can't tell me why she did something wrong or follow directions. It's frustrating. Please help me understand her and how to deal with consequences when nothing works with her.

That is tough. I suggest you see if you can find some ADHD books that give suggestions about parenting--and if you need to, talk to a counselor who knows about ADHD.

Hi cougmom, its great you have a regular routine for her as this is most important. Childten easily get distracted and I find that mine needs instructions in the exact order. Eg. Brush your teeth and then get dressed. Not, get ready for school. Small bits and not 3 things at a time. If thrres any distraction such as tv or elecyronics there is no getting his attention. I know how frustrating it can be, but they need as much one to one attention as possible. Do you have other children? I find with my son, any other noise going on will get him hyper. You need to get a coversation going with the doctor who diagnosed him to get their suggestion. Hope this helps, kelly

good luck.

((((hugs))))

hi cougmom

the main thing to remember is kids with adhd forget things within seconds, especially the younger they are. so when you need her attention make sure there's no distractions like television. bend down to her eye level and gain and keep eye contact. give her one instruction at a time. i.e. it's no good saying go clean your room. you'd have to say the clothes need picking up off the floor, then when that's done you'd have to say the toys need putting away. if you find she's forgotten part ways thru a task what she's supposed to be doing, a gentle reminder goes a long way.

it's really important, despite the frustration, to show gentleness and patience and to be very consistent with routine as much as is practical.

i know it's hard but try to keep in mind that she's not trying to frustrate you on purpose, it's genuinely difficult for her brain to retain information or request for any length of time.

you don't say how old your daughter is but i have a son with adhd plus aspergers and tourettes, so if you have any specific questions please feel free to pm or em me.

My 10 year old has adhd and I have just gotten used to the fact that sometimes, she can only handle one direction at a time, even on things she does on a daily basis

I also had just had a daughter diagnosis with adhd and I have dealed with this for many years with her, Now she is 8 and finally I was at my breakin point with it and she was also doin poorly in school. So we have also started her on an routine to help help it has been a great benefit also with the medicine adderall XR(she is on 5mg and you only take it once a day) just within 2 days I noticed a change in her mood in the mornings and at night she is less winely bout doin things and wants to do better. I do know our doctor advised that it might not work instance, but it will show signs of improvement over the course of month or 2. So with it already helping in the mornin mainly for me is a blessing in disguised. If your daugther is not showing signs of improvement by 2 months or has all but fully improved in that time I would consider talkin to her doctor bout gettin the dosage upped or changed meds to something that may be more helpful to her...I hope this helps you with your daughter.

My son has ADHD too. It can be exhausting having to remind them every day to do things like brush teeth or take a bath. I bought a magnet board / chore chart that lists the things he has to do everyday and that does help. He gets a reward at the end of the week if he's done the activity every day.

I've tried lots of different reward systems and what works probably depends on the age of the kid and the kid's interests and likes. It took me a few tries to find one that motivated my son. He's gotten very good at his self care routine as a result.

We are still working on homework routines / organization, though.